How To Change Your World, How To Change The World

When is the last time you felt you did something significant…I mean, REALLY SIGNIFICANT?  There is something about the human experience that creates a longing in our souls for significance.  There is something in us that wants to do something BIG! 

Recently, I was watching an ESPN College Gameday segment on interception returns.  Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh gave an amazing quote that I can’t get out of my head “The interception return is the best scoring opportunity you have in a game.  You have a great athlete and space”  Did you get that,“GREAT ATHLETE + OPEN SPACE = BEST SCORING OPPORTUNITY.”

If your church, business, non-profit, or organizations wants to do something significant, wants to impact human life, wants to relieve suffering and meet needs, then you must get your most talented people (your best athletes) into open space.

First, a few tips on identifying your most talented people:

1. Talented people produce.
2. Talented people make things happen.
3. Talented people are constantly coming up with out-of-the-box ideas.
4. Talented people do not fit normal organizational parameters.
5. Talented people grasp and implement new ideas quickly.
6. Talented people often want more, more, more.
7. Talented people often think they can do your job better than you can.
8. Talented people often don’t want position.  They want influence.

After you have identified your most talented people, here are some suggestions on how to get  them released from the shackles of normal and moved to the freedom of open space so they can do significant things for you and your team:

1. You must admit that you cannot treat everyone the same.  You treat everyone fairly, but not the same.
2. You must admit that not everyone is equal.  This is counter-intuitive thinking in today’s culture.
3. You must be a secure individual because talented people make can get more public acclaim than you.  By the way, that is actually a good thing.
4. Provide them OPPORTUNITY to make a difference.  Give them the ball.
5. Collectively craft a vision of how their uniqueness can advance the organization.
6. Give them a great Assistant.
7. Celebrate their production.
8. Allow them to make mistakes as they try new things.
9. Free them up from administrative tasks so they can be around people and creative environments.
10. Don’t make them“punch a clock” (they are probably working 50-60 hours a week anyway).
11. Avoid BORED meetings.  Yes, I spelled that correctly.
12. Attach their efforts to meaningful life change. 
13. Compensate them well and value their families.
14. Make them take time off.  This is necessary as they can burn out.
15. Put them on stage to tell their story.  Remember, they want influence.

Leaders, if you release your most talented people to perform at the level of their giftedness, then you have positioned your organization to exceed its goals and make a HUGE difference in the world. 

Tell us what you are doing to maximize the skills of your most talented people.

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