Is This the Perfect Time for Your Talents?

In his book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell observes how birth dates can impact success. For example, many of today's leading technology entrepreneurs — including Steve Jobs (CEO of Apple), Bill Joy (co-founder of Sun Microsystems), Bill Gates (Chairman of Microsoft), and Eric Schmidt (CEO of Google) — were all born within 12 months of each other, between November 1954 and October 1955. Gladwell theorizes that all were shaped by the opportunities present at the time of their high school and college years — in this case, by the emergence of the mainframe computer.

Entrepreneurs transform opportunities into viable businesses — and every era presents opportunities, if one is attuned to them. What's required is the ability to recognize them, along with a clear assessment of one's own talents and abilities. So, is this the perfect time to build something great with your talents? Here are three steps to exploring the possibilities:

1. Set your radar for "Future Scan."
Shift your focus from what's right in front of your nose, screaming for attention, and consider what the world may be like in one, three, or five years. Set aside time for this future focus, and learn to carry a notepad with you to capture fleeting thoughts. This skill will build over time, as you intentionally become more aware of future possibilities. Record all ideas, no matter how silly you may consider them; nothing is ruled out at this point.

2. Get clear on your talents, interests, contributions.
Now the focus shifts to an inner landscape, as you contemplate what unique talents and abilities you bring to the world. What has brought you success in the past, and what brings you greatest personal and professional satisfaction? This becomes another list (or drawing or diagram) on paper — one best made by incorporating feedback from friends and colleagues who know you well.

3. Chart the future spheres intersecting.
With lists at hand, consider how the two spheres of future opportunities and your talents/interests/experience might intersect. You might think of this as two circles intersecting in a Venn diagram, or two roads on a map, converging at some point in the future. What new entrepreneurial venture might capture the intersection?

Will these steps lead you to create the next Microsoft, Apple, or Google? Perhaps not. But they provide structure for considering how your future may unfold. All too often, entrepreneurs are reaction-driven (as Maggie Jackson explained in last week's issue on distraction). This exercise shifts the focus forward, so planning and opportunity recognition become conscious actions. They provide a framework for channeling creative thought — and actively choosing what to pursue on the entrepreneurial road ahead.

-- Terri Lonier
Founder, WorkingSolo.com

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