Kevin

After high school, Kevin Hart got a job selling shoes at a sporting goods store in Philadelphia.?

At the time, his dream was to work for Nike.? He wanted to be in charge of product displays in stores.? He said, “Having that job seemed to be the biggest and best job ever.”

He was a natural salesman who described his job as becoming a “game” after he continued to see a regular influx of bonuses and commissions.

He said his secret to success was his natural ability to make his customers laugh.

The other salespeople would say, “If you’ve got a good customer, don’t let Kev get to them.”

One of those salespeople, a woman named Alice, said, “Kevin, you’re funny as ____.? I feel like you should be doing more than just being funny here.? You should try stand-up.? You should do an amateur night at the comedy club.”

Kevin described that interaction as a “curveball.”? He said it was something he never thought of, but decided to embrace the idea.

If you’ve ever enjoyed a laugh after watching any of Kevin’s countless stand-up comedy specials, TV show appearances, or movies, then you owe that to Alice.

Have you ever done for someone what Alice did for Kevin Hart?

It’s not about recommending a career change, what Alice did was encourage Kevin and raise his awareness of his gifts.??

As a leader, the recognition you give your employees and team members should be more than a canned, “Great job!”??

Instead, shine light on the specific things that they do well.? Give them the context on their strengths so they can be aware of how to continue to grow stronger in those areas.

P.S. - Kevin’s dream of working for Nike did eventually come true when the brand partnered with him to create the Move with Hart program.? Hold those dreams with an open hand because you never know how the path to get you there will come to pass.

#leadership