If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

Given our focus here on Working Matters, let’s forego the things that are not related to work like our appearance; things that are beyond our scope like our personality; or things that our out of our control like our popularity.

I know, I just eliminated the best categories. I’m sorry.

I realize there are many good reasons to avoid change. I realize that muddling through with the status quo is often preferable to risking the unknowns that come with change.

But, for the sake of argument, let me ask again… If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

Is there a skill you want to learn? A capacity you would like to develop? An aspect of your working style that you would like to expand? An unhelpful tendency you would like to reign in?

When we think about change, we tend to think in broad generalities. “I wish I were a better leader.” “I wish I were better with people (or numbers or details). I wish I were more disciplined.

The key to change, though, is getting focused and particular.

When I ask about changing “one thing” I’m asking a narrow, focused, specific, detailed, particular question.

“When a team member has a complaint, I would like to learn to listen more attentively and then show them how to solve problems on their own.”

“When I receive a error-ridden report, I would like to be able to confront the person calmly, respectfully and directly.”

“I would like meetings I lead to result in information being more freely shared and decisions being more timely made.”

Of the many, many, many things you could learn about, grow in, or improve on, which ONE would you select to actually do something about?

It may fall in the broad category of leadership, paying attention to details, or discipline; but the key difference is that you are ready to do something about it.

This is a slight but significant difference from my original wording. Instead of “if you could” change one thing, I’m suggesting, “Since you can.”

Since you can do something, what will you actually do? Since you can change one thing about yourself, what one thing will you choose?

Think about it.

You owe it to yourself to keep improving, to keep learning, and to keep upping your professional game.

Please leave a comment and share with everyone what one thing you’d like to change about yourself.

On your side,

– Karl Edwards

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011 at 10:52 am and is filed under Newsletter Articles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.