SWISS ARMY KNIVES

It’s the end of January and I’d like to sharpen focus on a concept today

Let’s say you start a business and want to grow it

Early on when you build your team, you’ve got a bunch of pirates

Everyone is ready to storm whatever ship is needed

These people are great at many things

They can handle anything you throw their way

The right kind of person thrives in that role

I call this type of person a switchblade

As your business gets bigger, the work gets more complex

You need more people on the team to handle the complexity

You want those people to be really great at specific things

They don’t need to be good at everything, just great at their specific job

They are masters, possibly the best, at one specific thing

The right kind of person thrives in that role

I call this type of person a scalpel

This applies to businesses, projects, and initiatives

It’s a natural evolution, the larger the business gets, the more specialization your team needs

Unfortunately, this evolution is natural for businesses, it’s not so natural for people

Someone who is a switchblade may not necessarily want to have as narrow a focus as a scalpel has

Someone who is a scalpel may not want to manage the breadth of scope that a switchblade needs

Now let’s flip the script

Instead of you starting or running a business, you are an employee

Now you understand that your boss needs different things at different times

Think about your skills, your preferences, your role

Which describes you? A scalpel or switchblade?

Which describes your role?

Which describes the role(s) that you aspire to?

Are you aligned with what your boss and company needs?

If you aren’t, you either need to refocus your efforts or think hard about what you want your career to look like

It’s a good moment to reflect as you work towards your goals this year

I’ve always found this exercise helpful in understanding what I need vs. what my team needs of me

You might find it helpful for you, too

I’m rooting for you!

Chad