Do you have Big Potential?
Apr 06, 2018
We don't know about you, but we are ready for some SPRING around here! Yesterday we were bouncing around in over 60 degrees; today, it will snow. Grrr.
Wishing you all some sunshine - whether literal or metaphorical. Here, we hope, is a little.
We are reading Big Potential, by Shawn Achor, and man does this book fit the "Friday inspiration" bill. We can't recommend it highly enough.
It turns out happiness, productivity, and career achievement are all about... interconnection.
The questions that drive success are no longer " How smart are you?" "How creative are you?" or "How hard do you work?" They are instead:
- "How smart do you make others around you?"
- "How much creativity do you inspire?"
- "How much does your drive become contagious to a team or family?"
Even at hyper-competitive Harvard, those who achieved the most, both in college and after, were not the individual stars, they were the people who activated everyone around them.
Sounds generous, right? It's also transformative.
We're going to do a whole Fundraisers' Monthly module on this book - stay tuned!
From the book, a quote we dig:
"Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier." - Colin Powell
We are listening to Michael Hyatt on the Story Brand podcast. Great reminders about the power of habit and ritual, including a "start-up" and "shut-down" for your work day that get your brain revving and then transition you to making the very most of the rest of your life. He also champions full daily focus on just three tasks that seriously move the ball on your big goals. I'm a planner junkie and will definitely be purchasing his.
We are watching board members step up to the plate in a big way. Seriously, in several orgs where staff had previously bemoaned their board's failure to make calls to prospective donors, we are seeing swift turnarounds, not only to productivity but to actual enjoyment connecting with donors. If you need help with this, let us know in the comments. It's becoming one of our favorite things!
Wishing you a fantastic weekend and a super-connected next week!
- Nancy & Jenna
