Note to butchers: don’t hire vegetarians

Thanks to the Be Excellent blog for pointing me to this article in Entrepreneur Magazine. In the article, Robert Kiyosaki stresses that businesses need to hire people with a passion for their mission.

Hiring the right people — the people with the right passion — is one of the toughest jobs for any business. But maybe not the toughest. The toughest job may be getting rid of the wrong people. Hiring for skills will get an organization only so far. Hiring for passion will help the organization excel.

Kiyosaki says his rich dad told him

“Hire people who are mission-driven — people who share your vision. If you don’t, your business will struggle, or may never even get off the ground.”

In other words… if you own a butcher shop, don’t hire vegetarians.

Implication for Job Seekers

Why is it so challenging for businesses to hire for passion? One reason, I suspect, is that many job applicants don’t know or cannot convey their passion.

If you don’t know what your passion is, how will your employer — or potential employer — ever know? You need to know what you are passionate about, and be able to effectively express your passion. If you don’t know what your passion is, there are many tools to help you. One such tool I just came across recently is a new book by Dan Miller entitled 48 Days to the Work You Love.

You should also consider finding a coach who can help you discover your strengths and passions.

What were you created to do?

 

The trick to being strong

I came across a quote this evening that inspired me, as it relates to many things I’ve been learning and talking about in the last few days.

Speaking about how she survived several tragedies and trials in her life, Elizabeth Edwards had this to say:

“People who knew we had lost a son said, ‘You are so strong,’ and when I had breast cancer people would say ‘You are so strong,’ and I thought ‘They don’t know there’s a trick to being strong, and the trick is that nobody does it alone.’”

Nobody does it alone.

No matter what your trials and struggles are today, you are not intended to carry those burdens by yourself. Sometimes we don’t like to admit it, but we are designed to be relational and dependent on each other. Whatever your struggle, you will find strength when you share it with others.

We sometimes think that sharing our struggles is a sign of weakness, or an admission of failure. “If I were just strong enough or brave enough or smart enough, I wouldn’t have to ask for help.” The truth, however, is that we grow stronger through our vulnerability.

Nobody does it alone.

We also grow stronger by helping to carry another person’s burden. When we become so stubborn and independent that we can’t share our struggles, we may be preventing someone else from receiving the joy and blessings of helping us. Just as we all need a little help from time to time, we also have a need to help someone else from time to time.

Nobody does it alone.

One thing

What “one thing” are you focusing on? Or are you being distracted by all the clutter in your life? Toby has a post this week about finding your passion. It’s worth reading.

One way to eliminate clutter in your life and stay focused is to have a trusted coach. We are often oblivious to our own clutter, so it’s helpful to have someone who can gently point it out and help us get rid of it.

Coach Dustin, et al

Last week was spring break for our schools, so we took the opportunity to spend some time with our extended family at the lake. (That’s why I haven’t posted for a few days.) We stayed in a cabin that was perched on a hill just a few yards above the lake, with a large veranda from which we enjoyed some beautiful sunsets (see photo) — a truly idyllic setting for our short R&R.

As our time together drew to a close and and before we went our separate ways, we asked the kids what their “highs” were during our time together. Their highs included things like walks along the shore, finding shells, skipping rocks, watching the sunset, and just spending time with their cousins.

One of my highs was having about two hours of uninterrupted time to visit with Dustin. As I’m going through some transitions in my life, it’s good to have a sounding board to share ideas. Dustin is one of those rarest of friends who provides encouragement, inspiration, and honest feedback. I’ve been fortunate to have people in my life like Dustin, Toby, Dave, Rob, and–more recently–Carl, who help to keep me grounded and focused.

Whether you call them coaches, mentors, advisors, or just great friends, it is important to have trusted advisors that you can call on. Not just a cheerleaders (though sometimes we need that, too), but someone who knows you well enough and cares for you enough to tell you the truth. This is especially true during times of major transitions in our lives, when stress or enthusiasm can cloud our judgment.

We were not created to go through life alone. We are more effective and more fulfilled when we have someone who can help us along the journey.