I recently made my second appearance on Fix Radio – the radio station for tradespeople – which was great fun, if still slightly nerve wracking!
During a wide-ranging discussion, presenter, Andy Stevens, asked how important I feel it is for Trades to be confident in using computers. And whilst I think that business owners need to know the basics, I’m actually a firm believer that we all do our best work when we are operating ‘in flow’ and focussing on the tasks and processes that most energise us. Which will be different for each of us – some people can’t imagine anything worse than doing their invoicing, others thrive on it (me!)
Sounds simple doesn’t it? But we’re conditioned to concentrate on our weaknesses and work on getting better at the tasks we find difficult. This focus on improving skills that don’t come naturally starts at school and is often reinforced at work. But the reality is that ‘excellent all-rounders’ are a very rare breed. And to expend time and energy trying to become one is counter-productive. Not for nothing do we have the expression ‘jack of all trades, master of none’; we need to think differently and let go of this idea.
So, at Evolve and Grow we use Talent Dynamics, created by Roger James Hamilton and used by over 750,000 entrepreneurs around the world. It’s a strengths based psychometric tool designed specifically to enable entrepreneurs to identify the types of activity where they are most in flow. There are eight profiles within the system and we all fit into one of them:
The Creator
The Star
The Supporter
The Deal maker
The Trader
The Accumulator
The Lord
The Mechanic
By understanding our profile and therefore the activities that are most likely to take us in and out of flow, we can begin to harness our strengths. This isn’t about what we can and can’t do, rather the activities where we are going to gain the most traction in our business, because they come naturally.
And the flip side of that is being open to delegating or outsourcing those tasks that don’t keep us in flow – whether that’s the bookkeeping, marketing or, to come back to Andy’s original question, using the computer generally. Often, implementing a system or process that can do the job or passing it to an expert who can do it professionally and quickly, whilst freeing the business owner to focus where they best add value, is the most sensible solution.
Once a business owner knows their profile they can get clear direction on the right path for success and who they need to surround themselves with to make that happen. So, Talent Dynamics is also extremely helpful when it comes to recruitment as business owners can see what sort of profile would bring the most useful complementary skills to the business.
If you would like to find out more or book a chat with me then please email and we’ll get something organised.