They say it's bad news, but is it really?

I've had the privilege to meet with many smart people on my journeys and have always been better for it; a meeting a few days ago was no exception.

I was part of a sit down with a "domain expert" to discuss an opportunity we were working on; as we worked through the time available to us, she was quick to offer constructive criticism, injected astute observations, identified realities we were going to have to overcome, and came up with many suggestions. In the end, she looked at us empathetically said, "Sorry to deliver all this bad news."

We told her that her feedback was appreciated, that it had given us much food for thought (mostly because it was all very insightful and spot on), and thanked her for her time. As we debriefed later, worked through our disappointment and started to get our heads around all the work that needed to be done, I couldn't help dwell on her parting words because nothing in what she had said was "bad news" in my mind - I have heard bad news before and what she said was not it.

Bad news would be the doctor has just told you that you have incurable cancer. To offer an even greater perspective, horrific news would be the doctor telling you that your child has incurable cancer - Bad news takes away potential and the future possibilities.

The "news" we heard did none of that. 

There is this tendency to identify "easy news" with GOOD and "hard news" with BAD, where in fact it's simply an aspect of the degree of difficulty to deal with it (be it work involved or emotional effort); be it "easy or hard" (as well as the iterations in between), your potential to deal with it is not impacted - It becomes an exercise in how to figure it out.

Truly BAD news (and some of it's more horrific versions) takes away your potential to figure it out and your future possibilities. That is what makes it so BAD.

So in the end all we heard was "hard news", as our potential and future possibilities were still intact.

iamgpe

Can you envision the "potential"?

The following is the original and the rewrite can be found by clicking here.

After spending an hour and a half wandering a property we are thinking of acquiring for the family, I looked at my uncle Tom and asked him what he thought - His response was simply, "It has potential."  As we looked at the thirty-six acre parcel of land (with a steam and a pond), we were not looking at it for what it is today, but rather what it could become in the future. 

A while ago, a former colleague commented on how one of my past hires was becoming very successful; in the same breath, he admitted he didn't understand why I had hired her and didn't think much of her capability at the time - Like my uncle, I said, "She showed great potential".

Potential* by its very definition speaks to the future, but its importance lies in the present; consideration and understanding of "what is" and how it is aligned with your vision, goals and dreams for the future - "Does someone currently have the potential to help build to our common long term goals?" Or even more importantly, "Do I currently have the potential to achieve that vision I've set for myself?"

Potential is a key measure to ensure and validate you are aligned with your vision and longer term goals... there is a cold reality that comes with envisioning yourself as a profession hockey player but not having any ability to skate or any understanding of the game. When hiring someone, ensuring that the person has the ability to be successful in the role is important, but for me, their ability to be bigger than the role is crucial - I have always hired with the next role in mind - Potential is the great motivator, as it cultivates for the future. 

It should be remembered that potential represents the future and does not necessarily reflect current capability (which, over the years I have seen confused and inevitably leads to great disappointment); it is important to remember that potential needs to be developed, fostered and given an environment to flourish.

Potential is of course situational and contextual, but there are some core fundamentals that seem to be common to those who make the most of what they have: 

• Confidence in their ability and willingness to take on challenges.
• Strong work ethic, with a desire to go the "extra mile".
• Work in an environment that fosters potential, with leaders who manage to bring out the best in their people.
• Have a vision and the tenacity to go after it.
• The desire to achieve their potential.
• An understanding that potential can be developed and comes with constant learning.

As I look back on my uncle's comment and our vision for a property and sanctuary that can be used in the years to come, he is right - It does have Potential.

Now it's just a mater of realizing it.

gpe

* Potential is defined as latent qualities or abilities that may be developed and lead to future success or usefulness.