When Brendan and I take on a project to increase the production, cooperation and team spirit of an organization, we do not compromise. We go the whole nine yards. There are team issues and individual issues to tackle. When a key team player is having a rough time, we make sure to help until the person is again a productive, key player – or realizes his or her potential in another place. It doesn’t matter if the issues at hand are of work or personal nature. Be it health, inter-personal issues, mental stress, lack of motivation, wanting to do other things in life – the viewpoint is always “We motivating people and organizations to excel at what they are good at. We must help this person excel.” Always with the person’s own best in mind – because that will ultimately help the team.

Earlier this year we took on the task to help a department in a government organization. Janne is a key player in the team. She wasn’t working at her full potential, not even half. We quickly realized that she and the team would do much better if we were to debug whatever issues she was facing.

The normal scenario is along these lines: We get the person to describe the current life situation and a more ideal situation, and then fill the gap with realistic tracks that will move the person from Now to a better Future. We agree on tasks to be done. Usually a person is having problems with facing the issues in life and to get going on tackling those issues. We must nudge, comfort, hold hand, hug, discuss, nudge, be straight, be tough, hug some more, etc, before the person actually does the plan that he himself came up with.

Not so with Janne. This girl was blazingly fast to Get It. She got into gear, and off she went. She’s simply amazing at keeping the promises she makes to herself. Nu fuss – with her there is no try – only DO. And she went from this half-capacity team player to the key player she really is. Not only is she delivering like never before, she has taken on a new very important responsibility in the team.

Like Silje, she was way to humble about her own abilities and potential. She is now gradually waking up to the fact that she is an amazing person.