Sometimes it’s easy to be blinded by the past and even the present…
…to fall into the trap of seeing someone for who they were or who we think they are instead of who they are becoming.
If we aren’t careful we can unintentionally limit their potential by not being supportive when they have failed, when they have messed up or when they are attempting to change their ways.
It’s not just about when someone has done wrong either.
Sometimes we take them for granted too, don’t we?
Perhaps we don’t listen to ideas from that young intern who has audacious dreams but no real grasp of reality (at least the reality we like to think we’ve gained via experience). What does he or she know anyways?
Or maybe it’s the staff member who has worked with your organization for 15 years who doesn’t get handed opportunities any more… because, well, they never really contributed anything stellar in the past.
This is what happens when we don’t look at people through the eyes of potential. It’s the danger that lurks when we see them for something other than what they can be.
Every day we have a choice to help bring something great out of others or to overlook them, discount them or be so focused on our own gain that we simply roll right past them.
I think the choice is apparent and one we must consciously make.
I don’t know about you but for me, I don’t want to miss out on the chance to help someone become who they were meant to be.
Related posts:
Thu, Apr 28, 2011
Influence, Perspective