When you are finished working for the day, do you feel increased energy and creativity? Do you ever notice that for some forms of work, time dissolves and your productivity soars? Gay Hendricks is one of my favorite teachers and a pioneer of conscious business. In his book The Big Leap (a must read), Gay offers that there are four zones of work: Zone of Incompetence -- These are things that we have no business doing. For me, this would be any type of handy work. I once put together a coffee table wrong :) Zone of Competence -- These are things you can do, but you likely labor over these work items and someone can do them a whole lot better. For me, bookkeeping falls in this zone. Sure I can update the books, but someone else could do it in 1/8th the time with more accuracy. Zone of Excellence -- This is where 90%+ of the population dwells. These are things you can do effectively and likely get recognition for. However, when you work in this zone you do not feel increased energy and joy. For me, this would be writing the language for an investor powerpoint deck or executive summary. I can do this really well and be paid generously for my efforts, but I don't love it. Zone of Genius -- In this zone work is easy, time dissolves, and productivity soars because you are doing what you are uniquely designed to do. For me, vision, team-building, strategic partnerships, writing, starting new companies, and travel fall under this umbrella. Yes, I said travel. When I am on a plane, riding a train, driving an automobile, or spending two weeks immersed in the heart of the Amazon Rainforest, my best ideas surface and my productivity soars. Unfortunately, we live in a culture that rewards people for the amount of time they work and their willingness to sacrifice. When I tell people I am working by going to Ecuador, people often don't believe me until I come home with new investment dollars. Another example of this is John Mackey of Whole Foods. When the successful grocery store stopped growing, Mackey took a month off to enjoy some peace and quiet at his ranch. While relaxing, he came to the awareness that the number one reason people were shopping at Whole Foods was for their health. He came up with the slogan "Health Starts Here," and from that point forward, Whole Foods has been growing exponentially. Invitation: This week pay attention to how much time you are spending in the four zones. Notice those activities that when you do them, time dissolves and you find yourself with more energy than when you began. What are those activities? I'd love to hear about them in the comments section of www.goodstartups.me, on Facebook www.facebook.com/goodstartups, and www.youtube.com/goodstartups. It is ok if you are only spending 5% of your time in your zone of genius. Just become aware and commit to finding ways to increasing your daily percentage. As you do this, you will lead by example and invite others to spend more time in their zone of genius. Before you know it, your whole company is more productive. Cheers -- Brendan ps. I apologize for the slight blurriness in the video. I'm still getting used to this new camera and will adjust for future videos! I am committed to sharing the first take and not rehearsing...

• published: 08 Oct 2013
• views: 141