Optimize Your Sweet Spot

Most types of sports equipment like a golf club, aschools. Soon afterward, however, the letter was lost
tennis racquet or a baseball bat have a certain spotand forgotten. Meanwhile, the car-crazy Gilles
that, if the ball hits it, will give the player the optimalcompleted high school and enrolled in college to study
result. Hitting this sweet spot yields a long drive downengineering, but dropped out quickly. His reason: "I was
the fairway, a swift crosscourt return or home runin a funk and was really not sure I wanted to be an
swing. Every sport has a sweet spot of some type. Ifengineer."As he continued his granola, "Dukes of
you have experienced it, you know when you hit theHazard" routine down in the basement, Ralph's older
sweet spot, you barely feel it. The ball goes wherebrother, Max, recalled the letter from Chrysler. He
you want it to go - even further and faster. Doesn'tremembered that one of the recommended schools
get any better than that!But what about the sport ofwas Detroit's College for Creative Studies. Upset to
leadership? Aren't we professional athletes in our ownsee Ralph wasting his time and talent, Max pushed his
right?Those in professional sports practice 90+brother to apply to the local school although the
percent of the time and actually "play for keeps" lessapplication deadline was only a week away and would
than 10 percent of the time. As professional leaders,require 10 sketches.At that point, the whole family
we are almost always "playing for keeps." So it'sbecame involved, making Ralph coffee so he could
particularly important that we take time to plan andcomplete his sketches, cheering him on and helping
ensure that we are optimizing our sweet spot.Did youwherever they could. By the end of the week, Ralph
know the average person possesses between 500was covered in pencil lead, but the sketches were
and 700 different skills and abilities? A commoncomplete, so his mother sent the packet to the school
defining moment for people is finding that skill or abilityby overnight delivery.Today, Ralph V. Gilles is
that's right in their sweet spot. As leaders, we have arecognized as the innovator of the Chrysler 300 sedan
huge opportunity to help our employees find theirand the Dodge Magnum Wagon I in addition to being
sweet spots, too.The first step is ensuring a good fitresponsible for the 2002 Jeep Liberty, 2003 Dodge
between an employee's natural abilities and interestsViper SRT-10 and several concept cars. Dubbed as
and the requirements of the job. This would ensure thethe Chrysler Group's newest darling, Gilles has earned
"highest and best use" of their talents toward thenumerous national and international accolades. He has
realization of our high-definition vision. Wouldn't we justsince been promoted to Design Director for Chrysler.If
love having every single team member working in theirwe consistently misidentify sweet spots, we will find
sweet spot? We would always be in "the zone" andour team stuck in a funk, like Gilles.If we correctly
work would feel like play.Our ability to match sweetmatch employee's sweet spots to the job
spots to job requirements is the best predictor of jobrequirements, we will all be living the sweet life!Today's
success and, ultimately, of excellent performance. It allfast-paced, efficiency-minded organizations make it
starts with a moment to plan for the use of talent onespecially challenging for leaders to always ensure a
our team.Let's not forget about ourselves in thisgood fit. It's common to find employees picking up the
matching process. Gaining insights into our own sweetslack for positions that have been eliminated. If
spot as leaders helps us better determine how topersonnel reductions aren't executed carefully, the
design roles and deploy the talent on our team. Forremaining employees can find themselves
example, if my sweet spot is conceptually designingunderemployed and consumed by "leftover" tasks that
complex deals, I better ensure I have a strong analystdrain their time but don't tap their minds.These
on my team. If my sweet spot is analyzing lots ofsituations start a cycle of "lowest and worst use" of
details and numbers, I want some conceptual, bigtalent, resulting in a downward spiral of self-doubt,
picture thinkers on my team.Want to know an easyanxiety and frustration. If you've ever experienced this,
way to find your sweet spot? Look at the intersectionyou know it feels more like a sour patch than a sweet
of these two questions:1. What am I absolutelyspot.To prevent this cycle and the resulting decline in
passionate about?2. Which tasks are very easy andteam performance, we can plan the work for our
natural for me to perform?Most of us vividlyteams to optimize sweet spots by:- Combining tasks
remember the moment we found our professionalthat require similar skill levels, so we can more easily
sweet spot. Others told us we made it look easy, thatmatch an employee's sweet spot with the position's
we really excelled and we looked like we were havingrequirements.- Automating repetitive tasks.-
a ball. Think of the last time when others made theseStreamlining inefficient processes and eliminate
comments to you. What were you doing? Like findingredundant tasks that rob us from getting the highest
any sweet spot, it's worth hitting these questionsand best use of our talent.- Outsourcing tasks that
around for awhile and practicing our answers beforerequire a high level of people power but have little
we can serve up a winner.Ralph V. Gilles understandsimpact on our organizations. Stay within our own
this process. He dropped out of college and wassweet spots and let other vendors use their sweet
spending most of his time, by his own admission,spot to serve us.Take a moment to optimize the
slacking in his parents' basement, eating granola,sweet spots on your team - including your own. It's a
watching "Dukes of Hazard" reruns and lamenting thedefining moment for most people when they can
sorry state of automobiles being made inarrive at work on Monday morning and say, "How
America.Growing up, Gilles was typical of most boyssweet it is!"Author Lee J. Colan is a highly sought-after
who played with Hot Wheels and Formula 1 modelexecutive advisor and leadership expert.He has
cars. But, as a teenager, he also was extremelypublished seven books including the best sellers
talented in sketching vehicles. In fact, his aunt wrote aSticking to It: The Art of Adherence and Passionate
letter to then Chrysler Chairman Lee Iacocca, sayingPerformance.Learn more by visiting
he should hire her 14-year-old nephew.A Chrysleror calling 972-250-9989.
executive responded, recommending three design