Molly Quaid
October 9, 2014
This year, our class is centered around what it means to be great. This past Monday, I met with a retired business and retail worker who gave me his insight and wisdom on what it means to be great and also how to find your passion in life.
To be successful, he highlighted the three P's: passion, people, and performance-these are the key points one needs to be successful in the retail business. Going back on the topic of what it means to be great, he mentioned that in order to be great, you need to be passionate in what you believe in and know your weaknesses. By surrounding yourself with people who have different view points than you, you are becoming exposed to different opportunities and visions of others that you may aspire to. Along with the exposure to new opportunities, he mentioned that a person's biggest mistakes in life are the mistakes that a person does not make.
There is a fine line between leadership and management. Leadership is when one provides the philosophical visions that everyone relates too, while management is when one is merely just put in charge of something. Having leadership means setting missions and goals. High performance teams play a big part of leadership. The six main parts of a high performance team are being focused, innovative, having a strong sense of urgency, having a sense of teamwork, being disciplined, and lastly being able to be accountable for one's actions.
Being great is not just what one is known for, but how one acted in his/her life that caused them to be such a powerful impact on society; and being comfortable with change and being able to accept everyone is not what it means to be great in the literal sense, but to be great for oneself is what matters.
Molly, this is interesting and a great recap of your session, but I'd like to hear more of your reflections as you engaged in conversation with him. What do you think about these points he shared? What questions do you have? What is your reaction? How might this impact your life. Give more than just a summary. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteMolly, I thought you included some interesting components from your interview from which everyone can learn, and it was interesting to read!
ReplyDeleteThe 3 P's that your mentor provided you with are great guidelines to center your life around! It sounds like your mentor is a great teacher and that you are taking a lot from his perspective!
ReplyDeleteMolly, I think your mentor sounds fascinating. I liked the second paragraph where you talked about staying open minded and exposing yourself to new opportunities. Good job!
ReplyDelete"The person's biggest mistakes in life are the mistakes that a person does not make."
ReplyDeleteThis statement is very valid. People are too afraid of being judged for their mistakes that they don't reach outside of their comfort zone, resulting in them losing so much potential knowledge that could truly change their life.
The three P's that your mentor discussed are a great way to look at things. I wold say that passion is the most important of the three. Which would you say?
Molly, this is very interesting! It seems that your mentor was very wise and intelligent. I loved how you connected "What it means to be great" so thoroughly. I agree with Ms. Brusky, although, in that I would like to know what your thoughts are too. How did you like it?
ReplyDeleteMolly, thank you for passing on the wise insight of your mentor ! I thought your opinion on the difference between leadership and management was interesting.
ReplyDelete