I’m writing this based on the experience of whatever I have gone through and the spark of this article that made me felt so relevant to be acknowledged. It reminds me that this ISO concept applies to almost every inspiring person I have met. Then I slowly thought of how this ISO concept has grown in me for the past few years. The success I define here is when you do something with an ultimate will and intention that each day you look forward to deal with it.
1. Your Genuine Interests
The ultimate pillar of these 3 is Interest for certain, or to say, the direction or spark. Most legendary creative careers start with a genuine interest, if you are looking at all the founders of most MNCs or Forbes 500 or Brand values, then most of them have to start with Interest. Steve Job started with his imagination of the merge of technology and liberal arts, while Mark talks about social through Facebook and much more. Most of them have had the interest in solving a difficulty, or to improve a situation.
And some when they don’t, they create their demand to supply themselves, indirectly that means Blue Ocean strategy. This is the interest that triggers them to do something. On the other hand, to understand the symptoms of work performed without genuine interest, look no further than abandoned projects and the malnourished careers of middle managers that countdown to 5pm. It’s not pretty, and quite straight forward.
Well for my case, my interest is in Green Buildings. As much as I rarely regard is a passion because it has been over labeled over the years with the word “green” or “sustainability”. My Interest somehow lies in a lot of things, or I guess sometimes my interest lies in how everything works, to sum up, the interest. Remarkable achievements are fueled by genuine interest.
Attempting greatness without a genuine interest in the field is like running a marathon after fasting.
2. Your Key Skills
Then what matters next is your skills. Skills can be anything, some define it as a hobby, but it’s the very personal asset that will brand a certain person to the success road. People comes to you because they know what you have, the skills. Everyone has a skill, be it anything because everyone sure spends their time on something and develop it, good or bad. But, when paired with a genuine interest and a new opportunity, your innate capabilities can truly shine, opening the path to success.
To be frank, sometimes I’m doubted with my skills, or whether really worthy enough to call it as one. Some known me as a photographer, blogger, or my experience through the years of “green” adventure. I like cooking, only a few knows I cook well, but whether that’s a skill? I don’t know. But certainly skills are essential to make one EFFECTIVE, resourceful is also another key so this person could be independent and execute things fast.
3. Your “Opportunity Stream” The third factor that plays into every successful career is an opportunity. As such, you must simply define “opportunity” as an action or experience that brings you a step closer to your genuine interest. The opportunity here is more like a shortcut, most people I have met recall their greatest opportunity as chance conversation. This is why I invest time into going to personal introductions, conferences, and other networking events. Surrounding ourselves with more activities and people contact will increase our opportunities. While it’s interesting to know that this opportunity of ours can be known as the win win factor with the others too.
Throughout my few years of university, I have seen how myself grew as the impact of knowing people, and recognizing really inspiring people (and most importantly on how I see them as) Opportunity often links with networking, that I agree. And often that comes with risk and mistakes too.
But most importantly i would say opportunity comes when you have the right mindset of knowing what’s opportunity and what’s called Threat.
Working at the ISO (Interest, Skills, Opportunity) Intersection
When you engage with a project that finds this intersection, you’ve entered your zone of maximum impact. In such a state, you are a potent force of nature – your avocation becomes your vocation. You can work with full conviction, without ambiguity, and you can transcend your reliance on short-term rewards and societal approval.
When you engage with a project that finds the intersection, you’ve entered your zone of maximum impact. As leaders, we must help our partners and employees find work at the ISO intersection. Legendary managers seek to understand the genuine interests and skills of their employees and are constantly trying to create opportunities within the intersection.
I think it’s truly what i am today, by this ISO in the direction i wanted to go. I manage to be who i am today, or to say found who i am , and really understanding what direction God wants me to go. Looking back 5 years, no,3 years ago, i have learnt so much that God has blessed me with his many ways, it wasn’t easy to discover this path, But God showed!
