I Dive Right In... (Eventually)

If I ever needed proof that we are individuals, I need look no farther than my children.

It never ceases to amaze me that they, who all came from the same gene pool could be so very different from each other.

When our two oldest kids were younger (around 5 or 6), we took them for swimming lessons. Week after week, after week, after week, the routine was the same.

Child #1: Came out of the change room and stopped to read the Pool Rules... every single one... ensuring that nothing had changed in the past 7 days. Once satisfied, she could get into the pool (by the ladder) and continue with the lesson.

Child #2: Came barreling out of the change room in that "I'm not running!" walk and proceed to jump into the deepest part of the pool. After all, isn't that the reason we were here in the first place?

It is no surprise that child #1 ended up as a crown attorney prosecuting rule breakers for the Canadian government.

Child #2 ended up as a Six Sigma Black Belt helping his organization find ways to get to desired outcomes in the most effective ways possible.

Child #3, who came along years later, ended up as a senior Graphic Designer, weaving his understanding of design to look at very traditional products in a fresh new way.

I am infinitely proud of each of them.

They are remarkable blends of my wife and I, as well as our ancestors.

Just like I am.

And you are.

For example, like my #1, I would never jump into a body of water (or a job, or a project) without first understanding what might be involved, the risks, and the rewards. This is not about fear, this is about understanding. Once that is understood, I fully engage and jump.

Like #2, I have a knack for troubleshooting and finding effective and efficient ways to get a better outcome.

Like #3, I have been able to apply my creativity to imagine what could be, or find alternate ways to approach a problem.

Over the years I have worked hard to learn how I was put together... what am I passionate about?, what are my motivators?, what is my 'Kryptonite'?, what pushes my buttons?, What am I naturally good at?, what are my strengths?, what can I know about my personality?

This has let me understand much about my life and career. It has helped me pick the type of role or projects where I could leverage my strengths.

Most importantly, I have learned that I need the strength of other 'unique' individuals to create teams that can accomplish things that can change the world.

I know from experience that the time you spend on developing your team has a direct correlation to the success of your digital transformation efforts.

As I interact with technology and other leaders, I am amazed at how little training was provided in their formal education for the role. We are provided tools and metrics to measure almost everything, but not our organizational or team health.

It's what has been my principal role over the last several years, and we did some amazing technology projects on the side.

Now that I have transitioned back into the fractional/interim world, I look forward to working with other organizations in helping them design a successful strategy for digital transformation, and then actually deploy it.

In a sense, bringing the strengths of all my kid's personalities to the table on your behalf.

Sound interesting?

Let's talk.