Mike Clark's Business Bites: Celebrate your employees' strengths

When we view people through the lens of what is right with them, it creates an opportunity to surround ourselves with people who bring more to our lives. Photo / Unsplash

Do you envy others who are successful and seem to have it all together? Do you have an attitude of gratitude?

I am reading The Resilience Project and am thoroughly enjoying the book's focus on gratitude. In particular the encouragement to spend more time looking at what we do have as opposed to what we don't.

For many years I have preached the message we get more of what we focus on and, therefore, we should focus on what we want more of. One of the delightful elements this book brings is the powerful impact of stopping and pausing in moments throughout the day to be aware of the abundant blessings surrounding you and be grateful for them.

As I write I am reminded of a lovely quote, "Life is made up not by the number of breaths that we take but rather by the number of moments that take our breath away."

Consider, as you read this, that you have likely eaten today, you are clothed in clothing of your choice, you are under shelter (and if you are outside it is likely a beautiful day), you are educated and can read, you are living in a free country.

When I immigrated to New Zealand I was struck by what Kiwis call tall poppy syndrome and the almost neurotic insistence in finding anybody who was excelling at anything and picking on them to bring them down to size.

I am a great believer in seeing what is right with people and celebrating their strengths. When we can view people through the lens of what is right with them, it creates an opportunity to surround ourselves with people who bring more to our lives and businesses than we can bring ourselves.

We need to make sure we can see what is good about us, that we are clear on what value we bring to the people encounters, relationships and workplaces where we go.

When working with businesses I encourage people to focus on their point of difference or unique selling proposition. It is an exercise in what is unique or different about you that will get people to choose to come and spend their time and money with you.

Inevitably it is your people that are your single biggest point of difference. While competitors can copy your systems, your products and your processes, it is the people you have and the culture you create with those people that is unique to you.

When a person and a business choose to focus on what they do have and what they can do well others find this attractive and authentic.

In the world of social media it is so easy to feel like you are missing out. Social media screams at you to compare your life and business to the picture-perfect lives everyone displays. I encourage you to stop and take a moment to consider all you do have and to focus on who you uniquely are and what you bring.

Do you well - no one can do you as well as you. With this focus life and business is so much more enjoyable and likely much more successful!

• Mike Clark is director and lead trainer and facilitator at Think Right business training company.