My hair stylist was excited about kicking off wedding season at a black-tie affair. Unfortunately, she showed up in a brace at our next appointment.
She said, “You know those slick dancing floors? My husband and I had some of our best moves going, but then I slipped. My foot went one way, and my knee went the other. Now it’s surgery!”
She’s super fit, so she expected a quick recovery. But physical therapy was another problem. She told me, “My husband helped me stretch, but our daily sessions were the toughest part of recovery. Sometimes, that extra 30 seconds holding a stretch was so painful that it brought tears to my eyes. I couldn’t have done it without him.”
Stretching applies to your career, too. However, setting a standard to stretch can sometimes feel like you will break before you bend. Let’s meet someone whose willingness to extend themselves became a daily habit.
Noble Barber and Beauty stylist Vernon Jackson has worked with special needs kids for a while. But what he calls “The Gifted Event” exploded when Good Morning America featured a clip of Vernon with Ellison, a boy with Down’s Syndrome.
Ellison’s mom, Julie Eubanks, told how, historically she sat with Ellison in the barber’s chair and bear-hugged him to avoid injury. Haircuts took a long time as Ellison fussed and tried to swat scissors away from the stylist. Julie and Ellison left feeling miserable and judged.
Vernon’s commitment to create a safe space for his special clients won Julie and Ellison over. Vernon confirmed that his North Star goal for each appointment is to ensure special needs kids have a great experience. He shared, “I know what it feels like to not be accepted. I know what it feels like to be looked over and looked past. And my own journey had started with me learning how to love myself, learning how to accept who I am, and how I was designed. How I was designed to give and receive love. Being able to share that in principle with the children and the families is what I’m bringing and what I enjoy sharing with them.”
We’re meeting inspiring people who set a new standard for themselves after overcoming difficult circumstances in the June series, Set the Standard. The case study shows how going above and beyond doesn’t necessarily come naturally. Making it happen—especially day in and day out—is an intentional act.
Setting and living intentions can sound like a pie-in-the-sky nice-to-have in the rush and crush of everyday life. But the good news is that you already use people skills like being compassionate and flexible. The trick is to actively put those skills to work.
Here’s a look at five popular people skills and how you can make setting a standard to stretch real:
Let’s be honest: Reaching higher on the daily can feel tough. But think about where you will be if you don’t extend yourself. Staying in a lane with people, situations, and approaches that fit your natural style is a slippery slope. It limits your skills and leads to a fixed or even closed mindset. But you increase your professional status every time you achieve a challenge. So, instead of setting a high-minded idea to stretch, make it real by developing a habit.