Bringing out potential through encouragement

Bear Bryant famously said "potential is a fancy way of saying 'ain't worth a damn yet'". The challenge of coaching is bringing out the potential so people can be their best selves, and encouragement is the foundation for all success in coaching. Our youngest son is someone in whom I see many wonderful qualities, and at 22 years of age he is realizing that while appearance and personality might open a few doors, it's performance that creates the lasting engagement. He has struggled with working and college over the last several years and has often said that jobs are boring and college is too much work. Though he liked the things that having a job brought him (like the ability to live on his own and drive a nice car), he did have to work quite a few hours and have a good-paying job. Not long ago, his older brother asked him if he'd like to rent his home since he was moving out of state. What an opportunity! Then, the reality: it was going to cost him a lot more rent and he was really going to have to advance at work. Since he works for our company, he came by and asked what he had to do to get at least a couple of dollars more per hour. My husband and I were very frank with him, and started by asking about his goals and ambition. We decided to give him our vision for the company and where we thought he could grow. He seemed pleased that we believed in him, but he also understood that old adage of "to whom much is given, much is expected". As the work week got underway, our G-pad tablets for production arrived and I issued him the first one, asking that he test it and let me know if he had any problems setting it up. My husband renewed his efforts to get more training directed toward our son, and I was surprised and pleased to see him bent over a press working shoulder-to-shoulder with his mentor and also with our mechanic. Later in the week, I heard him authoritatively paging a message to the staff. By this time, I am really pleased with the results of our encouraging talk. But the best moment was when my husband met with my son, his mentor, the former production manager (who had requested the meeting so she could weigh in on the changes that were happening) and our daughter (who is the CEO) to air out the vision and goals for the advancement of the company. At the end of the conversation, the former production manager told my son to be prepared to be strong with people, and to remember that all of us backed him up. It was a perfect example of how encouragement can ripple and touch the best in everyone. My son proudly showed us a time-lapsed video he had taken during one of his workdays, and while interesting in and of itself, it shows me a person who is coming into his own best self and is valuing the experience. I am so happy for him, but most of all I am pleased to see how encouragement actualizes potential.