The Transplantability of Success

Jeff Maurone writes about "The Transplantability of Success," the ability to take what you're good at and make it somewhere else. He's responding to something Curt Rosengren writes about in "You're Good at it...So What?"

I've been working with Curt for four weeks now in his Passion Catalyst program (by the way, I've been doing all my sessions by phone, and it's working pretty well. It makes it easier to not have to spend a few hours driving over to Seattle and back). I've discovered a lot about myself that I intuitively knew, but couldn't articulate. I'm convinced that I'm going down this path of discovery not because of the work I'm doing with Curt, but more the other way around.

I'm more convinced than ever that the talents and skills I have are something that transferable. And as I discover the stuff that I'm most passionate about, my "passion core," I'm learning that the things that have given me success are things I can do more of, maybe much more of, while still building my career. And the amazing thing is that getting at that core, I'm able to shed off the stuff that drives me crazy--that's the stuff I can do less of, and still be successful.

I like my job. I like the guys I work with. But I'm increasingly frustrated that I'm not able to make more of a difference, or do more of the stuff I love. I want to love love love my job. I've been in jobs where that was the case. And I'm optimistic that this process will lead me to that place again (might even be in my current job!).

So what's at my "passion core?" I'm still doing some digging, but one theme that keeps coming up was pretty much summed up as I filled out the "Discover Your Strengths Strengthfinder": Ideation. I like coming up with ideas, finding patterns, working solutions out, and mostly being part of the process where I'm teaching and learning and building something new and big and innovative. It's why I like working with marketing concepts but using innovative tools (web sites and technology). It's also why I'm frustrated when we do things "the way they've always been done"--nothing new or innovative there!