Do you hope or believe the power of one person could shift an entire situation from failure to success, from terror to cooperation, from isolation to inclusion?
In 1999, I listened as Mike Milken extolled the value shift in the Chicago Bulls basketball team pre-Michael Jordon and post and the Boston Celtics basketball team pre-Larry Bird and post. The statistics were impressive. I sat there that day knowing I had to continue my work on the individual level of human development versus the large system change and team approach I had been academically trained to impact.
It was not Milken’s argument that solidified my work focus, but my personal excitement when I heard the statistics and saw the graphics. I wanted to invest my work in the hope that one person could shift an entire organization’s future. Long-shot odds, yes, and an exciting experience when it happens.
In recent weeks I have begun to feel that same excitement – the excitement of potentially witnessing the power of one person to shift an entire conversation and outcome, and the hope my excited feelings are correct. This time the organizations are not business organizations per se, but organizations that impact the global safety and security of billions. I sit today observing the potential evolution of Iran’s political power through the words of Iranian President Hassan Rowhani and the Catholic Church’s Pope Francis. What do these potential shifts have to do with business? Hopefully, a lot!
More important to me, however, is the reminder to keep working on the impact of an individual’s contribution and never to give up hope that positive change is possible.
Dr. Success Challenge: What excites you? Where do you need to put your focus today to potentially create the change you want to see in your life, your work, your world?
Happy creating, Andrea
