What Is the Water You Swim In?
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We’ve all got toolboxes full of skills that we’ve developed over the years. The more senior we become, the broader and deeper our expertise grows. Some of these capabilities have taken effort and a real commitment to master — and even though we may have become proficient (or even excellent) in those areas, we still don’t like them and we still find them taxing.
But what about those skills that come easily to us? We all have innate talents and dispositions that make certain skills easy and enjoyable. Perhaps it is speaking in front of groups; or coming up with creative, outside-the-box solutions; or motivating teams; or organizing complex projects down to the last detail.
What’s interesting is that when you’ve got a talent for something, it’s easy to take it for granted. I’ve recently had this conversation with two different clients, where each pooh-poohed something they did because it was easy. It’s a mentality that says the harder something is, the more valuable it is. But really, value is measured in the impact and importance to your team and organization. If you don’t have to work hard at it, congratulations! Did it take hardly any time at all? Bravo! But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t important.
Have you heard the expression, “the water you swim in”? It comes from an anecdote by David Foster Wallace:
There are these two young fish swimming along and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says “Morning, boys. How’s the water?” And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then eventually one of them looks over at the other and goes, “What the hell is water?”
The point: it's easy to forget that what you know and what you’re comfortable with may seem strange and remarkable to others.
So realize what comes naturally to you, understand its worth, and appreciate that this might actually be your secret weapon. No pooh-poohing!
© Jennine Heller and J Heller Coaching. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Jennine Heller and J Heller Coaching with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. • Photo by Heart Rules from Pexels
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