I was greatly inspired this week by our VP of Talent, Jeff Vijungco, who came into our management program to talk about Talent Leadership. What I love most about Jeff is his use of metaphors and his absolute passion and humor in all he does. Jeff shares many great pearls of wisdom, but one in particular caught me much by surprise and really framed up my world in an amazing fashion.
Jeff shared the story of how he and his daughter will go to Toys-R-Us to get her a reward. And his little 5 year old girl would start heading for the one toy, he didn't want her to choose. Why? Because all across the front of the box it said "SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED."
Haven't we all been there? I know for me every Christmas brings hours of "some assembly required" with the kids for me and my husband. The best toys always seem to require it. This Christmas for me was no different. Santa brought an "artist studio table" for my daughter that took hours to assemble. What's great though is that every day that I watch my daughter working at her table it brings me great joy and memories; memories not only about how excited she was to receive it, but the joy of building it together and the pure joy of her creating great masterpieces on it.
The same is true for the people we hire and bring onto our team. Sure, it is easier to hire talent that is ready now, no assembly required, but how long does that last? Often I find they become bored and I'm not as vested in their success because there is not a lot to contribute to them. Don't get me wrong, as Jeff says, there is very little downside - it works, it's ready now, plug and play. But there is also very little upside.
Many I know are frustrated at being "ready-ish". Ready to play bigger, with a strong desire to push the envelope, learn new things, and grow like mad all in an effort to make a big impact and deliver great results for the company and ourselves. Betting on talent is something that we should do more of. And YES, there is SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED. But that is the great part. Let's not forget that. The joy of watching things come together, of seeing the end result take shape, and the bonding, trust, and memories we make along the way are something I'd never trade.
So next time you are faced with a decision on whether or not to take on someone with potential, but not quite all the polish, get out your tools, and get ready for an amazing experience that will bring you and that rock star great joy.
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