The sculptor Michelangelo is often quoted as saying, “Every block of stone has a statue inside it, and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.”
The sculptor simply needs to have a vision of the statue and remove the excess material.
We can apply this possibility thinking to people, too—to both ourselves and others.
We release a person’s potential, the beautiful statue within the uncut stone, when we chip away at whatever is in the way of developing skills, mastery, and self-expression.
This is the idea behind the concept of “Giving an A” that Benjamin Zander writes about in the book The Art of Possibility . . . That we move beyond measuring people against each other OR even our expectations and instead focus on helping them realize themselves, and find their potential. The “A” is not an expectation to live up to but a possibility to live into.
So, how can you start “giving an A”?
Here are some steps you can take:
- Give YOURSELF an A in some area of life or work
- Write a letter to yourself, dated sometime in the future, explaining, in the past tense, why you earned the A grade.
- At work, give team members an A.
- Bonus: Ask team members to write a letter about why they earned the A and share it with others.
You can also apply this concept when you are preparing a presentation. Give yourself an A on the presentation you are preparing. Ask yourself what you will have done to earn that A. For example:
- Audience-focused content
- Clear and well-organized
- Engaging slides and examples
- Well-practiced
- Back up plans prepared
Help others find their possibilities. Find your own possibilities. Focus on the person you want to become, on what others can become–instead of comparing yourself and others to those around you. Give yourself and others an A.