Benchmark Business Group

Who is Showing Up For Work

November 10, 2015

Did you ever have a day where you wanted to just get something done? Getting something done is rewarding, it makes us feel good about going to work. However, what it means to get something "done" is different for the three personalities your business needs to be successful: The Technician, The Manager, and The Entrepreneur. 
 
Why is this important to you? From the book The E-Myth Revisited, by Michael E. Gerber
 
"If it's true that within each businessperson there are three personalities, rather than just one, can you imagine what a mess that makes: If one of you wants this, and another one of you wants that, and a third wants something entirely different, can you imagine the confusion that causes in our lives?"....
 
Three different ways of thinking about and engaging in work leads to conflict!  In our work with hundreds of small business owners, we have experienced that few embody a harmonious balance of all three. The challenge is to understand which of the three are dominant for you.
  • Are you a visionary who likes to think of ideas of what could be done in your business? The Entrepreneur lives in the what-if. They think about what could happen in the future. The Entrepreneur will stride out of their office, passionately communicate the vision, and say, "Make it so."The Entrepreneur's work is never really "done"- even after the dream has crystallized and been communicated to The Manager who takes it from there. The Entrepreneur is continually living in the future, thinking of the scenarios that will lead to greater success. So for The Entrepreneur, getting things "done" means continually pursuing opportunities, dreaming, and creating. Without the Entrepreneur, your business has no destination. 

    Watch Out For: In one word: Implementation! If your Entrepreneur is too strong, your business might have a lot of great ideas that never seem to get off the ground. You need time and resources that allow the Manager to design the plan and the Technician to do the work.
  • Are you an organizer who likes to figure out the best way to get something done? The Manager in us craves order and control, and likes to organize and create processes and tracking systems to ensure work gets done correctly and on time. Management is getting results through others. For a Manager, getting things "done" means that the road-map is in place and the technicians work can be monitored and tracked. The Manager is continuously quantifying and monitoring work, looking for ways to innovate and become more effective and efficient.Managers are done with their work when the road-map is complete and it's safely handed off to the technicians with systems, plans and processes for them to follow. Without the Manager your business will lose efficiency!

    Watch Out For: Paralysis! If your Manager is too strong, you might spend a big part of your time planning and analyzing, but not moving ahead!
     
  • Are you a hands-on person that enjoys the satisfaction of completing a job well done? The Technician in us likes to cross stuff off the list and finish things. The Technician does the work. "Done" means he never has to look at it again. It's done! Without the Technician, things in your business might get planned (Manager) and dreamed up (Entrepreneur), but never "Done"!
     
    Watch Out For: Efficiency! The Technician is the voice inside you that says, "In the time it would take to talk about it and organize it, it would be half-way done!" If your Technician is too strong your business might be getting work done, but not as efficiently and without the vision to keep your business growing in the right direction.
Once you embrace your strengths and understand your personal mix of small business persona's, you can focus on what needs to happen to make sure your business is getting an appropriate balance of all three. Look for our next article: Balancing The Entrepreneur, The Manager, and The Technician. 

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