Hello, I am Tom Withee, an experienced educator, education researcher, adjunct faculty, and senior researcher for Goshen Consulting. After a long stint as a high school science teacher, I joined Goshen Consulting to share my passion for education and clear, concise communication through program evaluation. What I want to share today is the importance of being GREAT at one thing. As a science teacher, I often prided myself on being a “Jack of all trades” and knowing something about just about everything. However, I realized that by diverting my attention from one topic to the next meant I never became THE EXPERT in any one field. Now, as a team member responsible for growing a firm, I find that being the “go-to expert” on school-based data dashboards has helped me find not only joy in my work but also repeat (and repeat and repeat) clients.
Rad Resource
Check out “The Pumpkin Plan” by Mike Michalowicz.
Mike is a well-known author of self-help books for entrepreneurs. In this book, he compares growing your business to growing a giant pumpkin. Not just a big pumpkin, but the giant ones that win state fairs. His ideas, especially in this book, are well-adapted for evaluators.
Lesson Learned
To be great, stay focused on your strengths.
While there are many good ideas and stories in this book, I just want to highlight one today. In order to grow giant pumpkins, you have to have the right seeds. Not just any seed will grow giant pumpkins; you need Atlantic Giant seeds. The same is true for our evaluation practices. In order to provide high-quality work that is clear, concise, and actionable, I have to focus (and develop) the one thing I’m good at. For me, that is interactive data dashboards that utilize school-based data (but that doesn’t have to be your jam). I avoid taking on projects (or clients) that require me to use methods that I’m not great at (like one-on-one interviews). This allows me to not only continue getting better at what I’m good at, but also not waste my time and energy trying to be good at things I don’t enjoy.
Hot Tip
Find your sweet spot.
Identify what you’re good at and focus on that. What do you get excited about in your evaluation work? Are there specific methods that you prefer? Are there specific stakeholders that you are passionate about? Once you identify what your strengths are, focus on those strengths and avoid taking work that isn’t aligned with your strengths. Then, you can create your specific niche where you will be the go-to expert in your field. You’ll end up spending more time doing the type of work you love and less time dealing with projects that consume your time and energy. IF you can align what you love, with 1) what you’re good at, 2) what the world needs AND 3) what you can be paid for, you’ll never have a shortage of work that keeps you fulfilled.
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Tom, your insights on interactive dashboards are always enlightening—I’ve learned so much from our collaboration. You’ve definitely found the sweet spot! Here’s to making data shine, one well-organized dashboard at a time!