Are you tired of being good at what you do? Do you have what it takes to be great? At Plus Delta Consulting, we’re not only confident – we’re convinced – that you do!
At the OD Network conference in Baltimore this year, we had the distinct pleasure of demonstrating the fundamental truth underlying this belief to a group of seasoned OD consultants. This group of talented individuals attended a pre-conference workshop we facilitated called “Launching, Running and GROWING a Successful OD Consulting Practice”. During this all-day session, we showed these consultants that anything is possible with a few foundational building blocks for success. We actually used a very simple metaphor throughout the day to help these consultants recognize that they had exactly what it takes to be not just good but great in their ongoing efforts to establish successful independent and boutique consultancies. The metaphor we used was loosely tied to Hasbro’s philosophy about Play-Doh which is “what’s in the can is just the beginning…” (see www.hasbro.com/playdoh)
For more than 60 years, Play-Doh products have offered dozens of fun ways for children to play and learn. Wikki Stix (see www.wikkistix.com), although undoubtedly less popular in our schools, organizations, and local communities, is another great toy and educational tool for children. Wikki Stix, like Play-Doh only made out of wax instead of dough, offers a twistable, buildable, malleable, playable one-of-a-kind tool set for bringing creativity to life. Together, these two products confirm that you can create just about anything – including greatness – if you have the insight and passion for what is possible.
During the course of the one-day workshop, we helped these professionals envision their possible futures as external consultants. We also reviewed many steps required to launch a consulting practice and discussed several effective techniques that we have used at Plus Delta to run our successful firm. We even worked with these consultants to develop growth strategies for them to establish greater market presence and achieve enduring success moving forward. At the end of the day though, what they created with Play-Doh and Wikki Stix (vibrant flowers, smiling faces, and towering structures, to name a few of the group’s creations) may have been more educational and informative than any of the learning materials we shared throughout the workshop. These symbolic figures were created from their own creative energies and ideas, and for that very reason powerfully reinforced our true message for the day.
Greatness lies within each and every one of us. Some of us may think good is good enough, and that’s fine. We won’t argue that good is not good. Good provides lots of unique and fulfilling opportunities in life. At the same time, we want to suggest that good may not always be good enough. And if you have what it takes to be great, why settle for anything less?
With a few foundational building blocks for success, like Play-Doh and Wikki Stix, you can create just about anything you put your mind to. Whether that’s bringing a new innovative product to market professionally or coaching your child’s sports team to win the championships in your personal life, anything is possible as long as you and those around you have passion for what you do and the general wherewithal to do what it takes to get the job done. This holiday season, we encourage you to take some time figuring out how you can be great. Then, take a little more time to set clear goals for achieving greatness in the year(s) ahead. This proactive process might just be the difference you need to lead an even happier, more fulfilling life and make an even bigger difference in the world around you.
Can Plus Delta help you achieve your vision for achieving greatness? To learn how to enhance your current work efforts, call us at +1 (310) 589-4600 or send an email to support@plusdelta.net. You can also visit the Resource Center of our website for several valuable tools as well as a wealth of information you can put to use right away to improve performance individually and across your entire organization.
Note: This feature was originally published and distributed in Plus Delta Consulting’s e-newsletter in December 2007.
