Buck Your Barriers: Discover Your Yippee!

The zone of genius lives just beyond the zone of comfort

By Rodger Dean Duncan

Not everything French novelist Marcel Proust wrote was fiction. One of his observations could be the call to action for any 21st century resident seeking personal reinvention. He said, “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.”

Elizabeth B. Crook has made a career of helping people find their new eyes. As head of her own company called Orchard Advisors, Crook helps CEOs and entrepreneurs think and act strategically to grow their companies and enjoy greater personal satisfaction (also known as fun!).

She’s shown countless people—Gen Yers to Boomers—how to invent and reinvent themselves. Crook holds degrees from Vanderbilt University and Tennessee State University. A mother and grand- mother, she lives on Music Row in Nashville. She’s author of Live Large: The Achiever’s Guide to What’s Next.

Rodger Dean Duncan: How did you begin your journey of helping people discover what they really want to do and be?

Elizabeth B. Crook: Really by accident. I was working, as I still do, as a business strategist with entrepreneurs and business owners. People frequently called saying, someone told me you are great at helping folks figure things out. Can you help me? I began with an interview so I could understand who they were and what they wanted. Then, depending on their goals, we moved on from there. After working like that with a number of people, I realized three things:

• I was skilled and effective in helping people.

• I loved the feeling of giving people fresh perceptions and possibilities.

• I had actually developed tools and processes that allowed people to get amazing results!

Duncan: A lot of people feel trapped in their work. They’re either bored silly or they’re just putting in time. What advice can you give them?

Crook: The first advice is get curious.

• Look at the activities you do at work—write each one on a Post-it note.

• Sort them. Which ones energize and which ones leave you feeling drained?

• Is there a theme or pattern? Take note.

• Identify which activities you could delegate or streamline.

• Identify how what energizes you adds value to your company—and be specific—increases customer retention, reduces accidents, reduces turnaround time, reduces waste, increases productivity, etc.

• Schedule a meeting with your boss to talk about how you can add more value. Hint: you will be adding more value if you are doing something you care about.