Drip by Drip

Who remembers the aunt/uncle who squeezes your cheek as soon as they see you at Christmas and say one of three cliche things:

"I'm going to have to put bricks on your head to stop you from getting taller than me!"

(See Watts DFO; I was a tall kid)

I think it's interesting to be viewed as someone who has grown tremendously in a brief period of time. 

How does this work for our business? 

First-it's got to be an expectation. As a leader, if you haven't answered the call to grow, you'll soon be looking for work. If you don't expect to grow, it won't happen. 

Second-you've got to have the skills. Our upbringing. Our self education. Our willingness to take classes and be an understudy. We've got to develop skills in order to grow. The phrase "what got you here, won't get you there" applies to the second standard of growth. 

Resources- how many people in America have a library card? Answer: very few. Have you seen what a librarian can teach you? Research. Searching. Book clubs. Foreign languages. An entire group of people meet on a daily basis seeking to improve themselves. Human resources are all around. Sometimes they come in the form of an old friend, an ex-boy/girlfriend, a former teacher. We live in America, what else do you want by way of resources? Sure we have issues with some of it, but take a look at what the government doesn't prevent you from doing? Loving people, reading, writing, learning, taking classes, talking to people who care about the work you are doing. 

Lastly, consequences. When we look to grow we need to know what the consequences are going to be before we start. Negative: There's going to be some haters. John Maxwell says that if you're getting kicked in the rear, it means your out in front. People are going to be skeptical. When's the last time you trusted a stranger? That's what I thought. It's been a while. Positive: you're going to grow! You will meet new people who are on the same road to growth. You will create and cultivate relationships that can and will change your life. You get to feel better. I can't speak to the science behind new "feels", but I know one thing: it happens. Why do people watch stories on TV that make them gleeful with tears in their eyes? They like how it feels to see someone being helped. I'm a firm believer that our bank account changes when we grow. So keep you eye on that.

What we just walked through is the ESRC Model at Chick-fil-A. Expectations. Skills. Resources. Consequences. It's not über special. It's not rocket science. And it's easy to do. 

I think it's time to reevaluate how we are growing and why we are doing it. 

If you already are, you've got a friend in me.