Those with FULL TANKS have to APPROACH those with LESS FULL TANKS WITH MORE CAUTION THAN when approaching those with EMPTY TANKS. Do you agree?
I used to own a guzzler, and our relationship ended up in flames, so I have a bit of a point. I didn’t even get to say a proper goodbye to my precious guzzler. I actually left the scene for a while and when I later returned the Fire Services department had reduced it to ashes.
Immediately after the incident, insurance sent a tow truck so that the “car” or, rather the ashes, could be taken to storage for thorough assessment. When they did that, I actually had hope that our situation was salvageable and that my guzzler and I would be reuniting the next day.
A few days later, insurance would call me and ask me to bring both sets of keys so that my claim could be validated…I was wowed!!! Did they not really comprehend that the car had just burnt down?
Back to the scene, in the midst of the heat, something triggered me when I got out of the car, I actually believed that I would continue with the journey and that it was just one of the first overheating problems, so I did what a person leaving an unattended car would do…30 days later my claim was settled with no difficulty at all.
Despite my love for the guzzler, I spent more for the same distance compared to someone with a smaller and more efficient engine for daily use. Did it make sense for the guzzler to be a daily car?
Let’s park the guzzler. So, what does a full tank represent? A full tank, someone who has a work-life balance in place. Without delving too much into the detail, this person excels in work and personal aspects equally well. A less full tank, is someone who has an imbalance, but seems to be balanced, they are not really fulfilled and can’t sustain being fully happy, they always have something to complain about. An empty tank is someone who just feels they need to grow in all areas – you could say that they also have a work-life balance, but it just doesn’t have a track record and still needs to be filled to demonstrate to others, they are eager to learn and grow, and could be super motivated.
So, when full tanks are dealing with less full tanks, they need to first understand where the less full tanks are coming from, before they impart their wisdom to them. In organizations, one would assume that the leaders should be full tanks, but they are not necessarily full – so either way, if you are a subordinate or a leader, you need to understand those around you so that it benefits you. If left unattended you could have leaks of good fuel and by the time you realize that you had been refilling with the wrong fuel grade, it could be a bit late.
So, do you agree, that full tanks have to apply caution? How full is your tank? Where do you fall in the spectrum?
#valuesystems #businesscoaching #fulltanks #topofmindthursdays #balance