How to specially identify your strengths
The age-old problem business owners face is that there are only 24 hours in a day. The time management needed to ensure all the “to do’s” get done in a given day can be daunting. There are four ultimate choices that can be made with any given task: do it yourself, automate it, delegate it, or delete it. Over the next few posts, I will be exploring these different choices. I’ll be referring to Clifton Strength Finder’s test a number of times. This tool has been a major key in the success and growth of our small business.
The Clifton Strength Finder’s test identifies 34 different strengths that exist in people and orders your specific strengths from one to thirty-four. When deciding what items on your task list that should be done by the incredible YOU, start with which tasks fall into your top 5 strengths.
Let’s look at my top five strengths and some duties that I work on as an MJ Squad owner. We will get to my bottom five in the delegate and automate posts.
My top 5 strengths are as follows: Communication, Achiever, Relator, Strategic, Ideation with two of those five in the strategic category.
Communication:
I do all of the pre-client communication for our business. This includes all the networking groups, appointments, sales calls, and one-to-ones to build our business community.
Here is an expert from my strength finders:
Communication allows me to capture people’s attention by what I say and how I say it. This uniquely qualifies me to be in a sales position with MJ Squad. I meet with new clients and enjoy sharing ideas that make their business better or can help with growth.
This also helps me to help our clients clearly communicate what types of services that they may need. For websites, we decide if a more standard site is appropriate or if going the route of a custom site is more appropriate. This gives our clients a clear direction and vision as they move forward with growing their business in manageable steps.
Achiever:
Part of communicating and being in sales with MJ Squad, I am also involved in different networking groups: BNI, RPP, Polkadot Powerhouse, Rockstar Connect, ProWo, just to name a few. Most people look at the schedule I keep, with some of these being during the day and others being in the evening, and question why I am still working. This drive to meet, network, and grow falls in line under my desire for personal achievement. I constantly compete with myself and this drives achievement higher. When I am able to put tasks into this strength, they do not make me exhausted, they actually fuel me.
Choosing tasks within our company that fulfill this personality trait keep our company growing. Since I am not competing with other companies, I don’t get discouraged when I meet competitors that come to these similar events. I approach networking with an abundance mindset, confident in the services we offer at MJ Squad.
Relator:
As a relator, I develop close one on one relationships. When I meet a new client, I am able to authentically connect on a personal level, which brings each client into our small business knowing that we are invested in their dream. Staying on the front-end of our business allows me to make these connections often, so even if a connection is not ready to be a client, when they are ready, they call me.
Strategic:
I can strategize with perspective clients to create different solutions to a problem they are facing, see the routes at the same time, hear their budget, and come up with options on the fly. I am uniquely qualified to adapt to different businesses and personalities.
When in an initial meeting, I listen closely to what a client is saying and not saying and help them to decide the best services they need to begin the process. Opening a business is stressful, and clients don’t always know what they need and when they need it.
Ideation
The last of my top five strengths lies in Ideation. This is the ability to think of innovative ideas, ventures, initiatives, and events. I can take a client’s business and mentally strip it down, study the process, and look at the solutions. The struggle with Ideation is the implementation, but that is where I look to automate or delegate.
After looking at my top five strengths, my business partner, Megan, and I looked at our business as a whole. Each of these strengths work together to create my role in our company. I meet with clients, dissect their problems, come up with a solution, and figure out where MJ Squad can meet their needs. When you look at your strengths, this will help to guide what tasks you should do yourself in your small business. There are no right or wrong answers when it comes to the order of your strengths. The key is choosing your tasks and funneling them through your strengths. I learned to work in my strengths.
I know that I am exactly who my business needs and YOU are exactly who YOUR business needs. We will focus on the next part of successful business practices in my next blog… What to automate. Tips and programs that can help you maximize your profit.