Sometimes genius comes with rough edges. Especially when a go-to playmaker is hungry to step up, reach out, seize opportunities before they get away and make a difference. And when they’re really good at making the big play, solving big problems and bringing a deal over the finish line.
If you’ve got a real go-getter on your team whose drive and ingenuity make them a force of nature, good for you. You probably depend on their genius anytime there’s a really tough technical problem to solve. You rely on their dealmaking prowess when there’s an important contract to push over the finish line. You delegate, knowing that whatever you assign will get done. We know how much you need them. And how much you enjoy watching them pitch and work their magic.
We understand your fear and reluctance to have “the talk” and let your superstar know that they’ve got to bring partners along, rather than push them out of the way. After all, you rely on their chutzpah. The last thing you want is to stifle their initiative, blunt their ingenuity or clip their wings to make the big play.
We wrote our last book, Make Courage Contagious, for high performers like the force of nature you’re blessed to have on your team. The book’s advice to superstars is simple: Your courage is great. It got you where you are. Now, to go further, and take your enterprise further, your personal courage as the star isn’t enough. You need to make your courage contagious, and lift the entire group’s performance beyond pedestrian comfort zones and risk-averse traps. If your chutzpah creates resentment, you’re creating drag rather than lift. Indignation anger, resentment have toxic side-effects. Sooner or later, someone has to pick up where your genius left off. And if they’re not ready to grab the baton, your success as a superstar won’t scale or be sustainable.
In our coaching practice, we’ve worked with thousands of forces of nature – like the superstar you rely on in your team. We know how important it is for them to keep their edge, their genius and their dedication. And for them to increase their peripheral vision, court awareness, EQ and rein in their frustration, when others don’t get it or get into position as fast as they should.
Are you almost ready to have “the talk” – to suggest that a superstar enlist a coach and take their game to the next level? If so, we can help you get ready for the talk. Then, we can equip you to ennoble your superstar and bring them to an even higher level of success. Which will make it a lot more fun for them – and for everyone else who plays alongside them. While keeping their edge.
Dr Louise Yochee Klein and Dr Merom Klein equip high-potential superstars to make their courage contagious – so the genius they bring to teams multiplies everyone’s success. They equip innovation leaders – who see the future before everyone else – to get traction, so great ideas get adopted and deliver value, not just a wow. If you have a superstar on your team who could go even further if they learn to lead, not just get out ahead, check out their Courage Appetite + Readiness Assessment.
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