‘Tis the season to begin thinking about traditions, stories and gift-giving again. In our church congregation we’ll be re-enacting the visit of the Three Magi who came bearing the era-appropriate valuables of Frankincense, Gold and Myrrh (as represented by some ice melt from my garage, a used chocolate bar wrapper and some translucent rocks out of my flower bed). These were and are still quite unique gifts. Yet they were treasured none the less.
What are your unique gifts? What are your fellow associates’ unique gifts? Especially if you serve in a leadership role at your organization, this is a good time of year to connect with people and have more “human moments” (as coined by Dr. Hallowell, featured in our new 5 Choices program videos) to find out what really drives people. In our FranklinCovey leadership curriculum we discuss the importance of unleashing talent in the people around us – getting people to choose higher levels of initiative on their own accord. This can only be done, Dr. Steven R. Covey argues, when we treat people as a whole person.
Based on landmark research conducted with Watson Wyatt and Harris Polling, we at FranklinCovey have learned that only 1 in 3 people feel that the manager is genuinely involved in helping to develop employees’ potential; less than half of us feel our job taps into the best of our talents and passions.
What lackluster gifts is this reality likely to generate?
One way to respect the whole person, is to get to know the person whose unique gifts you are attempting to tap. Consider discussing these eight “Saw Sharpener” or “Voice Finder” questions:
- What have you always loved doing?
- What job-related opportunities are you passionate about?
- What are you really good at?
- What opportunities do you see for growth and development?
- Do you feel you are fairly compensated?
- How can we improve your work environment?
- What would make your work more meaningful to you?
- What contribution would you love to make in your current role?
With answers to these questions fresh in mind, you and your colleagues can focus on work objectives that will allow everyone to bring their unique gifts to bear.
