The classic debate around optimism, vision, and a reveal into the mind of those around centers on a simple cup. The cup represents how you view the world, where your mindset is settled on today, and perhaps a hack into how you were raised.
That is a lot for a little cup, so let’s break this down.
When you see a cup w/ some water in it … what do you see?
- Is the cup half full
- Is the cup half empty
- There is a cup, you can build from there!
When discussing this with team members and applying it to team structure and messaging, I have found a unique third person that was the Z-factor in making that team perform and deliver results.
This third person simply saw a cup, and that cup was enough to achieve any of the goals and ambitions held by the team. They had an ‘At Bat’ and therefore knew they had a chance to win. That mindset, that of recognizing the level of water wasn’t important, established the opportunity was theirs to achieve.
Build a team
One Half glass full — Optimism, growth mindset, and capable of seeing paths forward in the current framing. These folks were perfect in the “box” and lines and will help drive your projects.
While, yes we need optimism and the growth mindset, we need pragmatism to be alert to possible failure points in our work. So we also want a glass half full team member. These folks raise the potential events that could unfold, and without consideration the work will fail.
Our third person is vital here — we need someone who sees the cup and can work with just the cup. This person is an outside the box thinker and allows for your team to challenge assumptions, rethink the work completely, and either change the destination (a full start-up pivot) or create a never before seen path.
Who am I
I am a mix, I’d love to say I am a half full kinda person, but I believe I am more the third. I am best when I have the other two super skills with me to harness my ideas and to act. Too often if a person “hey I have a cup, I can work with this” type is left to their own devices, they will carve a thousand paths around the universe. Unfortunately without the power of pragmatism and optimism, these folks can become nomads. Always seeing the future but never building the roots that create the communities that are possible.
Find those that bring you balance, build up your strengths, and support you.
Please like and share if this provided you any value!
As usual, if you liked this article, please support me by clicking LIKE and share it with your own feed! This is the best possible way that you can support me and my pursuit to share my insights, ideas, and research. If anyone has anything to add or comment on in this article, please feel free to share it with everyone below in the comments section! Learn more about me at my homepage at www.jamesdeluccia.com, LinkedIn, follow me on Twitter @jdeluccia, and soon listen on my podcast and Alexa skill briefings in the coming weeks!
About Me
I am a father, study of human behavior, strategist, cybersecurity veteran, and a coach and mentor on a journey to give more than I receive everyday. I lead teams globally, build products, and daily an executive for a leading company where I serve the largest companies in the world using the largest cloud deployments in the world impacting the financial services, healthcare, and fintech industries. I provide these publications and content through my media agency to deliver insights and advantages. Mindset, mental strength, mentorship, personal improvement, health, fitness, and humanist ideas are drawn from personal research and practice. Everything read and heard is my original works and my own perspective. All rights reserved for noted authors and sources. I produce research and strategy, as well as provide advisory services that include inquiries, briefings, consulting projects, and presentations on published findings as well as bespoke speaking engagements where I often keynote at conferences, seminars, and roundtables annually.