RECOGNIZE to RESPOND
Mayur Kalbag is a Leadership Coach, Corporate Trainer & Author who regulalry does corporate training in Fiji. This will be his regular column in our Jobs section on Saturdays providing readers some useful tips. He can be contacted via email: mayurkalbag@ hotmail.com
The final alphabet and the one that, in many ways, completes the ACTOR (The series of columns on every letter of the word, ‘actor’) is the alphabet ‘R’. From my perspective the letter R represents one of the most fundamental ‘actions’ that any youthful, energetic and aspirational person must execute, and this action is to be able to effective ‘RECOGNIZE’!
I am sure many may wonder, “Recognize what?” Well, through this column, I wish to answer this question and elaborate upon it in greater ‘detail’.
One of the most significant things that all of us and especially those who are students as well as young professionals must do is to RECOGNIZE and that which we must recognize is our own POTENTIAL. In the context of our personal as well as professional growth, the more commonly used term is not just ‘potential’ but Human Potential. But then, what does this term human potential really mean? If in case you have this question in your mind, then the answer to it is quite simple. Human Potential is the ‘inner’ strength and values that help you in achieving your aims and objectives of life!
Having said this, it has also been seen that many people and especially students are almost completely unaware of their own strengths or abilities and among them there are also those who are not even aware of the relevance and importance of knowing their own strengths and weaknesses and the role it plays in their professional and personal growth. Hence, the first action that each one of us must carry out is to create some free time for ourselves and in that time what we must do is deeply introspect and analyse our strengths and the various positive qualities we possess. Recognition of strengths or positive qualities leads to the creation of extremely high levels of Self-motivation and self-esteem and subsequently leads to the enhancement of our own ‘Efficiency & Productivity. I wish to suggest that parents too must encourage and along with the encouragement must also guide and help their children, especially those who are above the age of thirteen to recognize their strengths and their positive qualities and subsequently help them use and implement these qualities towards enhancing their academic as well as their future professional growth.
Along with the recognition of strengths what is also relevant and required is to be able to recognize the ‘Weaknesses’. Only knowing about our strengths is not enough although it surely creates and enhances self-motivation. Along with it we must try and also spend valuable time in finding out and therefore in recognizing our own weaknesses or better known as ‘Areas of IMPROVEMENT’. Understand we must that even the best ‘Shirt’ or wrinkles to be ironed out! Similarly, despite the various strengths and amazing ‘positive qualities’ that we may possess, it is still extremely necessary and vital that we invest some time to recognize the negative qualities which we may have in us and may still be unaware of.
It is only when the negative qualities or weaknesses are recognized that we can start improving upon them slowly and steadily and thereby enhance our Human Potential further!
Apart from the recognition of our strengths & weaknesses our focus must also be towards recognizing our future goals. I have come across a lot of young men and women who are not very clear about their goals and despite being extremely intelligent and hardworking they seem to get confused about their future! It is this confusion that leads to incorrect or impulsive decisions in their life. It is hence highly important that each of us must start recognizing our goals. The recognition of our future goals will help us tremendously in subsequently achieving them within the time-frame we have set. Ask any sportsperson, and he or she will tell you that his or her ultimate goal is to win the Olympic Gold medal. Ask a ‘mountaineer’ and the mountaineer will say that his goal is to climb tallest mountain in the world, Mt Everest. Similarly friends, we as professionals must recognize what our short-term, mid-term and long-term goals are and then start working hard upon achieving them steadily!
Along with the goals I would say that similarly we should aware and alert towards recognizing the varied and vibrant ‘OPPOPRUNTIES’ and ‘CHANCES’ that may be floating around us. Every opportunity may not, as is said proverbially. ‘Knock upon your door’ and hence it is vital for us to be extremely alert and attentive and the moment we recognize an opportunity ‘GRAB it’ we must and not let it go from our ‘hands’. Recognize that each and every positive opportunity is like a ‘Stepping stone to success!
Whether they are your Strengths & Weaknesses, you’re GOALS and ‘Aims’ or whether they are the various ‘OPPORTUNITIES’ hovering around you it is important that we all remain alert to recognize them and subsequently ‘RESPOND’ to them most effectively and thereby eventually accomplish and achieve all our professional and personal dreams.