You’ll be Fired With Enthusiasm!
Hello everyone! I have been a little quieter than usual for a good reason. It's been a tremendously busy fall as organizations and associations from all over the country are gathering again. People are engaging and excited to be back together with a heightened appreciation for social interaction.
As I step onto the stage or in front of the conference room, one theme rings through every one of my talks: You can't get it right without the right people. Whether you're a board member, a CEO, a manager, a spouse, or a solopreneur, this is the most important truth you must constantly keep at the forefront of your thoughts.
So, what defines the right people?
First and foremost, they are enthusiastic. The right people possess a pronounced awareness and honor of the collective business or mission that binds you together. If there's anything that catches people's attention and causes them to sit up and notice what you're saying or doing, it's ENTHUSIASM! The word enthusiasm is derived from two Greek words: "En", which means IN, and "theos", which means GOD. So, enthusiasm means "in God" or "God in us"! Thus, the genuinely enthusiastic person acts and speaks as if God possessed him! There's a great Vince Lombardi quote, “If you’re not fired with enthusiasm, you’ll be fired with enthusiasm!”
Second, they aspire to be developed. The more the right people know, the more they are aware they don't know; hence they are working to develop their skills up until their last day on the job. We have a new book coming out in the next two weeks titled, Choices, and our latest author, Dr. Roland Hughes, is a tremendous 92 years young! Talk about being enthused! There’s a term we used in the military called ROAD, which stood for Retired on Active Duty. This acronym is a term used across the service branches to reflect that a member is proactively NOT doing the work they are supposed to do and committed to doing. They're so close to sailing off into the sunset that they've ceased performing duties as leaders of their ship.
Lastly, they have a heightened sense of self-awareness. The cornerstone of emotional intelligence is self-awareness. Self-awareness is the conscious knowledge of one's character, feelings, motives, and desires. It's important because if I don't understand myself, how can I understand others? Unfortunately, the evilest people in the world have a black hole of self-awareness, which manifests in not caring about anyone other than themselves. This void is why narcissists fail to heal; they refuse to self-identify the specks in their own eyes and refute feedback. If you cannot admit that you're not perfect, you'll never be able to own your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
When identifying the right people, ensure they check off both areas: WILL and SKILL. SKILL involves the cognitive capacity to identify problems, create solutions, and execute plans to meet goals. WILL consists of a willingness to be an integrated part of the collective, a duty to your team members until you cross the finish line, and an ability to receive correction. Teamwork makes the dream work only if you’ve got the right team.
