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Peter Bregman on how a key to success is tied to doing a very narrow range of things very well
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We're -- to be joined by Peter Bregman -- is a foxbusiness.com contributor and thank you for joining us and which among the sweet spot clearly it's not in the stock market today flat out maybe you can help people of their individual.
Situation a little bit here and -- you've got an article up now called defend.
Your sweet spot and we should first first of all Peter start with defining what has -- spot what is it how do you know so where's it.
You know a lot of times we know what our sweet spot is because it feels good you're doing work it.
Feels right you're really good that it people give you good feedback about it in your passionate about it and and you have some way in which are unique in the way that you do it I talk about the sweet spot being specifically the intersection.
-- your strengths your weaknesses.
Your passions and your differences.
And we often spend a lot of our time outside that spot we we don't want to appear arrogant so we sort of minimize our strengths.
We were embarrassed about our weaknesses so we try to develop them developing your weaknesses.
Actually if you look at the research is a terrible idea we can't actually you're submitting your your wheels here and a lot of -- -- it up actually in the wrong job because they are.
Maybe not.
Playing up to districts enough yeah you know we we even you get a performance review and the whole -- -- -- column we -- -- sort of a development area and area to develop and we spend our time trying to get better.
And put ourselves in situations.
Where we'll focus on getting better and our weaknesses.
And and I you know and it when -- do public speaking -- of a group of a thousand people nothing you know how many do performance reviews and everybody raises their hand how many do you have something in your areas for development everybody raises their hand.
-- ask how many -- you.
Over the past five to ten years have had that same thing.
In your areas for development and everybody raises their hand right I mean you may or may not have had that experience but I know the things that I developed.
Things that are I'm sort of weekend I don't particularly get better at.
The focus should be on your strength and on doing things.
That allow you to express and focus on the things that your strongest and that's what you're gonna end up that's what's gonna drive your own success and success of your has any talk -- focus here you know -- things you say you know -- on the way as.
Getting distracted and is a distraction trying to work on a weakness is set of developing the street absolutely we -- have a distraction quiz on my website right which that we've had 22000 people.
More than 20000 people take at this point and it's all sorts of distract his ten questions as -- -- -- target after work right to take it afterward that's exactly right to distract himself maybe.
But but 73%.
Of the people who respond to that responded that they spend most of their time outside of their sweet spot.
So it's if you're spending a lot of your time working in a way where you're not -- your best that's a distraction that's a big distraction right it's more than.
And that's it that's -- you're distracting yourself your life.
And this is sort of what -- you say is protecting your time and making I guess.
Maybe not a -- and improving their efficiency but certainly make sure -- working.
In the right way yeah he's smarter that's actually right I think that we each need to really protect our time and do the work that puts us squarely in that space you know.
We we being different it's critically important we try to minimize -- differences because that we serve want to fit in.
And yet all that does is increase your pool of competition right now if you want to look like everybody else that -- you have a lot more competitors right and so.
Vote them the most important thing is to do work that you uniquely are great -- And if you can do that.
Right then you'll be making the best most effective use of your time so how do you.
Managed to do this -- mean you've been hired to do when thing you're you're saying define what it is you're doing.
Find your streets within that position or may be needed well into from the -- you said actually the beginning you've been hired to do one thing.
You really don't wanna get hired to do the wrong thing right the thing that doesn't produce right now that's enough and hard this economy -- absolutely right and -- hard economy where everybody.
You know who doesn't it was not higher just wants to get hired no matter what.
That's hard to sort of say I'm gonna really work on the thing that I do best.
But the reality is you'll have a much easier time getting hired for your sweet spot.
Then you will if you try to pretend that you're good at something that you're not.
Which will eventually sooner rather than later probably backfire -- Peter and what about for the folks out there who are boss you're not -- you're running your own company here.
How do you ensure that your EA some sort of akin to baseball manager at different people in the right position you don't want to have the -- -- playing shortstop very tricky and it's tricky because.
Especially when the first of all you don't only have your people to worry about your view to worry about.
Right most of my work is with CEOs and their leadership teams.
And and that's that when I'm working with a CEO there's a myth that a CEO has to be good and everything because there running the whole company.
But it's not true you know that you -- you became the CEO probably because you're really great at something specific maybe it's trend spotting maybe -- Really understanding and being able to translate division whatever that is if you distract yourself from that.
You're hurting yourself and -- -- -- to the first thing is as the C hours the boss you actually really have to make protect your own time.
Right then the second thing is you really -- match the right people to the right jobs.
I believe that the most important job of any manager whether -- CEO -- supervisor whatever the most important job isn't to.
Rally people and you know give them a great pep talk and make sure they have fire under their seats.
In the most important job is to make sure that you have a great match.
Between who this person is and what they're spending their time on and if you get that right.
Everything else takes care itself.
Well and if you need more this Peter Bregman rigging go to your website you've got in article up right now.
I think we've got the address we're showing -- right now on the screen -- Peter Bregman foxbusiness.com.
Contributor.
They so much for joining us here and trying to help us find the sweet spot and.
