I’m finding it interesting how many people struggle with having multiple strengths.

What I mean by this is that I usually work with people who are good at more than one thing. They are curious learners. They have lots of interests. They could play multiple roles.

And at the same time, their attention tends to be focused on one area of expertise. This sometimes leads them to miss an opportunity; a competitive advantage.

Most leaders and business owners are so focused on one specific area of expertise that they overlook other components essential for their success.

For example, a restaurant owner may be an excellent chef but may struggle with managing finances or marketing their business.

A software developer may be an expert in coding, but may not know how to negotiate contracts or manage employees.

To truly succeed in business, you must give yourself the biggest competitive advantage you can.

And simply put, the #1 competitive advantage in any business is the leader’s ability to see the entire playing field within their specialty and across the whole business. This “know the whole business” perspective includes everything from marketing and sales to finances and operations.

And this is where you can harness that curiosity and those multiple interests to your advantage!

The good news is that developing this skill doesn't require a degree in business or years of experience. It simply requires a willingness to learn and a commitment to improving your business skills.

But here’s the problem with that:

In business, the “entire playing field” is massive!

There are so many things you have to not only be aware of as a business owner or leader that it is hard to keep everything moving forward if you want to grow successfully.

It’s a juggling act.

It’s no surprise why business owners often don’t know where to invest their time.

There are literally hundreds of different things you could focus on.

But just because you could try to focus on a hundred different things, doesn’t mean you should.

That’s an all-too-common approach to business, and it does not work.

(It’s also why nearly half of all businesses fail within the first 5 years.)

If you’re a business owner or in a senior leadership role in an organization, a much easier and more predictable approach is what we call the “Profit Acceleration” approach.

This approach relies on a few key principles. These apply whether you are a business owner, a leader, or professional.

1. 80% of your results will come from 20% of your work. Find these and focus your energy here. (Roughly, of course. This isn’t a scientific breakdown, but a practical one supported by experience.)
2. Small changes in several key areas can produce a compound change. Strive for small, practical, reasonable improvements in key areas to boost your overall effectiveness and business results.
3. Know and apply strategies that work in your business to achieve your goals. This means two things: (1) You need to set goals, and (2) You need to discover and apply effective strategies.

This is where I come in.

If you are a leader, I can help you find the key 20%, identify “low hanging fruit” opportunities, and show you strategies to take advantage of those opportunities for growth. This relieves stress, builds your influence, and helps you to give your team what they need to be successful.

If you are a business owner, the same thing applies, but those low hanging fruit opportunities are in the area of revenue and profit for your business. The small changes can make dramatic improvements in profitability.

Business Owners: If you want to jump-start the process, you can schedule a Profit Acceleration Simulation (PAS) demo here: https://calendly.com/learningsimfp/pas-demo

Your biggest competitive advantage is using your multiple interests, talents, and your curiosity to learn and work broadly across “the bigger picture” of your business. Keep your specialist skills sharp. Continue to grow those and adapt as technology changes. But remember to get that “whole business perspective” and use what you learn to stand out from others.

If you’d like help implementing that, just let me know.

Cheering for your success as a leader,
–Steve

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P.S. - You can see how activating your Sage powers of Exploration, Innovation, and Navigation works together here to produce that competitive advantage! When you add in Empathy on the front end and Activation for results on the back end, you are unstoppable! For more information about these Positive Intelligence® techniques, reply and let’s get you some details.

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