Focus On Your Genius Zone (And Outsource Everything Else)
- June 20, 2016
- Posted by: Rochelle
- Category: Running Your Business
What if you could spend the vast majority of your day doing exactly the work you adore? The kind where you lose track of time, while tapping into your special talents and passions: your genius zone.
Chances are, this is also your highest value work—where you can charge a premium price and work with your sweet-spot clients.
We’re talking about the kind of work where sometimes you just scratch your head, wondering how you got to be so lucky.
Look, I’m not saying you’ll get sunshine and roses 24/7—but why not spend as much time in your genius zone as you possibly can?
Life is short baby.
One of my clients is a genius at making sure she focuses on what she’s good at and most wants to do. And what’s fun about working with her is she doesn’t think that applies ONLY to her.
Every member of her team—internal and external—has a genius zone that she’s very careful to understand and protect.
How does that make them feel? Appreciated. Valued. And happy to be doing work they love.
Why shouldn’t we all work this way?
If you’re not sure about your genius zone—or need to sort out the edges, try this: identify the complete opposite—i.e. what you suck at.
The “suck” list ought to be the place you start when you think about outsourcing. For example, I pretty much hand off everything administrative I possibly can to my virtual assistant—who I consider a business goddess. Seriously, one of her magic talents is figuring out how to put everything in order and just get it done. I admire that more than I can say.
But let’s get back to genius. It’s not just about what you don’t suck at, but where you truly are gifted.
Take “Joe”, an author client with some serious creds—he’s sold over 3 million copies. So clearly writing is in his genius zone. And yet he regularly has someone else do his transactional business writing. Why? It’s just no fun for him. It’s short-term linear writing and he finds it much more pleasurable to hand it off to someone else.
“Oh but my clients expect me to __________(fill in the blank with whatever tasks you don’t really want to do)!”
I guarantee there is a way to get that off your plate. It may require some creativity (and/or a leap of faith), but if you don’t try, you’ll never get to play in your genius zone.
I know one consultant who dropped over 20 of her clients in one fell swoop to get to the worklife she wanted. Scary? You bet. But the handful of clients she didn’t fire immediately stepped into the breech and gave her the work, focus and fees she is worth. Now she’s happily waving the flag from her genius zone.
So here’s the challenge. Pick one thing—just one—that you can let go of that will deliver you closer to your genius zone. What’s it gonna be?
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I 100% subscribe to this, Rochelle! In fact, I tell my clients the same thing. Find what energizes you and go for it. Why waste your time, energy, and CREATIVITY on things you suck at? You’ll be much happier and satisfied in the long run if you find a way to focus on your “magic zone.” Thanks for the read!
Hi Ariella–thanks for your comments and welcome to this space!
I was fascinated when I got to “what you suck at…” In high school I reached out to local elected officials for advice when I thought that might be my career choice (and for the most part it was though for the past decade and a half more from the outside in the sense that taxpayers did not pay my salary, though occasionally a consulting fee.). One gave rather practical advice: Be able to tell anyone you ask to do something that you can do it at least at well….); he never said you have to like (or hate) what you handoff.
In terms of handing off what one dislikes, in my case I try not to take it on. Excellent advice.
I think a lot of us were raised thinking we have to do everything that comes our way, but why not do as much of what we love as possible? That’s been my mantra 🙂
Do we want to do it or do we think we can do it better than anyone else? The power is in letting go and leaving what bogs us down to someone who loves doing it. Freedom and passion will fuel success!
Amen sister! 🙂
Rochelle, I love the way you think. Thanks for another great post and
the reminder that I need to delegate whenever possible and stop putting off the high value and most pleasurable work that I end up avoiding. Mark
Isn’t it odd that so many of us put off the pleasurable/high value to do the other? You go Mark!