Over the course of the last year, I have been given the gift of learning to identifying my top skill sets. These lessons were not without skepticism and questioning. But, I can say that these lessons have transformed the way I work and the types of work I take on. Because I was lucky enough to have someone share with me the #1 secret to identifying your top skill sets. And it is this: The tasks and projects are you best at. AND When you finish the task, you have more energy than when you started the task. It is that simple. Related:5 Things You Should Be Doing If You’re Unemployed When I tell people about this secret that was shared with me, they immediately know what I am talking about and know the work that they are awesome at and gives them energy. And I tell people that you should focus everything you have into making sure that as much of your day as possible doing those things that you are awesome at AND give you energy. This is what is called your “Zone of Genius." The creator of this concept is Gay Henricks from the book “The Big Leap." There is of course nuance to this. When you do things that you completely rock AND get energy by doing them, this puts you squarely in your “Zone of Genius”. When you do things that you completely rock at and it drains your energy, that is your “Zone of Excellence”. You want to spend the bulk of your time, if not all of it in your Zone of Genius. The first time I heard about this concept about a year ago from the brilliant Giovanni Cavalieri, I was incredibly skeptical as I am sure you are right now. This is impossible. Just getting to do what you do best and get energy from. Pfft…. crazy talk! You can’t possibly spend all your time working in your Zone of Genius. Can you? Maybe not all your time, but 90+% of your time can be spent in your Zone of Genius if you’re on the right team at the right company. The thing about Zone of Genius is that you are more efficient when you are working in that zone. You get more done than anyone else at that skill. You probably spend the rest of your time in the Zone of Excellence. These are the tasks that you should be actively looking for people who have these tasks in THEIR Zone of Genius. When you are doing tasks and projects that are outside of your Zone of Genius, you are drained. The problem is that many of us are spending our entire day in the Zone of Excellence or even the Zone of Competence (which is exactly what is sounds like). Getting rid of the tasks in the non-Zone of Genius can be a challenge. But, oddly enough, there are people who’s Zone of Genius is your Zone of Excellence or Zone of Competence and should be taking on those tasks to fulfill their time in their Zone of Genius. It generally works out, not all the time, which is why I can’t get to 100% Zone of Genius. But suffice it to say, when you know where your Zone of Genius is, you can spend time honing in on tasks, projects and roles that highlights your best skills that you can bring to the table so that you can spend even more time working in your Zone of Genius. My Zone of Genius is all about helping people connect with their dream job. What’s yours? This post was originally published on an earlier date.
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