Discovering Your Genius

By Andrea Saab

Key Distinctions/Insights: Any significant accomplishment usually requires

the involvement of many people. What if you could simply understand the

unique genius of individuals, and further, to be able to assemble teams

where genius and talents were complementary to others on the team to

produce the required results?

“All children are born geniuses; 9,999 are swiftly and inadvertently

degeniusized by grownups." Buckminster Fuller

Talents Versus Skills

Here is a very useful distinction as a starting point from Steven Covey’s

The 8th Habit where he writes – “There’s a common misconception that a

person’s skill is their talent. Skills, however, are not talents. Talents, on the

other hand, require skills. People can have skills and knowledge in areas

where their talents do not lie. If they have a job that requires their skills but

not their talents, organizations will never tap into their passion or voice.

They’ll go through the motions, but this will only make them appear to need

external supervision and motivation.”

“The key to creating passion in your life is to find your unique talents and

your special role and purpose in the world. It is essential to know yourself

before you decide what work you want to do”.

What and How of Talents

Talents can be understood in terms of ‘what you do and importantly, how

you do it.’ 

When we recognize that we have striving instincts and are free to use

them, our instincts can become our energy sources that propel us toward

personal productivity. The job of leaders is to manage for results rather

than manage the process. 

As Kathy Kolbe writes in her book Pure Instinct, “The joy in the creative

process comes through productive effort. When all hope for attaining the

thrill of success is put out of reach, it follows that many people will turn to

artificial ‘highs’. History will undoubtedly take note of our era, one in which

human beings’ instincts to strive have been largely ignored. Substance

abuse is rampant, along with crime, suicide, and failed relationships. Self-

confidence, the by-product of productivity, has eroded along with the

economy.”

Acting on Instinct

Kathy Kolbe has identified four primary sources of energy:

The probing instinct creates a need to investigate in depth.

The patterning instinct causes us to seek a sense of order.

The innovating instinct is the force behind experimentation.

The demonstrating instinct converts ideas into tangible form.

Each of us operates using these four sources of energy however we do so

from differing perspectives or operating zones. We either 'will',' won’t' or 'be

willing'.

Freedom To Be Yourself

Kathy says, “My definition of success – the freedom to be yourself – is tied

to the Striving Instincts and their Operating Zones. Successful people are

those who have found paths that allow them to use their instinctive powers

freely without stepping on others."

Action Modes

Each action mode leads us to perform in a certain way.

Fact Finder is the instinct to probe – relating to gathering information –

some people have to define their options and examine possibilities in great

depth becoming experts or authorities in specific areas while others are

generalists who attack a broader scope of pursuits 

Follow Through is the instinct to pattern – relating to structure – ranging

from acting sequentially to sporadically

Quick Start is the instinct to innovate – relating to a perspective of risk –

ranging from being highly negotiable to irrevocable – people who initiate

Quick Start create the chaos that others have to clean up but in the

process these change makers add vision and risk to the mix 

Implementor is the instinct to demonstrate – relating to objects and

physical space – through use of three dimensional or tangible implements

or tools – some people are hands-on needing movement and space,

building solutions rather than talking about them 

True Equality

“Everyone has the same amount of instinctive power – and an equal need

to act freely according to those instincts.”

Examples

Here is my Kolbe Index A - briefly I am an 'Innovator' - in other words I will

use innovation to problem solve. Starting with my longest Striving Instinct

since that mode is the most predominant - I initiate in Quick Start (long

green) creating innovation and original ideas, seeking challenges, taking

risks and acting on intuition. 

Here is the Koble Index A for my friend Colleen - she is a 'Strategic

Planner' - who uses a strategic way of problem solving. We are unalike

and therefore highly complementary - we make a great team. Starting with

her longest Striving Instinct which is her most predominant, Colleen

initiates in Fact Finder so she will collect data, analyze, define options and

examine possibilities and in Follow Through, she follows procedures,

maintains order and she completes what she sets out to do. In Quick Start

she is a great check by providing stability to my instinct for innovation and

risk. 

Coping

Imagine the freedom and relief for the Quick Start child who has to contend

with a school system designed by Follow Throughs that works best for

students with the same profile - that Quick Start child could be considered

ADD (Attention Deficit Order) to a teacher struggling to maintain order and

a systematic approach within the classroom. Kathy once told a Quick Start

child, who wanted to be a musician, to consider the teacher to be like the

band leader who keeps everyone on the same page - this helped the child

to understand in his own terms how to create harmony with his teacher's

mode of striving. The shift can be that simple!

Famous People

Follow Throughs - Aristotle created the terminology that scientists use

today - he was the great organizer who founded and classified the various

sciences; Melvil Dewey set up the Dewey Decimal System for library

classification.

Implementors - Thomas Edison worked with physical objects in all his

experimentation.  

5% of the population will have your particular MO whereas 95% of people

won't be able to do it your way! That allows each of us to appreciate that

we have unique talents to contribute and by being free to do so, can create

joy and fulfillment all around!

Quick Tip: Taking your Kolbe Index A takes about 20 minutes by

answering approximately 40 most likely/least likely questions - the Index A

result is good for life since in most instances your Striving Instinct varies

little if at all throughout your lifetime. You can visit Kathy Kolbe’s site to

take the Index A on-line.

Please visit my site From The Titanic To The Ark – Handbook to Survive

and Thrive in Epic Times http://fromtitanictoark.blogspot.com/ - see you

there!

Excerpt from the book “From The Titanic To The Ark – Handbook to Survive and Thrive in Epic Times” by Andrea Saab. “When we recognize that we have striving instincts and are free to use them, our instincts can become our energy sources that propel us toward personal productivity, success and fulfillment!”

BiographyAndrea Saab is an author and life coach. Her upcoming new book “From The Titanic To The Ark – Handbook to Survive and Thrive in Epic Times” is a practical guide of distinctions for clearer communications, more authentic

presence, empowering relationships and putting your creative intelligence to productive use developed through her 30 years of life coaching experience with hundreds of employees, family and friends. She is also a speaker having coached and mentored thousands of folks in Canada, the United States and Africa. She also has a website providing a free library of articles as an excellent guide and introduction to her new book http://fromtitanictoark.blogspot.com/ - please visit her there!