Determined to Learn

My dad was traveling for work and I was determined to eat good grilled food. I was around 16 yrs old and fired up the grill after preparing the burgers. My mom, aunt, cousins and sister were all home.

Alexa and Siri weren’t around to help me. The Encyclopedia Brittanica was in the box. I could have asked Jeeves, but hindsight is 2020.

After working the grill like a "master" the burgers became large burnt burger balls on the grill! No matter how hard I pushed, I couldn't flatten them. They looked done ... I mean they were burnt! Crip on the outside!

I brought them up on the platter and everyone graciously put a burnt burger ball on their bun. We all added cheese and plenty of condiment to cover the taste of whatever we were about to bite into.

Then came the first bite ... They were still raw in the middle!

I think we went for take out that night. My first time grilling was an utter failure!

The burnt burger balls didn't hit the spot. Sometimes our first attempt causes us to revert back to what we did before. It shouldn't though. Keep pushing, keep developing and accomplish your goals.

Don’t Quit Trying When It Doesn’t Work Out

Sometimes when we try something new for the first time it doesn’t work out as planned. It doesn't mean you shouldn't try it again.

Not to brag (maybe a little). My family and friends consider me somewhat of a grill master. It just took lots of practice to get it right.

Sometimes when we try something new for the first time it doesn’t work out as planned. It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try again.

How are you developing yourself?

What skill set are you trying to develop?

Every time we prepare for a new role or take on a new role we have to develop. What got us there won’t keep us there. You are working with new leaders, new team members, new clients and you need to develop new strengths to be successful. You have them in you - you just need to practice.

My Story

We use the SDI 2.0 Inventory at Insight Leadership Group. This is a picture of the third view the tool gives me. My top strengths are persuasive, self-confident, quick to act, perseverance, and forceful. - Very results focused strengths. When I work with leaders driven with a desire to help people before the result, my natural leadership style can run them the wrong way. My heart for people isn’t always seen in how they perceive me. I had to learn to bring up new strengths to connect with leaders wired up differently than me. It’s not enough to simply trust, I need to communicate trust. It’s not enough to be option oriented, I needed to communicate that I was option oriented. I had to deploy new strengths to rally the team together. My first attempts were a bit awkward and clunky - now it comes naturally.

It’s like working the grill for the first time.

Just because it didn’t work out the first time, doesn’t mean it should be the last time.

If you don’t have have 10 years to figure it out give us call. We help you get there after a few weeks. Register for the Courageous Leaders Cohort to take the next step today.