Flawsome! A New Perspective

It’s interesting… Many of our clients are reaching decade-milestones in their businesses. One company just celebrated 90 years! We’re watching a new generation of leadership stepping into new roles, bringing new ideas, opening up new opportunities. We’re watching the ‘mature’ generation passing knowledge and expertise, sharing words of wisdom, all while learning to let go and encourage growth and ownership. During this process, some amazing things transform in front of their eyes. It’s so encouraging to see these efforts come to fruition.

But this is a process! It’s not a constant line moving up on a chart. It’s usually quite jagged with many ups and downs, all while people are working hard to do their best, keeping an open mind, reaching out to mentor or be mentored, all good things. Some days will go better than others. Some seasons may be rough while others are exhilarating! So how can you weather this adventure and make sure the trend is in the right direction?

We’ve watched a lot of companies over our many years in business, watched other community organizations we participate in, too. They have a lot of similar challenges. We’ve weathered some of these ourselves. Not only do we have quite a few years behind us with some unique knowledge and skills, but our industry changes so quickly! Finding an expert with a certain number of years in a specific technology is not only difficult, but in some cases, just can’t be done because of how new it is! On the other end of the spectrum, some of our most experienced team members have certifications in things that don’t even exist any more.

The multi-generational work force has been a topic of several webinars, seminars, and articles we’ve prepared and presented. We want our experienced team members to share knowledge with the newbies, and we want the newbies to drink it all in. In a mentoring situation, especially in the trades, the attitude of BOTH parties has to be one of respect, open communication, a sense that everyone is doing their best, and that neither party probably has all the answers.

Whether it’s a generational mentorship, an apprenticeship, or just new members joining an excellent team, we recommend adopting the word ‘flawsome.’ You’ve hired these people for their special skills. You chose to mentor someone because of their potential. That means they’re already awesome! But guess what, they’re also human and we all know ‘life happens.’ That means there will be times when the flaws also come through, despite everyone’s best efforts. And we all know that there are some excellent learning opportunities that only come around AFTER you’ve made the mistake!

So, what about you? Are you doing the mentoring, or being mentored? Are you showing up and expecting the best while putting your best effort forward? Are you making the effort to see things from others’ perspectives? If so, that’s amazing. Now what about the people you manage?

Lastly, we’re in this season as well. We have amazing, awesome team members who bring awesome skills to our teams. Some of the work our people are doing didn’t even exist a few short years ago! They’re also regular people just like you and me, with families, pets, health concerns, dreams and aspirations for the future of their families, their careers, and as individuals. They sincerely love their work and love our clients. They want the best for you and your team. Are you willing to join me in celebrating ‘flawsome’? – CMW