Get to know those you lead.

I had a lovely conversation with one of the sponsors of the Soft Skills program this weekend. It was around spotting someone's real ability, something that is unique to them. This reminded me of something I used as a teacher to get the best from my students. We know we're all unique, but those of you who lead or have responsibility for others, do you know what really makes them tick?

Remember this.
  "The person born with a talent they are meant to use will find their greatest happiness in using it." 
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (poet)

When I was young, Multiple intelligences were all the rage, It was theorized that people (in this case students) were smart in so many ways, recognizing this, we then attempt to reach the student in a different way.
At work, how often have you heard the same rhetoric and thought, " Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result!" 

Tip of the week, "Try something different"

If you get a chance this week, try one or more of these skills and see which resonates with your charges. You may find, they suddenly come to life.

The "multiple intelligences" our people have include.
Verbal/linguistic: These people are stimulated by written and spoken words. They have skills in listening, speaking, reading, writing, encoding, and decoding language
Logical/Mathematical: These people are stimulated by patterns, relations, numbers, and symbols. Their skills involve problem-solving reasoning logic numerical skills
Visual/Spatial: These people are stimulated by color shape and distance their skills include a good sense of direction, architecture, painting, sculpting, arranging, and decorating
Musical/Rhythmic: These people are stimulated by rhythm pitch and timbre. Their skills include composing, performing, appreciating, and recognizing music
Bodily/Kinesthetic: These people are stimulated by bodily cues. Their skills include dancing, catching, throwing, jumping, and handling objects. They move with grace and precision
Naturalists: These people are stimulated by flora, fauna, rocks, and clouds. Being outside. Their skills include a green thumb, animal husbandry, discriminating, recognizing, categorizing, and analyzing
Interpersonal: These people are stimulated by desires, motivation, and the feelings of others. Their skills include an accurate social map, empathy, the ability to organize and lead groups, understanding the connection with others, conflict resolution, and census-seeking skills
Intrapersonal: These people are stimulated by emotions, impulses, moods, and deeper thoughts. Their skills include self-knowledge, accurate self-concept, evaluation, self-direction, and impulse control
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I know there may not be an opportunity to utilize all of the above, but you know your people, what have you spotted and thought, "how could I use that to help develop them?" These may just help.

Any questions please reach out. For schools, I have activities to develop these skills in the students. For the workplace, this is about recognizing what will get the best out of your team members.