Curious Friday : 💡Jeff Bezos on how to invent innovation inside us, How to operate in (and find) your zone of Genius and more.
Episode 03 - Everybody is a genius in various category but if you compare a fish to climb the tree , then it will waste it’s entire life believing that it’s stupid.
Today’s Newsletter at a Glance :
One Quote : Jeff Bezos on how to invent yourself and build innovation inside you.
One Article : How to operate in (and find) your Zone of Genius .
One Tweet : Aadit Sheth on 12 lies that we all were told growing up.
One Quote
“I think frugality drives innovation, just like other constraints do. One of the only ways to get out of a tight box is to invent your way out.” ~ Jeff Bezos.
This is the most loved quote from one of the biggest business magnates and Entrepreneur - Jeff bezos.
Innovation doesn’t drive from outside. It drives from within our hearts and minds and the only way to do so is to get out of your comfort zone and challenge your every day potential.
One Article
Everybody is a genius in himself/herself , but we all need to find that source of genius in us. Somebody maybe is a genius in programming , somebody maybe a genius in cooking or art , somebody maybe a genius in dancing or illustrations or something like that . The point is, that there is a genius in all of us and we need to find that genius and then we need to execute that source to outscale where our skills, expertise and our passions align. If we will be perfect in what we do and how we do it , then I think that we could achieve what other successful people and personalities have already accomplished in their lives. But , all we need is that little push towards our extreme genius and we need to enlighten this genius among us.
Your Zone of Genius is basically the area where your skills, expertise and competencies are aligned. It is that zone where nobody can compete with you, that means you are the only competition. And operating in your zone of genius means you stop playing *their* games and start playing *yours*. That means you are your only creator, and the only destroyer.
Everyone’s zone of genius is unique in itself and is very much different from others. Operating in your zone of genius is not about being top 1% at something—it's about the unique space where your relative strengths are accentuated (and relative weaknesses masked).So, here I have compiled all the 4 frameworks that I believe will help you in finding your zone of genius.
So without any further ado, let’s dive into this article.
Experiment and collect all the Information:
In order to perform wildly in your zone of genius and expertise , you need to gather and collect lots of Information and experience about others and yourself.
Don’t do(or buy) anything without gathering any specific data. Don’t buy a car without any data, don’t start a business without any data. You need to experiment and collect the required data to get yourself into that zone and then you get started with it and then take the informed decisions, otherwise don’t take it.
Experiment wildly. Try different things. Test out different working styles.This doesn't mean skipping from job to job—you can experiment on nights, on weekends, etc. The goal is to build a wide base of experiences from which you can assess your competencies and passions.
The data collection should be both internal (your own perspectives) and external (the perspectives of others) like :
What are you great at? In which zone you are the most(and least) Knowledgeable at, then work and gather information accordingly.
Build a Matrix :
This is the next step, to operate in your zone and become an expert in it. Collected and Experimented all your data and Information? - Then learn that information and build a skill map of it.
You can imagine any piece of paper and make a matrix or 4 axis on it. For every axis , imagine there is a spectrum from 0(min competency) to 1(max competency). The above image(or matrix) tells you your competency level, But competency(or Expertise) is one plane and passion is another. So , for every skill that you have , you have four matrix for each of one and you can arrange all of them in four quadrants,like in the axis above:
High Competency, High Passion
High Competency, Low Passion
Low Competency, High Passion
Low Competency, Low Passion
This is a great visual to bring your skills to your life.
Identify Your Zones :
You have collected the data and information , and built a matrix also. Then what’s next? Identify all of your skills and areas of expertise in which you are perfect at and fill them in the matrix, above, accordingly by labelling them as - High passion, low competency or low passion,high competency or like that.
The 4 key zones to identify on your matrix:
(Look at the diagram below for detailed understanding)
(1) Zone of Incompetence: you are bad at these things; outsource to others who are good at them.
(2) Zone of Neutrality: you are ok at these things; outsource to others who are as good or better at them.
3) Zone of Excellence: you are excellent at these things, but you don’t love them
(This is the "danger zone”: you will be asked—and tempted—to work here given your competency, but it can be a trap)
(4) Zone of Genius: you are excellent at these things and you love to do them
Execute Everything :
Okay, Now you have identified all of your zones of passions and competency. Now what? Execute them.
By placing the various skills and capabilities within each zone, you've developed a clearer picture of where and how you should aim to spend your time.
This is the first part of the battle.
It’s an extreme luxury to have the opportunity to operate in your Zone of Genius 100% of the time. For most of us—myself included—the goal should be to maximize time spent in your Zone of Genius (and minimize time spent in the others).
If you work in a company, the best approach is to have a clear, candid conversation with your teams and managers about your zones.Better yet, encourage the full team to conduct a similar exercise—with everyone mapped, it becomes easier to piece the puzzle together. If you're running into a wall—with a company or manager who fails to recognize your perspectives—it may be time for a change. Let the market determine which companies survive by allowing for the free flow of talent to the places that allow employees to thrive.
Be ruthless in outsourcing to maximize the time you spend in your Zone of Genius.
Your results and performance will improve in line with your ability to execute.
One Tweet
In the above thread my friend, Aadit Sheth is curtailing all the lies that we were being told growing up. These lies actually manifest our destiny and upbringing. These lies can actually become a life changing factor for our mindset growth, if we already know them earlier. A must read one. Appreciate it.
That’s It. So, If you’ve enjoyed reading my article, why not like and share it with your friends and families. I hope that you’ve learned something valuable and useful today.
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