Are you a Dreamer or a Doer? Insight From an Entrepreneur
Posted by Eric Hubbs on Thu, Sep 03, 2009 @ 11:57 PM
By Michael Gunther, Founder & President of Collaboration Business Growth Specialists
As originally published in The Tolosa Press
I, for one, am inherently a Dreamer - I like to im
agine the growth my business can attain, the services we can develop, the clients we can help, and the financial success we can achieve. Oh, how I can dream!
Dreaming on its own will only take a business so far. To be a successful business owner, you must also be a Doer. And if it wasn't for a past mentor of mine, Mike Rowe, I would probably still just be dreaming.
Mike was a Doer. He completed tasks on his to do list faster than the chip in your computer becomes outdated, and he consistently measured and managed both his performance and the company's results. What was so great about Mike is that he also understood the value of the Dreamer. He believed that if one could master both the Dreamer's goal-oriented, future-focused skill set and the Doer's task-oriented, present-focused abilities, they would improve their performance and accelerate their own growth, as well as that of their company.
I feel fortunate that Mike taught me the value of developing both skills sets and understanding both perspectives. I have grown from it personally and I am able to recognize when business owners are struggling with the Dreamer vs. Doer conflict. I encourage you to assess yourself and establish whether you are a Dreamer or a Doer.
A Dreamer always expects that their ideas and visions for their business will manifest into reality. To solve issues, they tend to think big picture. They often miss the issues or challenges that need to be dealt with today in order to move their company forward. They get frustrated when their dreams aren't achieved or are way-laid, because for them their vision is so clear.
A Doer focuses on the here-and-now tasks and often ends up somewhere other than where they had hoped for. To solve issues, they focus more on "doing things right" than "doing the right things." They fail to consider whether their tasks are leading them in the right direction, and are often disappointed when they don't achieve their goals even though they are working so hard.
Which are you, a Dreamer or a Doer? By evaluating your skills and perspectives you can determine how to enhance your own performance by developing your own personal skill sets, and to enhance your company's performance by surrounding yourself with individuals who offer different skills and perspectives.
At Collaboration, we purposely balance our team with individuals who offer a diverse set of skills and perspectives. This ensures we are not blindsided by reality or miss opportunities because we are not looking at the whole picture. I personally have worked to develop skills in areas that are not my natural strengths, which in turn has improved my leadership and management abilities. Thanks to Mike Rowe taking the time to educate me on this understanding of the Dreamer and the Doer, our organization is strong with both skill sets.
The Bottom Line
By evaluating whether you are a Dreamer or a Doer, improving on your weaknesses, and surrounding yourself with individuals who will compliment your skills and perspectives, you will be able to improve your personal performance and accelerate your company's growth.
There are many behavior assessment tools on the market to assist you in determining your style such: WorkTraitsTM, Myers-Briggs Type IndicatorTM (MBTI), DISC® Profile, and 16PF®.
Michael Gunther is Founder and President of Collaboration, LLC, a team of highly skilled business professionals who are dedicated to assisting proactive business owners build profitable, sustainable businesses through results oriented education, coaching and consulting services. Learn more at www.collaboration-llc.com.
To subscribe to our Business Blog for more helpful tools and tips for growing a profitable, sustainable business, click here.
For free downloadable business tools to assist you in growing your business, click here.