The Situation: Speak with confidence
James was hired for his technical abilities. He had worked for the company a few years ago and has been back almost a year. The owner is classed as hard driving in The Platinum Rule assessment, a true Director. James is very methodical as a Platinum Rule Thinker. This combination tends to balance each other in completing a successful project but can also come with quite a bit of friction. The owner is now concerned that James lacks the confidence to speak in a meeting especially when the owner is leading the session. James is even considering leaving again.
The Solution:
James skill set lies in being super-thorough and at times, maybe exhibiting too much of a perfectionist approach. This is one of the reasons he left a few years ago and the same reason the owner wanted to hire him back. The key for James is to be able to manage the fast pace of making quick decisions when needed by determining which ones require fast responses and which issues need some time to mull over.
The Outcome:
James has stepped up to challenge the owner and some of the stakeholders by persuading them to slow down. The owner and the other stakeholders see James as more confident because he speaks up and takes the time to explain his thought processes and secure buy in.
Would you like me to give you a formula for success? It’s quite simple, really: Double your rate of failure. You are thinking of failure as the enemy of success. But it isn’t at all. You can be discouraged by failure or you can learn from it, so go ahead and make mistakes. Make all you can. Because remember that’s where you will find success.”
— Thomas J. Watson