One of my personal development practices is to read every day.
I begin my day by reading a book in the inspirational/learning/development category and end it by reading a different book in the history/biography genre.
My current ending book is David McCullough’s The Pioneers: The Heroic Story of the Settlers Who Brought the American Ideal West. It tells the story of the Marietta, OH, settlement in the Northwest Territory. (I grew up 25 miles from Marietta.)
My current beginning book is The Rhythm of Life: Living Everyday with Passion and Purpose by Matthew Kelly. In it, he writes:
“Albert Einstein wrote, “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
The question I have for you at this part of our journey together is, “What is your genius?”
I love and hate that Einstein quote. I love it because I think it’s true. I hate it because, in my early 50s, I’m still unsure what my genius is.
I think it involves processing a lot of information and making it accessible to others in valuable, useful ways.
I think this because my friends ask questions with precursors like: “I was trying to figure this out, and I thought who would know something about this, and your name came to mind.”
Most of the time, I don’t know the whole answer, but I know enough to point them to the next step or a good starting place for finding the answer they seek.
So, maybe my genius is knowing just enough to know that I don’t know.
Maybe?
I don’t know.
But that’s enough about me, and here’s the point.
One of the best attributes of a great coach is knowing that they don’t know, having the confidence to admit it, and helping you find the answer.
This is one reason that I like our Leadercast 365 library. It has 1,200+ short-form videos filled with actionable insights. Videos by experts who give me wisdom for handling leadership challenges.
After all, I don’t have to be the most intelligent person in the room to be a great coach. But I must be humble enough to know my limits and help others find what they need.