It is easy for me to get caught up in the complexity of the world. There are schedules to juggle, shifting priorities and unexpected deadlines. And then there are peopleto deal with, all of whom are always different than me. (What’s up with that?)
Getting caught up in that complexity has always been a trap for me. It’s alluring to think that I can somehow control what happens at work, or in my house. But at the end of the day, all I can do infl uence those by actively participating in them. So my biggest opportunity to influence those complex situations and relationships is to simply work on me. Everything else -- especially other people -- is completely out of my control.
One way that I have been able to better understand this complex world, and my complex co-habitants of this world, is a tool called Insights Discovery. By using it I am more aware of my personality, my strengths and weaknesses, and with that simple awareness I can make choices that allow me to be more effective at participating in and influencing my world.
In the past decade, I have seen role changes, several supervisors, multiple team strategies and visions, teammates coming and going, not to mention changing economic conditions, and the elimination of two corporate jobs.
The only thing that I could control during that time was myself. With the help of friends at work, I could remain centered and manage my personality so that I could add more value than I would have otherwise been able to in the midst of all that change.
Those skills -- the ability to flex different aspects of my personality -- come from tools like Insights Discovery being used inside organizations that emphasize employee development and empowerment. As someone who has worked in that environment, I can tell you it’s a powerful combination. I know my employer received more days of my best version, and less of my worst, because of that investment.
As my Floricane colleague Debra Saneda and I facilitate Insights Discovery workshops, I see more and more organizations making this commitment. Lawyers, project managers, IT professionals, librarians, accountants and journalists are coming through the workshops. It’s exciting to see so many organizations making that investment in their people. Those organizations are preparing their people to make a difference in a complex world, simply by knowing themselves.
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Jim Johns is a freelance training and development coach. His years of experience partner impeccably with our own Debra Saneda to create a unique and informative InSights experience.