Leadership Magazines Leadership Magazine Issue 16 | Page 58

GET INSPIRED Bring out the Best BY LYNN ROGALA About one year from my first experience with Frankincense, I met the person who is now my mentor in do-TERRA. She got me hooked on the oils and daily use. I still didn't consider the business opportunity, although I had just left a 15-year corporate career. I was unhappy working full-time after an extended maternity leave, and decided to look for something that was a better fit for my family. The hardest part of this decision was leaving behind the software team I was leading and mentoring. I told them I wanted to devote more time to my new yoga business and work somewhere that would allow me to do what I have always loved best—helping people overcome obstacles, dream big, and achieve their highest goals and ambitions. When I said those words, I had no idea what my new career would be. A year later, I decided to build a do-TERRA business and the words now seem almost prophetic. As my team grew, I started mentoring my builders and exploring my own gifts as a mentor. Mentoring was always a favorite part of my previous profession, but I had few chances to do it. Most companies prioritize managing over mentoring. I am thrilled that true mentoring is becoming an essential part of my do-TERRA business. Many of us have no experience leading people when we first start a do-TERRA business. Others may have some experience, but are more accustomed to traditional corporate leadership with control over a team. In do-TERRA, all our builders are entrepreneurs with their own businesses. We partner with our builders, but if we are going to help them grow, we need to lead differently. Get to Know Your Builders do-TERRA attracts different personality types, all of whom have varying strengths and weaknesses. Each member of our team builds do-TERRA uniquely and requires a personalized style of mentoring. It's natural to want to mentor everyone in the style that you prefer based on your own personality type. Your business will thrive when you mentor your builders in a way that suits their personality and style. There are many resources that have descriptions of different personality types that can help you get to know your builders better. Additionally, watch and 58 dōTERRA ESSENTIAL LEADERSHIP I SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2015 "The purpose of life is to discover your gift; the work of life is to develop it; and the meaning of life is to give your gift away." –David Viscott see who is drawn to your leaders. This can be a clue to their personalities. The people who are attracted to their business are a good indicator of their style of building. Find Their Gift In his book The Big Leap, Gay Hendricks talks about discovering your zone of genius, the set of activities that are uniquely suited to you. Everyone on your team has something unique to contribute. Helping them find this fundamental gift will not only bring life to your builders, it will energize your team. For many of us, this gift feels so natural that we might not even recognize it as something unique and special, let alone as "genius." Help your builders discover their innate talent. This is a good place again to see who are their customers and builders. In this case, the needs of the population they are drawn to serve can point to their gifts. Build into Strength Although there are certain basic skills we all need to have to be successful in do-TERRA, it is not necessary to be excellent at everything. Frequently, we spend valuable personal development time working to turn weakness into excellence. This is frustrating, wasteful, and often futile. The same amount of time and energy spent building competence into excellence or genius would have a greater positive effect on our business. Weaker skills can harm your builders' businesses, so don't neglect them entirely. Help them develop necessary competency in weaker areas, and spend the majority of your mentoring time multiplying areas of strength. Bring Out the Best You don't build people up in their do-TERRA business alone. One of the things I love most about do-TERRA mentoring is supporting people as they grow into the best version of themselves. We have heard over and over again that do-TERRA is a personal development program wrapped in an essential oil company. I love to see my builders stretch outside their comfort zones. I've watched people overcome deep-seated fears, make awkward phone calls, and schedule uncomfortable interactions. As you get to know your builders and their gifts, and work with them to shore up weakness and build strength, you will bring out the best in them. S www.doterra.com 59