Are you spending too much time doing things you’re not passionate about in your business? Do you find yourself buried in nonproductive details and trapped in complex, energy-draining activities? Or, have you wondered what happened to the original energy and passion you had for the business?
In my work as an executive business coach I find that typically, as businesses become more successful, business owners become more busy, doing a wider range of activities farther from their talents—perhaps like keeping books, hiring, training, organizing the office or keeping technology up to speed.
As a result, the business underachieves its potential, eventually hitting a ceiling or declining in growth. As business owners work harder and harder, they find themselves creating fewer results. Sound familiar?
A time-tested approach to escaping these complexities is to discover your “Unique Ability.” Coined by Dan Sullivan, founder of Strategic Coach, Unique Ability is a guiding principle that can help entrepreneurs simplify how they spend their time, prioritize their goals, and work with teams.
Here is a simple and memorable Unique Ability equation:
What I Do (Talent) + Why I Do It (Passion) + Value Created for Others = 10X Growth
Sometimes called being in the “zone” or “flow,” Unique Ability can be further defined by the following:
- Doing what you’re passionate about. Becoming increasingly successful at doing what you love.
- Being a valued asset to a growing number of customers and clients in the marketplace whose greater success will increase your success.
- Being passionate and adding value in ways that continually multiply your income and reputation, resulting in 10X growth.
While the principle of Unique Ability works well for entrepreneurs, it also works in all sizes of organizations and on both personal and professional levels.
The more things become simple, the more results multiply
When your Unique Ability becomes your operating strategy, you will start creating breakthroughs in simplicity, creativity, teamwork and productivity. As a result, success is multiplied exponentially with increased income, resources and opportunities!
Start Now – Take the 90-Day Challenge
The first step in discovering your Unique Ability is to identify 5 things you do right now that prevent achievement and drain your energy. Over the next 90 days eliminate these activities:
- Stop doing them
- Delegate them to someone with that Unique Ability
- Outsource them
At the same time, pick the 5 activities you love doing the most, create value for others and increase income. Then, focus your time and energy on doing more of them.
At the end of the first 90-day period, review your progress and do the exercise over again. Keep eliminating what isn’t unique ability and keep expanding what is.
By operating with your Unique Ability, you can enjoy a life that’s increasingly successful, satisfying and significant!
“A person, who is born with a talent which is meant to be used, finds his or her greatest happiness in using it.
– Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe –