Find Your Key - Ridgely Goldsborough (Entrepreneur, Author, and Speaker)

Ridgely Goldsborough is an entrepreneur, author, columnist, and international speaker.  Ridgely is also a “Make Sense” person, making sense of things is the driving force behind everything he does and how he approaches the world; it’s his “Why?” and he wants you to ask yourself, what’s my “Why?” Your “Why” is important. It’s the reason you think the way you think, do what you do, and talk the way you talk. It is a deep and profound part of yourself, and you cannot change it. It’s like a natural law, says Ridgely, if you know and understand it you can use it but it’s going to apply regardless. So, if you can’t change your programming, why not use it to your advantage? If you understand the filter through which you view the world you’re able to reintroduce yourself to yourself from an empowered space and that understanding leads to strength and power over circumstances. It’s not only important to understand your “Why”, cautions Ridgely, but it’s important to understand the “Why”s of your team. He advises creating a why/how/what matrix of your team and to use that information to create a directory of your team members and their respective “Why”s so that you can insure you’re assembling teams with the right blend of personalities. Ridgely says that there are 9 type of “Why”s and as he goes on to explain them, the importance behind understanding a person’s “Why” becomes incredibly evident.  Ridgely is quick to point out that a person’s “Why” doesn’t necessarily dictate what positions they’re going to be best suited for. He says: “What ‘Why’ you have is much less important than the degree to which you bring it to life.” In other words, how deeply you operate from your core defines your success not just which of the 9 “Why”s you exhibit. The importance of alignment is a reoccurring theme throughout the Paper Napkins, which is hardly coincidental. Alignment is a vital aspect of success in both our professional lives and business endeavors. Without it, we lack the clarity to truly forge a strong path forwards, especially when facing challenges. Ask yourself: What lens do you see the world through? What is that natural law by which you operate and how can you use that to your (and your teams’) advantage?

Listen the conversation with Ridgely here:

Get Ridgely's Books: The Great Ones: The Transsformative Power of a Mentor