When I worked in the United States Customs Service in Newark, New Jersey, my director and mentor, Ms. Kathleen M. Haage-Gaynor, gave me countless words of wisdom. One of our conversations, in particular, stands out because it revolutionized the way I saw myself and my commitment to excellence. I enrolled in a leadership development program, and part of the curriculum included 360 grades in which I asked my staff to evaluate my management skills in 8 core areas for about 120 applications. Phrases that were invited for evaluation included statements such as “negotiating convincingly” or “inspiring people to succeed”, and were placed next to the scale from 1 to 5.
When I got the results, I could not believe my eyes. My peers, subordinates and immediate supervisor rated my skills and abilities as “above average”, giving me bright traces, while my mentor (who gave me many “special” tasks) checked the boxes with the reflection “average” and, “Required improvement. " It took me two weeks to calm down to discuss the assessment.
When we met, I explained that I was disappointed with the signs she gave me, and wanted to better understand why she did not rate me higher. (Looking back, I understand why she said that I “need improvement” for the statement “Dissent tactfully and sensitively” - I did not know what emotional intelligence is.) Her answer was simple and strong: “You are not too perfect, Lisa, and this is something that you should never forget. Persons who have achieved a lot constantly learn, grow and strive to be better than yesterday, to succeed in work and in life. ”
I was embarrassed by my pride and reverence for this woman and the advice of the sages. To this day, I live the lesson she taught me - staying open to learn from others, spend time and money on my personal and professional development and share these words of wisdom when the opportunity arises.
This story was the beginning of my motto “Take a rest until true growth”. Moving forward in life requires a constant assessment of goals and plans and the time allotted for an honest assessment of whether our actions continue towards us. Ms. Haage’s responses shed light on an area that is too often forgotten. Excellence plans usually begin with writing meaningful goals, and then focus on how to implement an action plan, including details through visualization. Rarely, however, leaders spend time evaluating their decisions.
When I found Upside Thinking, Inc., I was determined to create an organization that would help others find more happiness, success, and meaning in their lives through individual development and understanding of opportunities. The definition of “growth potential” is not interchangeable with the word “positive.” Potential means seeing opportunities in all circumstances. My goal is to give opportunity.
