At this point, you know yourself pretty well. You know what you’re good at. You know what you like. But what you may not know? The most productive people have tapped into a part of themselves that makes their success more predictable. More sustainable. Easier.
And it’s because they know the following 4 things about themselves:
When faced with a new project, some people instinctively need to know anything and everything before they start. They will have questions…and lots of them. Those who understand that need will start to find facts like it’s their superpower.
Others aren’t wired this way. They need to get to the bottom line. They will naturally wade through all that information, get the “gist” (a few bullet points, maybe), then move on.
Not everyone fits into either of these categories. Some people possess strengths somewhere between those two. There’s a significant number who naturally gather and share information by explaining, editing, and working within priorities.
Knowing which one of these is your natural strength and leaning into it with purpose will help you deal with information efficiently and effectively while keeping your energy levels high and your stress levels low.
You know those people who plan for everything, then organize their plans? Who have color-coordinated systems for everything and keep each process running perfectly with a corresponding spreadsheet to explain how to keep it perfect? When given the freedom to create those systems, they flourish!
There are people out there who will naturally take those systems and make them better. They’ll keep the systems that run smoothly…well, running smoothly…and they’ll instinctively look to improve the things that aren’t working right.
And then, there are people who will make sure things don’t turn into a bureaucracy. They’ll find natural shortcuts and loosen rigid systems. Too often, they’re told they’re disorganized. They’re not. They just know how to adapt, and when given the chance to lean into those strengths, they’ll create magic.
There are those among us who have more ideas than they know what to do with. These natural innovators will instinctively charge forward, ready to move mountains to create and innovate. Without these daring entrepreneurial types, big things don’t happen.
Of course, not every idea is a good or productive one, and society needs people who will keep others from indiscriminately chasing after every idea that comes along. The stabilizing instincts of these status quo protectors are often the only thing standing between big ideas and big disasters.
Finally, there are the people who hear ideas and think, “Hey…I’d love to make that work, but why don’t we test it first?” This is the type of achiever who will instinctively help keep businesses in that sweet spot where they’re refreshingly open to innovation without jumping onto every bandwagon.
When all of these approaches are embraced with knowledge and self-awareness, amazing things get done and less amazing things get stopped!
Some people need to see it to believe it. Others have an instinctual need to build. And when you give them the freedom to be themselves when tackling tangible solutions, they will build foundations, work with equipment, focus on quality solutions, and make anyone who works with them happy they did.
Once those foundations have been created, it’s good to know there are people who are great at maintaining and renovating. These restoration-inclined superstars are also super helpful to bridge the gap between those with the need to demonstrate and another group of individuals who instinctively envision instead.
Those instinctual “imagineers” (not really the term, but if you call them that, they’ll like it) will likely burn out if they create tangible solutions too often. However, their strengths in conceptualizing solutions can lead to some truly amazing results.
A Complete Solution
Ultimately, when asked to work against your grain instead of embracing your natural ways of operating, anyone will lose mental energy fast. Anyone.
But if you can place yourself in the right position to capitalize on your instinctive strengths, you’ll find that your productivity, communication, and collaborations will all improve dramatically.
If that sounds like an ideal scenario and you’re ready to learn more, we have great news! Kolbe offers powerful solutions for individuals who want to become high achievers (or, honestly, just less stressed). We promise you straightforward, practical, actionable advice focused on improving outcomes. But the first step is also the most important one: Take the Kolbe A™ Index and discover your natural strengths.
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