With the Olympic games in full swing, it’s made me reflect on how the athletes must be feeling, their preparation and their desire to succeed. I mean, let’s face it – no athlete is going to go to an Olympic games being half prepared or feeling that they’re not good enough. They have the belief and desire to fulfil their potential. For some, this may be just attending, for others it may be achieving a personal best (PB), whereas some will only be satisfied when they are on the medal podium.
This has made me wonder, if we ever really consider what fulfilling our full potential would look like?
As humans we are all driven by so many different things and within business this may be targets, customer satisfaction or just getting a job done well.
One saying that I heard recently that has stuck with me is:
“We don’t get better by ignoring our limits. We do it by acknowledging them, optimising them and learning from them.”
If this is true, it makes my HR mind whizz with so many questions:
· How can this be achieved within companies?
· How can employers encourage this?
· How do we know what our employees’ limits are?
· How do we recognise when people can develop further?
I think that it’s fair to suggest, that a good starting point is to acknowledge and recognise that everyone has different limits; their capacity for work, how much they can handle before reaching burn out, what they believe they can achieve etc.
So what should we consider when thinking about employees and their limits? Some areas I would advise exploring and considering include:
· Skills Based Planning – This allows you to understand the skills employees have and any skills gaps that they may have. It also allows employers to identify where employees can develop and grow
· Performance Development Reviews (PDRs)/Appraisals – Ensure that these happen regularly – have an annual review but also ensure that interim reviews are scheduled in! This is your opportunity to explore your employees’ values and goals, letting them share information in an appropriate way. PDRs allow employees to share their thoughts and emotions on their desired purpose/direction; this allows goals to be set and ambitions to be addressed. It’s the chance to set unique personal and developmental objectives
· Coaching – This is a fantastic tool that can help employees to explore the limits/boundaries they set themselves and understand; why these are set and how they can be navigated. The process helps them to discover and recognise their limits on physical, emotional, mental, moral and spiritual areas. One to one coaching allows time for reflection and action, which helps to build momentum to focus on the bigger picture. It allows employees to work out for themselves what they are trying to achieve!
· Development Programmes – It could be argued that growth comes from pushing the limits in a healthy way. Development programmes allow employees to develop, grow and be open to new ideas and change
· Regular One to Ones – One to ones will help to set priorities and assess workloads/commitments. You may wish to discuss limitations of specific work and how to overcome these, set realistic expectations or give tasks to strengthen and stretch development
· Develop Growth Mindsets – This will help you and others to embrace challenges, focusing on effort over outcome and help you to believe you can grow and improve. Small changes over time accumulate into bigger ones allowing you to fulfil your potential
· Mindfulness – Being mindful makes us more present and focused so we can better understand employees and help them to take advantage of opportunities. When you discover and know your employees’ limits, your company can consistently function at an optimal level
I’m sure that those of you who indulge in watching the Olympics, will like me, realise that knowing your limits is essential if you wish to reach optimal performance. The athletes have been actively encouraged to understand perceived limitations and how they can manage and develop them. Likewise, when employees are encouraged to understand their own potential, they will be able to make better decisions and understand how to allocate their time and energy. Ultimately they will be able to focus on areas that they can excel in.
It’s important to remember that knowing our limits isn’t a destination; it’s a journey of liberation — starting from acknowledging your own limitations and the limitations that others (often with good intentions) put upon you. Understanding limits allows us to reach our full potential which takes a lot of patience, courage and self-awareness!
If you would like any advice or guidance in supporting your employees, please contact us via hello@ena-hr.co.uk or via the following:
Tel: 07779 788 957
At Ena HR we have the tools and techniques to help you.
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