Recently a colleague came to my rescue. The colleague had exactly what I needed at a moment of distress. I was grateful.
That experience made me realize that we all have something to offer, and it's important to recognize that particularly when you meet with an individual who might not have what you need at that time. We have to realize that none of us have all capacity, but each of us has areas of strength and skill.
Similarly I read a post recently which asked a question about people whose positions are a mismatch with their skills and abilities. I've experienced that too. I've witnessed individuals who are misplaced in a position, job, or environment. What's painful about these observations is that good people are put in positions where they are not able to utilize their good skills, affect, or ability--instead they are somewhat paralyzed in positions that are poor fits thus leading to less confidence, development, and happiness than possible.
We need to assess our environments and recognize who has what's needed at one time or another. Who can you turn to for compassion, technical skill, wisdom, pragmatism, creativity, humor, experience, and more--what roles do the people in your work and home environment play, and what opportunities lie in those person's gifts and abilities? Do we sometimes mistakenly expect a colleague who is gifted in one area to have the right answers in another area, or do we intelligently recognize what we can expect from each person, and maximize that potential support, insight, and inspiration?
When we're open to recognizing and respecting the amazing gifts that the people around us display, contribute, and develop, we become more able to do our jobs and live our lives better as we can seek out those individuals to help us develop and complete what we do in ways that matter.
Everyone has something to offer, and all of us have our limitations too. The more that we can maximize the potential synergy of our strengths and abilities, the better we'll be able to develop strong homes, schools, and communities.
