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