That I could speak compellingly and shift mindsets was a gift I discovered in my 20s but away from home territory. I doggedly refused to acknowledge it at home. The Scottish part of me held back on my talents. Elsewhere I came alive, but here in my home country ‘tallpoppysyndrome’ remained dominant. I have seen so many Scots prosper afar, where they are allowed to shake off the hair shirt they have worn from birth.
Is it changing? Yes.
But there is still a way to go.
Now is precisely the wrong time to sink back into the shadows.
CEOs I talk to refer to this trait all the time. They want employees to bring their full personality to work – not hang it on the coat hook. They know that to truly deliver their best, each employee must own the vision and be creative in its pursuit. When that gear shift happens, extraordinary things happen – energy rises, confidence grows, new ideas are put into practice, and performance levels grow.
I have helped many clients do this over the years.
Now I sense a tightening of our national muscles again. A slip back into a safety first ‘job description’ work culture.
It took me years to shake of the shackles of self-doubt. Now I am probably seen as ‘getting above myself’ – a seemingly unique Scottish (Celtic) concept. Yet stretching, exceeding, and succeeding are the bulwarks of learning, growth, and success.
Last week, after a speech (in the west of Scotland) and on my way to the exit, I was grabbed by three people who enthused that I had ‘liberated, inspired and empowered’ them to go to work with renewed confidence and give full reign to their (hitherto unspoken) ideas.
I have emails and notes stretching back years with similar messages. I am ambitious for my country, but we must unlock more talents in our #workplaces and #communities before we can reach towards the sky.
Are you looking for a great speaker?
Scrub that.
Are you looking to raise your organisation’s game? Your people might need permission.
Recognise the symptoms? Call me 07778781846 today.
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As a Scot I was taught to hide my talents away
