What's Your Intangibles

Years ago, I had an interview with a fast food chain, when I was looking to get back into management. During the interviewed, they showed a concern that I had never worked in a fast food environment. I explained to them that they can teach a monkey to cook, but having the ability to management is an intangible. They respected my opinion, and it even made the interviewer chuckle. They ended up offering me a job starting as an hourly cook with the chance to advance quickly. Needless to say, I declined the offer and waited for something actually in management to come along. 

So what is an intangible? According the the dictionary: 

Intangible

adjective

1. not tangible; incapable of being perceived by the sense of touch, as incorporeal or immaterial things; impalpable.

2. not definite or clear to the mind: intangible arguments.

3. (of an asset) existing only in connection with something else, as the goodwill of a business.

My definition is that it's the things that can't be easily taught. Drive, desire, tenacity, resilience, to name a few, are those things that I consider to be things that fall into the category of intangibles. You can't really measure these things, but the effect of them can be measured. You are able to see the results of someone's drive to succeed, their desire to be their best, the tenacity to make a way when there doesn't seem to be one, and the resilience to bounce back from a setback. These are the traits of winners and those who live life at their best.

I have spent over fourteen years in retail management, time and time again I have had my bosses compliment me on the intangibles that I possess. Whenever I have been called on to step up in times of need, I do what it takes to get the job done. When a weakness has been pointed out, I make the adjustments to become better, and when things have got tough, I push through and find a way to make the outcome in my favor. 

What are your intangibles? Figure out where your strength is and use it to begin to create the life that you deserve. Exploit your intangibles and make them work for you. To the best of my knowledge, there are no tests that you can take to help you figure out what your intangibles are, but push yourself and figure them out. You will probably surprise yourself when you find out that you are stronger that you imagined. If you feel that you are lacking these intangibles in an area of your life, you may need to change your perspective or you might just be chasing the wrong objective.

Dream Big...Pursue Big...Live Big