Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Diamonds in the Rough

I saw this on a great blogsite that I read and thought it should be shared for its leadership lessons. Watch this and think about those "diamonds in the rough" that you work with:



This guy ended up winning the competion (Britain's Got Talent)! Amazing!

Now...who on your team is waiting to be discovered? Who just needs someone to believe in them? Who has potential that perhaps is just waiting to break through?

My guess is that we've all got these sorts of "diamonds in the rough" in each of our respective organizations. Use this as an opportunity to invest in others...and to see them not only as they are...but as they could be! Hooah!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey Tom, I also think the flipside of this principle is true, that if you fail to identify the diamond in your group, that your competitor might end up with that diamond at some point, and use it against you.

Also, a related principle is that you ought to make sure you are using the person toward their strength, and not toward their weaknesses. This concept is essentially making sure you have your people in the right seat on the bus. Using a gardening analogy, a tropical plant won't do well in a desert garden, but placed in a humid atrium, it will.

Often I think leaders can judge a person as a poor performer (not a diamond), but the worker may be simply misplaced in the company. Someone who is highly compulsive and introverted might be a great proofreader, bookkeeper, etc. for the organization, but someone who is extroverted and less analytical might be a great salesperson or customer service person.

I think the coaches in sport who do the best understand this - they make the most of the athletes they have, use them in the best position, rather than thinking they have to have only the "best athletes" to succeed. Tom Brady, Tony Romo, and Drew Brees are excellent examples of lower draft picks who turned out better than the high QB draft picks.

Great topic, as usual! Thanks for your efforts with this blog!
jtp.

Anonymous said...

http://www.linkedin.com/in/jamestparsons

Tom Magness said...

Thanks for your comments, James. You are so right. It is all about seeing people for their strengths, not for their weaknesses; for what they could be, not what they are. The business of leaders is to be focused on aligning strengths and needs. Some of us can sing. Some can write. Some serve. Some lead. Thanks for sharing your many skills with so many others! Hooah!