Today, I'm going up to MSU to lead a Strengths* workshop with the folks in the Organic Farmer Training Program - my two worlds collide! I'm totally geeked to be working with farmers and I can't wait to see how the experience differs from working with Corporate America clients. Maybe it won't be different at all. Or it could be something I'm totally unprepared for. Oh, the possibilities! I'll also be doing a meat pick up on the way, so as I teach, there will be about 100# of meat rotting in my car. Lovely visual, huh?

Speaking of Strengths, I frequently use Bill as an "example" when I teach classes because he and I are so different that it provides a great analogy for how 2 people can have the same goal but go about it in very different ways and still produce outstanding results. One of the common stories I tell is this:

3 of the Talents in my Top 5 are Connectedness, Input and Ideation and I would like to believe that I have developed these Talents in to Strengths. You can pretty much always count on me to gather information and have ideas about it, even on subjects I don't know a lot about. My brain is always engaged and I see possibilities and pop off ideas at break-neck speed. All my ideas are not viable, but that's work for someone else. I have ideas and can develop them pretty fully. I do it almost effortlessly and almost flawlessly. It's "what I do".

Bill, on the other hand, has Deliberative and Analytical in his Top 5. This means that he is uniquely wired to tell me why my great ideas won't work. His brain works best by noticing roadblocks and potential risks. He is a perfect example of a "glass half empty" person who naturally notices what's missing, out of order or out of synch.

One would think that we would drive each other insane, right? They'd be correct. We do. But we also know this about ourselves. I am at my best when I'm in the world of possibilities and ideas. There's almost no stopping me. Bill is at his best when he's qualifying information. Once he's vetted an idea, you can be pretty sure that all your contingencies are accounted for.

Which brings us to ....

"THE PROJECT"

Bill mentioned that part of his Individual Learning Plan at the farm was to develop a software application to support organic farmers. Doing what I do, my brain started to noodle. Before long, I had (if I must say so myself) a BRILLIANT idea that would not only work for his project, but potentially be marketable on a large scale to farmers who are interested in becoming certified organic or using organic farming practices on their farm. I threw it out a couple times, but Bill didn't bite. To be fair, he's doing physical labor all day and working to graduate "with highest honors" (did I mention Achiever is also in his Top 5?). I tucked it away...planned to bring it up later.

Earlier this week I had a visit from a friend and "the project" came up. We talked maybe 10 minutes about it, but for some reason, my brain re-engaged. I woke up several times that night with new ideas. I spent 6 hours writing a Business Plan the next day to pitch to investors. Like that player who can't miss a shot, every word I wrote was gold, everything fell in to place and the product was something I was proud of and excited about.

Now, the Business Plan is with Eeyore, I mean, uh....Bill. His job over the next couple weeks it to qualify it, identify what's missing, the potential road blocks and put some estimates together for how long it would take to build. My job during this time is to keep my enthusiasm up. While it may seem like nothing is happening to me, there's a LOT going on in Bill's head and it's valuable stuff that we will fail without. The Business Plan will be solid as gold when it comes back to me.

Self-assurance is another one of my Talent themes. I'm pretty sure that there isn't much that I can't do if I want to and invest the time & energy. I'm confident in my own abilities. I rock. However, not all projects feel like this one does. This one feels like the moon & stars are aligned. I have no idea where the money will come from, but I know it will come. I believe in this so much, I'm willing to "bet the farm" on it. And if we fail....well, at least we failed doing something meaningful.


* Strengthsfinder 2.0 is a validated instrument that measures your natural talents and ways of approaching problem solving. There is a huge body of work built around how to develop your Talents in to Strengths and use them planfully in your day to day life. This body of work is the basis for about half of the work that I do and it is, by far, my favorite subject to talk about.