It’s always good to have something in reserve!
It is important to hold something of yourself back from the business. Really? This appears to contradict what you may expect me to say. What about full commitment and effort?
It is possible to become too immersed in what you do, and be too much a part of the culture of the organisation you work for. You must hold true to your own individuality, when faced with a ‘corporate mantra’, uniformity and unquestioning compliance that is far too easily embraced in the sense of compliance or dare I say resignation that ‘it’s the way we do things around here’.
If you retain your personal discernment you become more, not less valuable to your organisation. You are independent minded, bringing a fresh perspective and ability to see the wood and the trees! It is only then that you can challenge the norm, and question everything. Is there a better, smarter, more effective way to achieve a greater success?
It is also important to retain a degree of mystery. If your full potential were clearly displayed to others, they would know your limitations and would expect nothing more from you. If there is a curiosity about you, and you remain enigmatic, then the depth of your abilities is seemingly never discovered, and your potential is endless.
Let them exclaim ’How’s that for God Given Ability’ in the knowledge that they know you can offer more! When people expect you to be capable of more than you really feel you are – you find you can actually manage to give that extra little bit they always thought you were capable of!
Exceptional managers are 70% what people see you are, and 30% what they believe you to be capable of.
A final thought. Empowerment is a great way of ‘keeping the company powder dry’. You should always delegate tasks, even if you think you could do it quicker and better yourself, because this is how others grow in ability. There is very little that your team cannot deal with. Protect your time for the things only you can do. When you are one step removed from a situation, you remain in reserve for any point of escalation. Sometimes a situation requires a fresh pair of eyes, an appeasing voice, or a higher authority to sort the matter out.
By keeping yourself out of the skirmish, if it ever becomes a war you can be called upon in the heat of the battle to lead your troops to victory!
