In the initial stages of building a company toward a self-management model, the entrepreneur is involved in everything. When the company reaches a point where employees are operating freely and upholding more responsibility, the entrepreneur can shift focus from business development toward his or her area of mastery.
Entrepreneurs are most productive when working with their unique abilities, an individual set of natural talents. There are uncertainties in business, but the entrepreneur can always depend on his or her unique ability — the activities you enjoy doing, in which you possess superior skill and knowledge and that bring you the most energy. Understanding and channeling these distinctive characteristics is the most efficient way to consistently add value to any relationship, both business and personal.
Most entrepreneurs believe they are great at many things, and to a large extent this is true, but there is only a small set of activities you are actually superior at. These activities bring you energy; other activities take your energy, and even though you may be good at these other activities, you could pay someone else to do them. Strategic Coach is a program designed for entrepreneurs, and one of the steps in the program is to help you discover your true unique ability. True happiness rests in this discovery and actually spending 80 percent of your time doing what you do best.
Develop your unique ability so it frees you from the indistinguishable commodities of the marketplace. Apply your talents to products, services and experiences to deliver creativity and knowledge. Clients will recognize, appreciate and refer your unique ability to others. Remember, the moment you stop creating value, you become inconsequential.
Finding Power in Conation
Research shows that people perform best when they have the freedom to take a personalized approach to a task or problem, so it is important entrepreneurs help employees tune into their unique abilities as well. Your personality may vary from time to time as you experience life-changing events, but your creative instincts remain the same. Under the Kolbe Concept, these instincts are the foundation of mental energy that lead us to take certain actions.
To help determine a person’s most productive use of time and instinctive form of communication, Kolbe Indexes are employee assessments that can be completed online. Unlike other methods of self-assessment, Kolbe Indexes gauge how you naturally perform tasks, your conative tendencies. The test functions at the subconscious level rather than measuring how intelligent you are or your personality traits. These conative performance traits are born and do not change; knowing and understanding these is one of the best tools for getting people in the right seat on the bus.
Not only does Kolbe distinguish your natural strengths, it helps you develop them. Employees who have completed the Kolbe Indexes display more confidence and passion. By placing people in positions where they can do what they love, you optimally increase workplace morale and productivity.
“Success is peace of mind attained only through self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to do the best of which you’re capable.” – John Wooden
The Fundamental of Balancing Work and Joy
Coach John Wooden led the UCLA men’s basketball team with a 664-162 record, and he was awarded NCAA College Basketball Coach of the Year six times. His legacy, however, reached far beyond the court.
From his gatherings throughout four decades of coaching, Wooden identified countless characteristics and behaviors that help contribute to a person’s success, narrowing his findings to his “Pyramid of Success.”
Understanding the power of this pyramid starts with the knowledge of the cornerstones. Without these cornerstones, the foundation of your pyramid cannot be established; competitive greatness is not achievable. The left-hand corner of the pyramid is industriousness, or your work. In the right-hand corner is enthusiasm, or your joy. Your work must be your joy and vice versa. Implementing and working in your unique ability will set a strong cornerstone foundation for your pyramid of success.For a more detailed look at Wooden’s “Pyramid of Success,” visit www.coachwooden.com/pyramid-of-success
