Do You Get Stuff Done?

A few years ago I found myself in a fun job interview. I have multiple revenue streams, including JibberJobber (a job search CRM), but I found myself with a bunch of extra time and I had created systems so I wasn't as needed in my streams as much. Instead of saying, "I was bored," I say, "I needed a change of scenery."

The new job only lasted 10 months but it was awesome. It changed me. It refreshed me. And I learned so much... things that I bring to my other businesses today.

My boss was amazing. Epic. Ideal for me. We got along great. Many times I wondered why he hired me, and I went through months of impostor syndrome (that is some weird stuff!).

Eventually, I realized why I got, and thrived, in that role. It was because my boss needed a partner who would and could get stuff done. My boss could get stuff done but he was living in the vision/strategy world so much that to spend too much time in operations would have messed up our direction and momentum.

He NEEDED someone who would get stuff done.

I love vision and strategy, and prefer to spend my time there. I'd rather hire an ops person to get stuff done... and now I found myself as that person. It was fun. It was invigorating. It was a great partnership.

And, I realized, it was part of the brand I was creating.

I know and work with idea people. They have lots of ideas, some of them are great, some of them are duds, but the biggest fault of a self-proclaimed idea person is that they are not seen as someone who gets stuff done. Their brand is that of someone who thinks of things but isn't capable of executing.

I invite you to think about your mix of ideas vs. execution. I'm not going to say one is better than the other, or that there is a magic ratio of ideas to execution, but I want you to be intentional about what your ratio is. Are you the person who always brings supposedly-great ideas to the table but everyone knows they can't count on you to do the work?

Or, are you the guy who says, "I don't know, I don't have an opinion, just tell me what to do and I'll do it."

I know, and have worked with, both types. Both have pros and cons.

Be intentional about what your ratio is. Think about what you want to do in your career and what you need to lay as a foundation now, so you can move towards your career objectives. If you don't have enough execution on your resume, or in your stories, get working on projects where you can show you can execute.

Ideas are great. Idea people are valuable. If you can somehow become a doer, someone who gets stuff done, someone others trust to execute, you can probably multiply your value to any organization.