Brought to you by Jeff Thoren, DVM  

Last month’s article explored a dilemma that many of us face - living reactively instead of purposefully.  We were challenged by the question, “At what point does the human being get lost in the human doing and what would it take to seek a more fulfilling life?

This month, consultant Dick Richards offers us affirmation, direction, and hope!  After reading and reflecting on the article, I realized that while I have a pretty clear picture of my purpose (of which Gifted Leaders is a reflection), I hadn’t given as much thought to the unique spark or energy that I alone bring to the work. 

It soon became clear that my “genius” boils down to the lightheartedness, playfulness, and fun that I interject into any situation or interaction when I’m at my best.  In keeping with Richard’s recommendation to name my genius, I arrived at “Lightening Things Up.”  My hope is that this newsletter will have exactly that effect on you!

Here’s this month’s feature ...

Is Your Genius on Purpose? by Dick Richards

From - TD Magazine, November 2005

Highlights from the article:

• The key to feeling satisfied in your daily work and making your best possible contribution lies not with your purpose but with your genius, the energy and spirit that you alone can bring to your work.
    

• Each of us has a unique “genius”.  Your genius can be thought of in a practical way: as the exceptional power that comes most naturally to you, as the process in which you engage so spontaneously and easily that you do not notice it, and as the business you are in as a person.
    

• Your genius is your divine spark, the essence of how you best express yourself.  It’s a gift to you and your gift to others.  You are responsible for it and to it.  It shows up, seeking expression, in everything you do.  It is not your calling, but a power given to you to fulfill your calling.
    

• Your purpose, on the other hand, refers to your personal mission, vocation, calling, or vision.  The beginnings of purpose often arise when you perceive a need that compels you to act or an important cause to which you are committed.  Clues that point to your purpose most often lie in the events of your life, how you respond to them, and what you’ve learned from them.

For the full text article, go to ...
http://www.ongenius.com/td_article.pdf

Integrate Your Genius and Purpose

The key question is, “Is your genius on purpose?”  Is the natural power that comes to you spontaneously and easily engaged in fulfilling the assignment to which you have been called?  Try the following exercise (check out the article for a bit more detail):

1. Examine your calendar for the last month.  List the work activities that consumed most of your time.  Be specific about the activities rather than describing general duties and responsibilities.

2. Determine whether your genius was engaged in each activity.  In short, were you enjoying yourself?  Did the work come naturally to you?

3. Determine whether the activity was in support of your purpose.  In short, was it worth doing?  Did it have real meaning to you?

4. Identify those activities in which your genius was engaged in fulfilling your purpose.  In other words, the activities where you were you enjoying yourself, the work came naturally, it felt worth doing, and it had real meaning to you.

This exercise ought to provide a rough estimate of your overall satisfaction with the work that you have been doing and show you where your genius and purpose come alive.  You will be in a much better position to find the right work for you if you are clear about your genius and your purpose.

Next Month

Who wouldn’t want to have all the resources of every single person in their organization available to meet the challenges and solve the problems that we inevitably face?  But since people, by and large, have been formed by experiences in hierarchical families, schools and workplaces, we typically learn how to be followers, not leaders.  Fear not ... developing fully engaged team members and an environment where leadership is distributed is possible!

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