I was reminded today of how vulnerable we can feel when we are put into certain situations that make us uncomfortable. In my quest to get back into shape I decided to join the YMCA and participate in the morning pick-up basketball games. The games consisted of twenty something players who can obviously play and me a late 40ish middle aged man who has not played an organized game of basketball in 5 years.  The more I thought about this, the more I am thinking this is a bad idea.

I decided that the reason why I am here is to get into shape, make new friends and become a better basketball player. I knew the moment I stepped onto that court my lack of skills, endurance and rustiness in my game will be exposed to this group of total strangers who are much better basketball players than I am.  At that moment I knew that exposing myself will force me to focus, take my time and get myself into the mindset of just do your best. My philosophy in life is that 90% of success is in just showing up, the other 10%  can be learned through practice and patience.

As on the basketball court, exposing your weaknesses and vulnerabilities in the workplace can be a major obstacle to success. It is important to be strategic and mindful of who you are exposing your weaknesses and vulnerabilities too. Make sure they are people that you trust, who can mentor you, and support you as you work through those weaknesses and vulnerabilities to become a better and more productive employee.  It is important to work on those things that make you uncomfortable and that you are not that great at, and knowing that by doing so you are putting yourself in a better position to get promoted, make more money and have more responsibility.

As it turned out my first time back on the basketball court in the last 5 years turned out to be a great experience that has me eager to go back and do this at least 3 times per week. By exposing my weaknesses and vulnerabilities on the basketball court, I have a renewed focus on getting into shape and becoming the best 48 year old basketball player in Seattle that I can be.

Contact me at paul@oneworldconsultinggroup.com or call me at 1-425-766-9778 and lets discuss your recruiting, career management and talent mobility needs. Please also visit us at One World Consulting Group https://www.oneworldconsultinggroup.com.

Thank you for reading my post.

Paul

Paul is President and CEO of One World Consulting Group. Paul is a career coach, recruiter, business developer and sales strategist who serves individuals and companies from around the world.