Do You Need Your Independence or a Team?

Do you like to create your own ideas and have lots of autonomy to execute them or do you prefer to be a member of a team and toss ideas around? Are you a venturesome doer and interested in the achievement of tangible results? Or, do you prefer a work environment where you handle familiar work in which you have experience and training?

How you answer these questions will give you great insight on how much autonomy you need to stay motivated and, most importantly, how to structure your business model so you execute it with ease.

My first article in the Wired to Win Series, Did You Know You That You’re Wired to Win, explains where your innate wiring comes from and the differences between Internal Thinkers and External Thinkers. We all have certain combinations of our natural wiring that is unique and provides great insights on how we can be more successful.

Yet, most people don’t realize just how much of an impact their wiring has on their business, relationships and their life. When they begin to understand what makes them tick as well as those around them, they develop a greater sense of self, satisfaction and results.

In this article, there are two wonderful stories that illustrate the importance of knowing just how much autonomy you need in your work environment or if you need more of a team environment.

One of my clients, was naturally wired to need great degree of autonomy in his environment and over his own ideas. When we first started to work together, he just couldn’t understand why he felt really motivated in some aspects of his business and really de-motivated in other parts. He loved to go out and get new business but was de-energized by the routine, repetitive details in his business. In fact, a consultant told him that he needed to structure his business a certain way, which he never quite bought into (I’ll come back to why that is important later).

Knowing that he was wired for a high degree of autonomy over his own ideas and actions, I suggested that he set up a structure where he hired subcontractors who loved the routine work. He hired technicians who loved to do the work but didn’t like to go out and drum up new business, like he did. In a very short period of time, he reported significant bottom line improvements. His overall motivation increased significantly, too.

He also realized just how much he had to have his thumbprint on things – somehow make ideas his own. For example, when others presented ideas of significant importance to him, he needed to put his approval on those ideas. His team later learned everybody wins when he was able to somehow make the idea his own so he could take responsibility for it and drive the idea ahead. I’ll dive deeper into this aspect in my Wired to Win TeleSeries.

He learned two main lessons:

1. Structure the business in alignment with how he naturally executes; and
2. If an idea is of significant importance, it is critical that he makes it his own to be able to execute it.

“When you work in alignment with who you are, it’s not work!”
Lisa Mininni

Conversely, I had a client who thought he liked to work alone. In fact, he was an Internal Thinker who loved to think through his ideas before putting them into play. So he thought he worked best alone. Unfortunately, he was chronically de-motivated.

Why was he de-motivated if he was getting his need for think time met? The answer is simple: It was because he only had part of the equation about his innate wiring.

When he learned that he also needed to be part of a team, he realized exactly what had him stuck. Without others to bounce ideas around, he often procrastinated or delayed his ideas. With a small shift in surrounding himself with a networking team, he was not only able to use the team as his sounding board, but he stayed consistently energized, implemented ideas quicker, and had the right amount of internal think time to think through everyone’s feedback.
He got what he innately needed and became a top performer in his field.

Can you see how just features of your natural wiring influence your work environment, results, and motivation?

In the next article, I’ll cover other aspects of your natural wiring so you come out a winner at everything in life and in business.