How can you be good?

What does it take to ‘be good’?

I took part in a panel discussion hosted by Pollitt and Partners earlier this year to think about that exact question. On the panel with me were Karma Cola and Good Gym, two companies doing good in very different but equally exciting ways. I was the outsider really, exploring as a psychologist what it means to be good as an individual at work.   

We always look through our own lenses of evaluation to define ‘good’ because we value different things. I’ve heard people say others are great because ‘He doesn’t miss the detail.’ ‘She’s brimming with creative ideas.’ ‘He is super-organised.’ ‘She always makes a really pragmatic decision.’ ‘He really cares about the people who work for him.’ 

So when it comes to defining good, there is no one universal answer and its always context specific ... you must think about YOU.

What does being good mean to you? In my experience, the people who are really being good are operating in a sweet spot. They are in touch with what it is that they care about and they use this to steer them and shape what they do every single day.

Cultivating awareness of this starts with being connected with the work that you do. What do you care about? What do you do really well? What sabotages you?

No matter what you’re doing in your work - be it addressing educational disadvantage, developing a brand strategy, leading a team of engineers or something else entirely - ask yourself; are you using and developing your unique strengths?  

Perhaps you excel in connecting an ambiguous set of ideas and shaping them into the new. Or you are able to elegantly articulate ideas that inspire and influence others. Or maybe you’re magnificent at just getting stuff done. 

Whatever it is, you will be good and feel impactful if you are using the best of yourself.  

Find out more and listen to the podcast here – it’s an interesting discussion!