A quick-ish post to get the ball rolling for 2015*
How much does your individual personality colour your business or your role?
A large part of my personality is taken up with the fact that I’m very much ‘all or nothing’. I’m either completely into something or I drop it entirely: I find it really hard to be ‘half into’ something (to my mind it becomes a case of ‘might as well not bother’).
A perfect example of this would be the fact that I haven’t posted anything on here since 23rd December. I like to post on here three or four times per week. I knew that, across Christmas, I might be able to write ‘a bit here, a bit there’, but I don’t like doing that. I’d rather not blog at all for a couple of weeks, then start up again.
For clients, this mindset works well. I’ll bury myself in a new brief – finding out everything I can about their business, their sector, their clients (both current and potential), and their competitors.
I normally work longer hours than I charge for, as well, as I’ll get really into what I’m doing.
Every now and then, there’ll be certain bits of work that I don’t take on as I know it’s a sector I have no knowledge of whatsoever, or it’s an area of writing I’m not skilled in (journalistic articles or business reports). I know that by taking on such a job, I run the risk of only being half into it, so I’d rather not do it at all: it wouldn’t be fair on the client and I’d get a terrible reputation.
So, for business purposes, this ‘all or nothing’ thinking is quite useful. In day to day life, it’s a royal pain in the backside.
I’m interested to know, though: does anyone else have particularly strong personality traits that translate into how their business operates, or how they undertake their role?
*It is fine to say ‘happy new year’ or mention that it’s 2015, up until 15th January.
After this point, anyone who mentions it should be stapled to their desk, flown to the top of a snow-covered mountain, and left there.