There is NO Replacement for Sunshine
All organizations have one pain point in common right now: a talent shortage.
Prioritized right up there with computer chips, lumber, and apparently garage doors, we're all looking for exceptional recruits to fill our hiring pipelines at an accelerated pace.
In thinking about this problem more, I have developed a theory.
First, please humor this washed-up figure skater by letting me orient us with a quick Olympic Games comparison.
How many talented athletes have crossed your path over the years?
And how many of those are Olympic-level athletes?
See, I think the difference between being good and being elite sits upon four simple pillars:
Talent (they have some natural abilities)
Work Ethic (their discipline is relentless)
Love for the Sport (they remain deeply passionate about the Sport)
Vision (they have the mental endurance to set a vision and follow it)
Most athletes have one or two of these qualities, but only those who are exceptional in all four make it to the Olympic stage … unless, of course, you represent the ROC, but that's perhaps a conversation for another day.
So, let's translate that to the workplace for a moment and ask what makes an elite employee or colleague? Similarly, I think the individuals who genuinely imprint on you as remarkable have four foundational traits:
Talent (they have some natural abilities)
Work Ethic (their discipline is relentless)
Love for the Team (they believe success is a team sport)
Intelligence (they have exceptional IQ and EQ)
Again, the reality is most of us display one or two of these qualities. Very few show up every day, checking all four boxes. When you come across someone who does, you never forget it and, in my case, you end up marrying them.
But there's another quality that I want to illuminate for a moment. This is a quality that I consider to be the ultimate trump card, the golden snitch, the best bower of the professional world.
That quality is …
… sunshine.
Individuals who have an impenetrable disposition, the ones who bring the brightness to a dark room, refuse to cower to petty grumble sessions, the ones who repel toxicity, THESE are the real champions.
I've worked with three of these MVPs in my career, and they haven't always been the most talented, classically intelligent, or the ones with the fanciest resumes. But they have been the difference-makers on multiple occasions. I have seen these "sunshiners" turn the gloomiest meetings around, shift the entire team's energy, and go above and beyond to lift everyone else around them.
If you can find a candidate who operates at an elite level, outstanding, congratulations, make them an offer. If you encounter an individual who brings the sunshine … HIRE THEM ON THE SPOT.
They will be your competitive edge, your culture guardian, your secret sauce.
