The 2003 hit, “I Can” by Nas may have been aimed at children, but the message of hard work to achieve your dreams is relevant to anyone still involved in that pursuit. Success is a product of hard work, practice, and recognizing and taking advantage of opportunities, particularly stretch opportunities.
Sean Ilenrey went from a homeless high school dropout to an award-winning executive in tech and keynote speaker. Turning his life around inspired him to help other professionals achieve their own goals through his organization, Corporate Dad. But that transformation didn’t happen overnight and required Sean to perform and grow in various stretch opportunities.
We discuss:
- What defines a stretch opportunity
- Sean’s most challenging stretch opportunity
- Benefits to offering stretch assignments to your team
- How to get stretch assignments from your leadership
- The behavior that has replaced “work ethic” as the most important element of success
- How to recognize when you may be in over your head
- When and how to seek coaching
- The difference between a leader and mentor
- How to prep for meetings with mentors
Connect with Sean on LinkedIn
Sean's Website (previously CorpDad)
Sean's book: You Don't Owe Happiness: It's Time for Leaders to Focus on Value
Music courtesy of Big Red Horse
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