The series finale of Young Sheldon airs this week. After a successful seven-year run, The Big Bang Theory prequel/spin-off is coming to an end.
Young Sheldon has been praised over the years for attracting fans from its parent show as well as gaining its own unique following, the way that Frasier did with Cheers, Better Call Saul did with Breaking Bad, and The Jeffersons did with All in the Family.
If you’re unfamiliar with Young Sheldon, the sitcom follows the life of child prodigy Sheldon Cooper and his family in early 1990s East Texas. Though intellectually gifted, Sheldon is socially “impaired.” He lives in a world that revolves around himself—a premise that creates comedic interactions with his seemingly less-brilliant family.
One of my favorite Young Sheldon episodes is Episode 5 from Season 2 in which Sheldon and his twin sister Missy participate in a research study.
The first part of the study tests the twins’ problem-solving skills through a series of math, science, and logic questions. Sheldon excels on this portion of the test, while Missy struggles mightily.
The second part of the study tests the twins’ observation skills. Sheldon and Missy are independently shown a series of pictures and asked to describe the emotions of the people in the pictures. This time, Missy excels, while Sheldon struggles mightily.
The researcher praises Missy for being “insightful.” To which Missy promptly and earnestly replies, “I don’t know what that means, but thank you.”
Smiling, the researcher explains, “It means you’re perceptive. You see things that others miss.”
Across the hall, Sheldon grows increasingly annoyed by the researcher’s questions, eventually erupting: “What exactly are we doing here? I thought the purpose of this study was to find out how smart I am!”
“That is what we’re doing,” the researcher assures Sheldon. “But there are different kinds of intelligence.”
Truer words have never been spoken.
Intelligence comes in different forms and so does talent—especially, when it comes to the talent of being a good teammate.
Focusing solely on physical and intellectual talent can be a costly mistake for team leaders. On teams, social talent can be just as impactful and deserves just as much reverence.
When measuring talent, team leaders are wise to consider how good teammates’ perceptiveness offsets the aloof, how their selflessness nullifies the selfish, how their encouragement propels the discouraged, how their appreciation validates to the underappreciated, etc.
The genius of these overlooked contributions is often what propels teams to their highest levels of achievement.
If you are someone who consistently makes these kinds of contributions, or you have someone on your team who does, feel free to celebrate by shouting “Bazinga!” (*If you know, you know!)
As always…Good teammates care. Good teammates share. Good teammates listen. Go be a good teammate.
