Planning for Your Shortcomings
Ari Takata-Vasquez
Founder, designer, artist, and public speaker passionate about economic development, good design, & placemaking.
One of the paradoxes of being a creative entrepreneur is that we tend to over-index on generative skills but struggle with operational tasks. We’re fantastic at ideation, problem-solving, and spotting new possibilities, but those same superpowers often come with the side effect of procrastinating on anything that feels repetitive or administrative (sound familiar?).
Hire Your Complement, Not Your Twin As creatives, we naturally gravitate toward other creatives—people who "get" us. But when it comes to building a successful team, surrounding yourself with like-minded folks can lead to a lack of balance. What we need most isn't more of the same energy, but someone who complements our skillset. Someone who can keep the wheels turning while we focus on big ideas.
What Advice Would You Give Yourself? Sometimes, it helps to step out of our shoes and look at ourselves from a distance. What would you say to the "you" who’s bogged down by admin tasks or endless to-do lists? For me, it's this: Manage to keep a clear perspective, focus on your strengths, and recognize when it’s time to pass the baton.
Takeaways:
It's not easy, but the sooner you can start planning for your shortcomings, the sooner you can grow a well rounded, balanced, and successful business.
Operations | CRM Administration | Salesforce Certified | HubSpot | Event Management | Human-centric
4 个月As someone who finds it rewarding to keep the wheels turning (and plates spinning) while the visionaries pursue their mojo, I applaud your perspective. I've been thinking about how to align with the big picture-people to define the deliverables needed to support their initiatives. It can feel like the backend needs are only details, and they don't want to hear about details, or that their eyes glaze over when I'm nerding-out about the technicalities. So far I've identified the following: *Scheduling time dedicated for alignment *Be prepared with succinct updates and questions *Use persuasive storytelling to translate the nerdy details for illustrative influence *Present with confidence and an open mind What thoughts do others have about fostering common ground for visionaries & nuts & bolts folks to sync?