Think about the great athletes that you know from Little League and extending to the Major Leagues. Now, try to name two that play to lose. It just does not happen for the most part. Great players, play to win. That same energy to strive toward success is not unique to sports. With this blog I will run three different analogies across three different mediums (Athletes/Gardeners/Cooks) to address the same three key actions that are imbedded in the message below that increase chances of delivering the message to different audiences. Lastly, I will tie the information to achieving success in the workplace.
All too often when metaphors are used to demonstrate or strengthen a point they inevitability alienate some of their audience.
The duality in modern living provides me the opportunity to attempt to provide you (the reader) with an analogy to reinforce the three most important actions to play toward winning.
- Assessing Surroundings/Situations
- Acknowledge and Honor the Surroundings/Situations by Doing Your Part
- Leave it Better Than You Found it
Assessing Surroundings/Situation
Athlete - Successful athletes evaluate their team and prepare themselves accordingly to contribute to the overall effort of the team.
Gardener - Successful gardeners evaluate the soil and consider weather conditions for best planting times.
Cook - Successful cooks evaluate the equipment as well as the actual food to prepare.
Acknowledge and Honor the Surroundings/Situations by Doing Your Part
Athlete - Successful athletes that achieve a measure of greatness understand their need to assess their team in such a way that they take on the necessary role their team needs/requires at that time.
Gardener - Successful gardeners use the assessment and make the necessary changes to the soil and make the necessary watering adjustments according to the plant.
Cook - Successful cooks will obtain the proper equipment and food products and/or spices to prepare the meal.
Leave it Better than You Found it
Athlete - Successful athletes realize that the season is long and the team will win some and they will lose some, but training and moving in a positive direction is a must.
Gardener - Successful gardeners will realize that some plants are more successful in different areas than others. They will move around their plants to find out where they grow best.
Cook - Successful cooks will experiment with different seasonings and improvise on a dish/recipe to make it the best eating experience for the person eating the meal.
Successful great athletes/gardeners/cooks have these three things in common with successful employees in any workplace:
1) Assessing the given surrounding(s)/situation(s) are/is the first step because only an honest assessment can identify strengths and weaknesses of a given workplace.
2) Acknowledging and honoring the surroundings/situations by doing your part is critical because action or non-action on the part has an impact on the workplace.
3) Always leaving ones surrounding(s)/situation(s) better than you found it is a common goal that has the capacity to motivate the team to have a better overall attitude toward one another from the moment you enter the workplace.
Those who ultimately achieve success follow a particular structure, follow a successful path to a successful outcome!
As always, if you enjoyed this blog, hit the like button. Also, please share on social media, with friends, etc. because we have to get the word out. Let all of the good people (wherever you are across America) communicate with one another and come back together.
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