During my career, I have had the pleasure of being in Human Resources and Information Technology. I find myself right smack dab in the middle of any personality test as both an introvert and an extrovert. I started my awesome career in human resources, then followed a technology path during the dot-com and technology boom. But, I came back to HR to follow my passion for people development. I specialize in coaching executives and supporting high performing technology teams.
What I found as the cornerstone of any high performing individual or teams is: putting self- improvement and personal growth into practice, surrounding yourself with those that encourage and motivate you to always be better (other high performers), knowing where to target and focus your attention and working to accomplish everything on your list. (More on all of those in future posts.)
Encouragement and Motivation to always be better
During Thanksgiving break from school, a few weekends ago, my daughter and I went to see the Disney movie Ralph Breaks the Internet. As we often find adult references during Disney’s movies, Ralph Breaks the Internet was no exception. We found the jokes about social media culture hilarious. But, what was most interesting about this movie is that the real villain and danger to the characters (Ralph and Vanellope) were their insecurities.
Vanellope and Ralph don’t see eye to eye when it comes to their dreams of what their lives can be. Once her dream is discovered, Vanellope struggles with going after it as many of us often do. This reminded me of a quote by William Arthur Ward, “If you can imagine it, you can achieve it. If you can dream it, You can become it.”
In the movie, Ralph is comfortable with the status quo and Vanellope is searching for her dream or something more. There is nothing wrong with being okay where you’re at. The movie is more about trusting your friends and adapting within a relationship as you each grow and evolve. To achieve your goals and dreams it’s important to surround yourself with people and relationships that inspire you to be better. Hang out with people better than you and you’ll drift in that direction.
Applying the movie lesson to life
As I sat there crunching on my popcorn, I thought about the synergies between the movie and the high performing executives and individual contributors I’ve had the pleasure of working with during my career. One of the things evident about the HP’s (in corporate, sports or any field) is that they are highly motivated (sometimes obsessed) to hone in and master their skill set. Being around those that inspire and encourage you makes your quest to be or obtain something better even more fun.
The importance of the underlying message to look for those situations and people that encourage you to be better (even though it may be uncomfortable) is something viewers of all ages can benefit from hearing. I don’t want to spoil the movie for you, so I won’t tell you the ending. I would be curious to hear what other golden nuggets you pick up from this creative and insightful movie once you see it.
Who do you have in life that encourages you and motivates you to continue growing? This person isn’t always someone that we find naturally around us. If you are interested in finding out how a certified coach can help you in this area contact SPEARity™, a local Milwaukee leadership coaching firm that specializes in business coaching, executive coaching, and leadership development training.
