They Say You Have Potential?

Let Us Define: You use potential to say that someone or something is capable of developing into the particular kind of person or thing mentioned. ... If you say that someone or something has potential, you mean that they have the necessary abilities or qualities to become successful or useful in the future.


Have you ever been told “you’ve got so much potential?” I have. Plenty of times. 


At first it feels like a compliment. It feels like there’s someone else that recognizes something in you that you can’t see in yourself.
It can feel nurturing and make you want to lift your game.


But there’s a downside because being told you have potential implies that you could be more than you are today.
You’re not as good as you could be. Not today anyway. Maybe tomorrow, but not today.


Being told you have potential can set up a lack of self-belief that sounds like this: “If I have so much potential, why is it that I’m not doing better? There must be something wrong with me, why is it o hard to tap into it?”


So, before you tell your kids, players or colleagues they have potential, ask yourself what you mean by the word potential. Instead of using such a vague term, get specific.  And be clear about what it is that you’re attempting to achieve.


Are you trying to highlight the gap between your expectations and their performance? If so, say something like this discouraging statement.


“John, your sales target was $100,000 for he month and you achieved $70,000. This isn’t acceptable. Why do you think you missed the target?”


Let me hear the boo’s on that one!


If you are trying to be encouraging? Mention something specific they’ve done well.


“John, I was listening to the way you handled the call to Mrs Jones. You showed a great deal of empathy and your use of questions resulted in a sales appointment. Well done.”


Are you trying to get them to improve their performance? Highlight one of their wins then ask them what they learned and how they could have done it even better.


“John, you wrote over your sale target last month. That’s a great result. Tell me, what do you think lead to this result? What will you do next month to build on that performance?”


Helping people in this way gets them to take ownership of their current reality. It then puts them in control of creating a roadmap for their own personal growth and success.


Food for thought - Coach Milton