Who Pushes You?

Is there someone in your professional life who pushes you?

I don't mean the VP/Programming, or anyone else you report to. Those relationships are power-based, and being pushed by someone you fear doesn't lead to introspection and growth. It leads to anxiety and insecurity.

It's impossible to perform at your peak when you're anxious or fearful.

I'm talking about someone you respect who cares enough about you to challenge you.

Someone who hears your station and says, "Really? This is the best you can do now?"

Someone who sees you coasting and gets a bit offended that you're squandering your considerable gifts, just because you can.

In my best consulting relationships over the years, I've been both the pusher and the pushee.

And while being pushed out of my comfort zone has sometimes pissed me off, it has always made me better. I've learned to be grateful.

You need to find someone in your life you trust enough to push you, especially when you don't want to be pushed.

Oysters don't make pearls until that irritant, that obnoxious, impossible-to-ignore grain of sand appears.