My father taught me now to build things. By the time I was 14, I could do basic electrical, plumbing, drywall, carpeting, flooring, roofing, woodwork, cement, windows, gardening, and other types of home maintenance. I no longer enjoy doing this type of work and would rather pay a professional. In addition, many of the processes have changed and I need to retrain myself on modern techniques and codes. My wife and I watch many shows on HGTV, but I am not a Chip or Joanna Gaines. Guest what? It's okay.
People feel pressured to be what they are not or to do what they are not best suited. Companies across America make the mistake of hiring the wrong people for the wrong assignments and wonder why the people are not efficient. You have heard me say often "put your aces in their places." In other words, do not ask people to do what they are not good at doing. Position people according to their strengths. Yet we continue to frustrate ourselves by watching people fail when they should not have that assignment. We fail to motivate them by constantly pointing out their failures rather than accept responsibility for sharing our unrealistic expectations.
You may be good at a task, but that does not mean other people are good at it, nor do they want to be good at it. People have different likes, preferences, and passions. What you enjoy others may not and it is okay for us to be different. We must learn to let people be great in their own way, in their own spaces. I thought I was doing my wife a favor by hiring someone to do our spring gardening. She reminded me that she likes working in the garden and planting her own flowers. Gardening provides her with peace and tranquility. I am not going to do it, but she enjoys it.
Motivating people to be great means we identify their specific areas of greatness and allow them to flow in those areas without interference. Don't expect people to be like you. One of you is all this world can handle. Variety is the spice of life and the less we pressure people to conform to flawed standards, the more stable our world will become.
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