Message of the Day - Making it Work with what you Got

Good Morning,

 

My daughter is a fan of the cartoon 'Avatar: The Last Air Bender' and often we will watch an episode prior to going to bed at night. Tonight the episode was about Sakka who learned sword skills from a master swordsman. In the last part of the episode, the master was testing Sakka on what he had learned. Sakka on the other hand thought the master was out to get him when he revealed his true identity and origin.

 

To fight and defend himself, Sakka did the following:

 

Used his youthful agility, which was greater than the master's.

Used his surroundings to work for him.

Used the terrain to his advantage, higher ground, etc.

Used unexpected tactics to throw off the master.

 

In effect, he used what he did well to improve his overall performance.

 

While this is a kid's show, and even a big kid's show, there is some useful knowledge here. When we use those attributes we have to our advantage, we can perform better in work, and in life.

 

For example, one person I worked with had an amazing attention to detail. An ability to go deep into facts and figures and tweeze out details which others both could not find and did not have the patience to look for. This skill of focus and attention to detail makes him a true asset wherever he is when there is a need for research into project or problem.

 

If you are very good at understanding cars, and can name stock engine sizes for the last 20 years of your favorite make and model, that too is a valuable skill. When you get excited about something, you have the ability to learn great deals of information and can bring it up whenever you need it. Some of the best customer service folks I have ever worked with had this skill. Some put it to work and became subject matter experts in our company, and others didn't put in the effort and eventually got fed up and left.

 

Whatever special skills you have, you can most likely apply them to other parts of your life. The better you are at in these skills, the better you will be when you use them in different areas. Like what Donald Clifton and Marcus Buckingham shared in "Now Discover Your Strengths" the potential to improving our strengths is much higher than improving areas we normally struggle in.

 

When we match up our skills, what we like to do, with our jobs and what we have to do, the job becomes more fun, and our ability to work it becomes easier with greater results.

 

Enjoy!

 

Sanford Berenberg
Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
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