A Great Fit                                                                                                                 March 2006

 

If you’ve ever struggled to assemble something that came with “simple, easy-to-read instructions,” you understand the frustration of stripping the wrong bolt only to discover (later) the correct one that fit beautifully into place. That image relates perfectly to achieving greatness; there has to be the right fit.

 

Think about how strongly you agree with the following statement: “At work (at home, or in my life) I get to do what I do best every day.” The Gallup organization, which posed this question to more than two million people over the past few years, discovered it was the most important question they asked. How respondents answered revealed a direct link to their productivity and performance. Respondents who agreed emphatically with the statement and felt that they got to do what they did best each day, also reported performance that was significantly higher than those who could not agree with the statement.

 

We found this research to be particularly noteworthy for our purposes. Can individuals unleash their own greatness in an environment that does not play to their strengths? Can individuals who are great at one area, also be great in another? The simple answer is “no.” Great individuals either find an environment that plays to their strengths or they create them. They rarely achieve greatness in environments that exploit their weaknesses.

 

We have never discussed “fit” in the context of the Greatness Project, but this research opened our eyes. To completely unleash greatness, individuals need to first understand their unique talents and gifts, and then they need to find or create the best environment that will allow their full expression.

 

Understanding our own unique talents presents the first challenge. This is not about being simply good at something; we have to look beyond competence. Analyzing where we have a natural strength or ability is only the beginning of the process. Think about (and write down) everything that comes easily and naturally. Perhaps writing, speaking, or creating art is so natural we don’t have to think about it. Our talent could also be in the way we relate to people, or even in the way we think.

 

Once we’ve identified our natural talents, then we need to identify where they fit best. Begin by drilling deeper into how and where that talent is best utilized. For example, if you have a talent for strategic thinking and are able to easily think through the course of action and the repercussions of various projects, you are best positioned where you can use that talent every day if possible. Finding yourself in a position that allows only time-honored ideas will bore you at best or continually frustrate you. The problem in that position is you’re not playing to your talent. We have two choices if we’re already in a position that doesn’t play to our talents. Either we need to discover how to tap into our talents wherever we are, or look for a more suitable position.

 

Discovering the right fit takes thoughtful awareness of our capabilities and understanding how we can best play to our strengths. And yet, fit is not something we can just hope to have. We must develop a strategy to either find a place where we can excel, or create that place for ourselves.

 

The Greatness Project^TM is researched and written by:

Scott Asalone & Jan Sparrow

Copyright © ASGMC, Inc. 2006