I DON’T QUITE know how to capture the word to express what it is that I look for in a potential employee. It’s the spark in the person that you know is going to give you trouble, yet is the essential feature of why you instantly know this is the person to hire. They are not mini-mes, but have their own minds, express opinions, consider options and are committed visionaries.
Fortunately, I have gotten to work with a wonderful mix of people who are capable and passionate about what they do. The substance they bring to the workplace is expressed in confidence, problem-solving, accountability and humility. They are going somewhere, not taking a meandering stroll but on a mission. They are in for the long-term and actively look for training and mentoring toward bettering mission outcomes. Drive might be a good word for this ambition.
The “trouble” is that they actively address what needs to be addressed and say what ought not to be ignored. They will let the emperor know when he is naked. [The Emperor’s New Clothes, a translation of Hans Christian Andersen’s Keiserens Nye Klæder by Jean Hersholt, www.andersen.sdu.dk/vaerk/ hersholt/TheEmperorsNewClothes_e.html].
Tending to what is true can be troublesome, but it is necessary for growth. Drive is not unique to the workplace but an essential oil, too, in committed thriving, vital relationships. Confidence allows for believing that problems have solutions and frees one to be accountable for wrong doing. Humility opens the way to correction and redirection.
Marriage and family life can be more than a gathering of people under one roof. Individual growth or decline may be the progress or peril of the family. The health of the family can be measured in how differences of opinion are received or rejected. It is okay to disagree about the paths to your mutual destination. Vive la difference!
