Turns Out, I’m a Genius
“Turns out, I’m a genius” is a Post-it Note message that Haley left for me, making me giggle and ache for more of the daily humor we shared in the last couple of years. And she was absolutely a funny, loving, amazing genius, which is the theme of this post.
My aim in writing this is to share some tangible ways that young people can be powerful, making good happen (changing the world) every day for others, just like she did. Haley was a reverse-mentor for me at work, a good example of what former CEO Jack Welch created at GE to introduce the internet (the actual internet!!) to 500 of his top executives twenty years ago. She was decades younger, and our relationship helped me re-engage attributes on the job like courage, momentum during new challenges, and my own leadership gifts.
I walked into a brand new role from years of working well on my own. I did not know Haley at all until I shook her hand in the office in the fall of 2018, and every step from that day was a bridge to the future. Remember that - only we can decide to take those steps and make our future something impactful - nobody does it for us! And beyond that, the geniuses do this with humility, grit, and in Haley’s case, a big ole sense of humor.
As a young person, what specifically are you supposed to do with yourself to help others in this complex, challenging, changing world - when it seems like you may not “have” a lot yet? I bet you are already doing some of these things, but you don’t know how powerful they can be ….these things you do might be like medicine for your “more experienced” adult friends. These might be colleagues at work, teachers or staff in your college or high school, leaders in your church, in your neighborhood, people in your extra activities like sports, arts, and those who know you just by hanging out. This means anyone in your path - children you babysit or grandparents you go to visit.
I was at first just anyone for Haley: some lady coming in to work. SHE chose to make our friendship sparkle like the stars in the sky. A list of ways to use your genius, from 25-year-old Haley to me:
1. Talk nice to yourself: things are going to go wrong absolutely every single day. It’s not your fault, it just is. Say something nice to yourself, to someone else, and then get to fixing it.
2. Wear fancy shoes: show off all the high heels, the tennies, the cleats, the newest thing. Show up as yourself and you’ll light up the room.
3. Wake up early, sometimes because you have to, other times because you want to prepare yourself, and many time because you want to show up first
4. Buy flowers, plant flowers, love flowers
5. Pick up the phone and make a call. This solves the problem faster than email or texting.
6. Sing and dance when you want to share a moment of joy with the people you are with, it always creates a smile.
7. Talk to children and talk to older people with interest. Ask them about what matters to them, and what they’ve done today.
8. Share your stuff. If you have something that helps someone out in a pinch - let them use it. It will come back to you.
9. Take a risk. The opportunity in front of you is something amazing - go for it, even if you think you are crazy to try it - it’s still yours to try.
10. Spend money, but also save the money. Money is a tough one, don’t cling so tightly to it that you miss showering someone with love when you really want to.
11. Talk walks, no matter what shoes you have on. Haley always did this!!
12. Yell loudly at sports. It matters to the players, the coaches and to your soul when the game is on the line.
13. Do your makeup and hair, but not always, okay!?
14. Wear your special clothes. Haley let me know every time who gave her that piece of clothing. Lots of time, it was Mama Pam.
15. Admit to mistakes. At work, things get crossways all the time. People get confused. Haley was awesome about diving in and saying ‘hey folks - we got this wrong - thanks for helping us figure it out’. This is genius, because it takes the pressure off everyone.
16. Cry - because life happens and this is healthy.
17. Hug people - because people need more hugs than we all realize!
18. Pull hardest at the margins. Nobody gets ignored, everyone matters. This is absolutely crucial at work.
19. Find motivation. Find it!
20. Be tough and be soft.
This was part of Haley’s genius. Evolving as a young person allows plenty of room for both. Work on your insides and on your outside and you’ll find your balance. The world needs all parts of us. Five generations are out in the working world together, trying to figure things out in an accelerated global society. If you are young, you have a major role to play - everything, everything that makes you feel alive - we need you to share that genius. Turns out, after becoming life-long friends with Haley Sue, I am a genius, too.
