I landed a new client this week, referred to me by another of our coaches. The client, John, had recently purchased a franchise for an online business.  He reached out to us because he’s having trouble generating revenue. John’s an occupational therapist.  This is his first experience as an entrepreneur; however, he has the presence of mind to know that he needs help.  As we were getting to know one another over the phone I asked about the training he had received from the franchisor.   He provided a brief overview but admitted that he wasn’t comfortable with some aspects of the Brand’s training, especially regarding customer acquisition.  That revelation gave me a clear direction for our first meeting.  There is obviously a disconnect between John’s desire to have a business and his willingness to follow the franchiser’s model for success.  To be helpful, I must understand his rationale for acquiring the franchise compared to his personal strengths and interests.

After reflecting on our conversation, I thought of another friend and former colleague, Susan.  I recall that Susan and I left a previous employer at the same time.  She immediately signed up for a seminar to help her chart her next career move.  One important topic of the seminar was achieving self-awareness.  After the seminar, she told me that her biggest revelation was that she was not meant to be in sales, that she should look to further her career in a staff function.  That made sense to me.  Later, she told me that she had taken a position with a major financial services company as a Financial Advisor, a euphemistic term for sales.  Of course, she wasn’t happy in that role and soon moved on.

You’ve probably noticed that people employed in the same occupation have similar personalities and interests.  The differences become more evident when one considers vastly different occupations, like engineers and people engaged in the performing arts.  Consider the personalities of salespeople as compared to librarians or academics.  Or, more to the point of my work, employees compared to entrepreneurs.  The most significant attributes of entrepreneurs include creativity, passion, persistence, optimism, and decisiveness. They are also independent, confident, and disciplined.  These attributes make sense to me given the risks assumed by entrepreneurs.  Any given line of work will have the greatest appeal to a specific type of individual.  To the extent that you “know yourself,” you will be in a better position to choose an appropriate career path.

It is said that knowing who you are, self-awareness, is of critical importance for a successful life.  So, what does one need to know about oneself to achieve self-awareness?  In business, companies begin their strategic planning cycle by conducting a SWOT Analysis.  SWOT is an acronym for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats underlying the planning process.  These four areas of interest are evaluated against the competition.  They may continue their internal assessment by evaluating their capabilities, i.e. market penetration, distribution network, financial resources, adaptability, intellectual capital, R&D, etc.  The evaluation of these attributes and issues will result in strategic options to consider and ultimately a three to five-year plan.

Achieving self-awareness for an individual involves a similar process.  Taking stock of one’s skills, strengths, and weaknesses is easily understood.  What are you good at doing?   Additionally, one should be familiar with their belief system, including values, interests, and the general direction you want to take in life.  What is important to you?  What motivates you to get out of bed in the morning?  Understanding the personality types that give you energy as opposed to those that zap your energy may be important.  What situations do you find stressful and try to avoid, compared to those you find exhilarating and attractive?   Fortunately, there are diagnostics to help you understand yourself, such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), Predictive Index Behavioral Assessment, Birkman, and Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI).  One of the benefits of these diagnostics is that they provide general guidelines as to occupations that align with your personality and interests.  To the extent that you are aligned with your work’s occupational requirements and skill set, you will have a greater likelihood of success and happiness.  If you haven’t had an opportunity to take one of these diagnostics, or if significant time has passed since you did, I recommend that you do so.  In doing research for this post I found several articles that present thoughtful questions to help you better understand yourself.  Links to some useful articles are included hereinbelow.

In “The Art of War,” Sun Tzu restated the already established axiom, “Know yourself, know your enemy, and you shall win a hundred battles without loss.” Socrates said that the unexamined life was not worth living. When asked if he could be more specific, he replied: ‘Know yourself.’

Articles of interest:

https://learnoutlive.com/sun-tzu-didnt-invent-know-yourself-know-your-enemy/

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/changepower/201603/know-yourself-6-specific-ways-know-who-you-are

https://www.essentiallifeskills.net/knowyourself.html

https://www.prolificliving.com/get-to-know-yourself/

https://www.aconsciousrethink.com/7419/get-to-know-yourself-better/

https://www.aconsciousrethink.com/7419/get-to-know-yourself-better/

https://www.wikihow.com/Get-to-Know-Yourself

https://www.theschooloflife.com/thebookoflife/know-yourself/

https://studentaffairs.duke.edu/career/know-yourself

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