An Urban Legend with Chocolate and Peanut Butter
OK, I have a sport’s metaphor for you. In fact, it comes from a youth sports setting.
In this age of “if you are going to compete; go the extra mile”. Which means, or translates to, taking more free throw shots, running more laps, taking more at-bats in the batting cage…you can add more from here.
OK, to the legend. There once was a boy, not quite man...a yute (IKR). He loved the game of football. He was good. He could play offense and defense both. But there were group practices AND “position-specific practices.” They sure could get tiring. And, so to speak, “You had to dig deep.”
One day, this “Yute”, asked his coach if he should concentrate on either Offensive skill development or Defensive skill development?” His coach told him a story about candy. (Supposedly Hershey Chocolate.) In the candy world, chocolate was hugely popular. And, the same with peanut butter. Rather than develop one over the other, a former dairy farmer and shipping foreman for Hershey decided to put the chocolate together with the peanut butter, creating Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups: something unique and exceptional.
So, what moral(s) did you take away?
I can think of a few:
· Build on your strengths. (Yours and those of people who work for you.)
· It pays to invite ideas from everyone who works for you. Dare to be surprised.
· Develop “all“ of your strengths.
· Dare to be “exceptional”.
· Dare to be exceptional at more than one thing.
Ok, who’s got the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups?
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