Comments on: When you have a hammer…

By: …prosto do celu » Gdy trzymasz w ręce młotek…

…prosto do celu » Gdy trzymasz w ręce młotek… — Fri, 01 May 2009 06:22:40 +0000

[...] Na podstawie: http://www.lifebeyondcode.com/ [...]

By: Rajesh Setty

Rajesh Setty — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 15:46:23 +0000

Thanks for sharing your perspective Shankar.

Have a great week ahead.

Best,
Raj

By: Shankar

Shankar — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 15:29:59 +0000

Very good post, Raj! Kudos!

My addition is that – When you have a Hammer AND you are a passionate “Hammerer” (I don’t think thats a word ) THEN AND ONLY THEN everything looks like a nail.

I remember my college days when I was an avid quizzer…and was/am a voracious reader. Every snippet, trivia, concept or theorem I read would automatically get slotted into a Quiz question!

For all that I know…you might have been just admiring some photos in Flickr and then probably you stumbled upon this photo ..leading you to blog about this topic !!
Ok, thats my shot in the dark

By: Rajesh Setty

Rajesh Setty — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 22:38:11 +0000

Elder-Dude,

Thanks again. You bring up a question for which there is no easy answer but here is an attempt at an approach to look at it:

One question that has to be answered as a pre-requisite to this discussion is “Where are you going?” If one does not know that, rest of the discussion will be confusing.

The moment one knows (or thinks he knows) where he is going, the next question will be “why is he not there already?” Answering that question will lead to the gaps (eg: gaps in knowledge, money, connections, power etc.) that need to be filled personally or via the help. This is probably the place to start figuring out the kind of “help” you need.

Best,
Raj

By: Elder-Dude

Elder-Dude — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 21:00:07 +0000

Rajesh:
Seems to me knowing one’s strengths is one side of the equation. It’s about having a hammer, or some other tool, suitable for solving a problem. In which case, as Raj pointed, the challenge is finding the right nail.
The other side of the equation is about knowing one’s weaknesses, or in this case needs. The riddle here is; in what way is one a nail or some other need, for which one is seeking a suitable solution? I’m thinking this is what your post was originally about; be mindful of what solution is actually suitable to have the outcome we want.
Seems to me we need an adequate understanding of our strengths to know what kind of tool we are and understanding of our needs to know what kind of tool will get us what we want. In either case we need our inner wisdom – intuition – to recognize what the suitability is; to answer the question, are we a hammer looking for a nail or a nail looking for a hammer or some totally other solution or need?
How do we do this is what I was asking about.
Elder-Dude

By: Rajesh Setty

Rajesh Setty — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 07:00:35 +0000

Raj, thank you.

Yes, that’s a problem too

Cheers,
Rajesh

By: Raj Char

Raj Char — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 06:55:52 +0000

Is this the other way:

You may have a hammer but you may not have the ability to identify the right nail?

By: Rajesh Setty

Rajesh Setty — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 06:53:04 +0000

Ochuko, Tanmay, Elder-Dude: thank you

Elder-Dude: Your point is correct. If you are nail and you don’t know that, even if a hammer is around you, you won’t notice it.

Two books come to mind that talk about identifying your strengths and capitalizing on them:

1. Soar with your strengths
2. Flow

Reading both of them (preferably in that order) will provide a good insight into this topic.

Best,
Raj

By: Elder-Dude

Elder-Dude — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 06:43:21 +0000

Your point is a good one. It seems you’re saying be mindful of what you actually need, what will actually work. While this is great advise, the suitability of a solution isn’t always obvious. Determining if I’m a nail that needs a hammer or not; often requires an intuitive understanding of my situation or myself. Would you share your thoughts on how one can do this?
Have a fun and rewarding day, Elder-Dude.

By: Tanmay Vora

Tanmay Vora — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 06:29:32 +0000

Great, as usual.

Can I take liberty to re-phrase it slightly?

“When the ONLY thing you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.”

If you have other tools apart from a hammer, perspectives may change.

If I am only good at one particular thing, my perspective will be limited. But if I have some expertise in other areas of work, I may look at things differently.

You are spot on when it comes to all expert advice available on how to use social media.

Have a great weekend!