However, the only way to build a well-balanced company is to be mindful of strengths and weaknesses and to work on strengthening your weaknesses. This transformation is extremely difficult to make when you do not have trusted external mentors to lean on and guide you through the process.
To turn my weaknesses into strengths as an entrepreneur, I like to ask questions—a lot of them. Many business owners feel too intimidated to ask for help or ask about something they're curious about, but it's the easiest, most convenient way to learn more and perform better for your company.
When I need help, I no longer hesitate to ask those around me. There's nothing to feel ashamed about, and asking questions shows my team that they can ask too.
No question is too out there or too simple, and it's likely that if you have that question, many others do as well. This helps you enhance your business processes and bring you closer to reaching your goals.
It's easy to spot our weaknesses and want to improve them all at the same time, but, as busy entrepreneurs, we usually don't have the time to fix everything at once. That's why I like to tackle one shortcoming at a time, usually for no less than six months so that I make real progress.
For example, I realized that I would like to improve my public speaking skills, so I worked with a coach and joined a class where I was given speaking experience every week. After six months, I made a huge improvement and felt confident that I was ready to move on and work on the next thing without feeling overwhelmed. This is a BETA experience. It was the right decision. Bringing the conflict into the open put an end to the backroom dealings and helped me gain control of the situation.
I wish I could have seen that necessity for myself. But knowing I needed guidance and getting it from someone smarter than me worked just as well. Sometimes the best defense against a weakness is to overcompensate with excellent preparation. For instance, I have a very poor sense of direction and I tend to get lost, even when finding my way would be a simple matter for anyone else.
It's an unfortunate weakness for someone who likes to travel as much as I do. So I use technology to save me, with a GPS in my car, another one on my phone, and a third one on my tablet, where I also download local maps for offline use.
In some places, I carry a detailed paper map as well. Similar techniques can apply in other situations. About to negotiate a contract with unfamiliar terms? Read up ahead of time. Need to pitch a customer or investor for the first time? Learn all you can about the person you're pitching and then practice your pitch a few times on your colleagues or friends. By walking someone inexperienced through something you know inside and out, you may uncover things you don't know as well as you thought you did, things that you could improve upon, or new ways to do things you thought you perfected long ago.
In itself, focusing on developing your strengths can help you accomplish more. At Mindset Works, an organization focused on studying Dweck's growth mindset, researchers performed an experiment on students who were performing poorly in school.
They split the students into two groups: One group learned about the stages of memory, while the other group was taught about the growth mindset. After the experiment, the students in the group that learned about the growth mindset were more motivated and put in more effort, and their grades improved. On the other hand, the grades of the students who learned about memory continued to decline.
So if you've made it all the way to the end of this piece, you've already taken your first step toward growth. Related reading:. Plant image by Stanislav Kondratiev via Unspalsh. Jessica Greene is a freelance marketing and business writer. A former writing instructor and corporate marketer, she uses her subject-matter expertise and passion for educating others to develop actionable, in-depth, user-focused content. Why Zapier? How Zapier works.
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Automation with Zapier. Automation inspiration. Zapier tutorials. Productivity tips. App tips. App tutorials. Grow your business. Small business tips. Remote work. Remote work tips. How we work at Zapier. Productivity tips 10 min read. Embrace the challenge, and enjoy the process. Working on improving yourself will make you a more well-rounded person and entrepreneur, and it will make you feel more confident.
Remember: There is so much to gain. Be consistent in your efforts, and keep it up. You may not see results overnight, or even in a couple of weeks. Timothy Sykes is an entrepreneur and a penny stock expert, trader and advocate. Watch his media appearances and speeches on Youtube here. Brian Buffini.
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