I have a confession.
One of my superpowers is that I am really good at ideation. I am really good at getting things started. But…
I suck at finishing things!
This has always bothered me. It has made me feel as lesser of a business professional.Perhaps I have this image of myself that if you aren’t a big time closer, then you don’t have “it”.
What’s the point in starting something if you cant finish it?
I don’t want to be the starter of a ballgame, but be sitting on the bench during the final critical seconds of a game.
I have always fantasized that I was the one scoring that last second shot to win the championship. But guess what? We can’t all be like Michael Jordan or Tom Brady.
It’s taken a while to come to grips frankly (Denial is not just a river in Egypt).
In some recent work I have been doing with Whitney Doig, Brett McKenzie and the CoVerse Communications team as we help people and companies set a course for branding and career development and strategy, we have been slowly implementing productivity (not personality) based testing, scoring and evaluation in making sure everyone is aligned on strengths and weaknesses. We have been particularly fond of the Working Genius method for determining productivity strengths and weaknesses. I recently took and examine, and sure enough, my Working Genius strengths are Invention and Wonder (I like creating novel things, and I am good at thinking outside the box). My Working Frustrations are Enablement and Tenacity (once I delegate, I don’t want to hand hold anything in execution and…I don’t enjoy pushing projects through to completion – at least not with anywhere close to the same enthusiasm I started it with).
As we discussed what this means (am I a loser?), Whitney, who is a Certified Working Genius coach told me the most delightful news. Pair me with someone who does have Enablement and Tenacity as a Working Genius and we would be unstoppable! Our conversations on the topic have taken on new meaning! This, like depression and burnout are all symptoms of the mismatch that occurs when you are ultimately responsible for things that you are not good at. And what Whitney told me, rings true…we can’t be good at everything. We cant even be good at MOST things! But every single person is good at some things!
Read that again…We can’t be good at everything. We cant even be good at MOST things! But every single person is good at some things! So if you are going to focus on what you should prioritize, it should NOT be strengthening your weaknesses! Why? Cause there are so many of them. This is why so many coaches focus on strengths. We get further, faster this way.
But the implications are even more interesting. How teams are assembled matter. Now I knew this when it comes to sports (you don’t want a basketball team of only 7-footers…who is going to bring the ball up the court, beat the press, play-make and shoot 3’s??). But what I didnt consider was personality types. How a team of personalities is constructed matters. You can’t have a team of only closers (like the basketball analogy…who is going to cold-call, prospect, demo, manage the account, build the solution etc??).
In the coming weeks we are going to explore the implications of this further and create a framework for you as an individual to perform better, but also your work teams and your work organizations need to have the right mix and match of personalities. Being fully transparent, I am going to share my full results with you so you can see what I have been describing. We are looking for interested individuals and companies who are willing to be explore these mind blowing concepts 🤯 with us. If interested, shoot me an email – nick@insnerds.com .
Image from AMC [Dr. Faye Miller (MadMen Season 4, Episode 13: “Tomorrowland)]
About Nicholas Lamparelli
Nick Lamparelli is a 20+ year veteran of the insurance wars. He has a unique vantage point on the insurance industry. From selling home & auto insurance, helping companies with commercial insurance, to being an underwriter with an excess & surplus lines wholesaler to catastrophe modeling Nick has wide experience in the industry. Over past 10 years, Nick has been focused on the insurance analytics of natural catastrophes and big data. Nick serves as our Chief Evangelist.
Nick Lamparelli is a 20+ year veteran of the insurance wars. He has a unique vantage point on the insurance industry. From selling home & auto insurance, helping companies with commercial insurance, to being an underwriter with an excess & surplus lines wholesaler to catastrophe modeling Nick has wide experience in the industry. Over past 10 years, Nick has been focused on the insurance analytics of natural catastrophes and big data. Nick serves as our Chief Evangelist.
