Who Can Be On Your Island? - Grasshopper

For years I’ve used the expression, “You can be on my island” with people I’ve worked with. I used the phrase as a compliment, but wasn’t totally sure until recently what I meant by it.

The initial sense was that the person on the receiving end of my compliment could be depended on. But I found that it went much deeper than that.

 

There are a lot of dependable people that I don’t want on my island.

 

So what was my criterion?

 

It’s not a buzzword that you’d find on a “Successories” poster like “Teamwork,” “Excellence” or “Courageous.” It was a character quality a person displayed that communicated the idea that “my mission was their mission.” Never would a person on my island say, “This is not my job.”

 

People on my island buy in and dig in.

 

For sake of reference, “my island” wasn’t a tropical paradise; it was a place where you were shipwrecked and in need of people to get the job done without being slowed down by an attitude of “that’s not what I do.”

 

“Whatever it takes” is the password to get onto my island.

 

So what criteria will you use for the people you want on your island? It’s worth your reflection because I sense that these are also the kind of people you want in your life.

 

All the best,

John