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Do You Have the Core Competencies to Be a Santa or an Elf?

PEOPLE WHO ARE SUCCESSFUL and happy professionally usually are because they are good at what they are doing. Most people have a few skills and strengths that stand out above all others in a professional environment. The problem is that when you are an entrepreneur, you really need to wear a lot of hats, and this requires you to excel at each skill that each hat represents.

This is a major reason why many people aren’t suited to be entrepreneurs from the get-go. They need to have a well-rounded skill set to be able to manage a business. They also need to be strategic visionaries for their organizations.

Making Christmas Happen Takes One Santa Claus . . . and a Whole Lot of Elves

To make a business successful, just like Christmas, it takes one Santa Claus and a lot of elves. Santa has the vision and keeps the big picture in mind, and the elves assist with the execution. The elves don’t do anything without Santa’s direction. And if the presents don’t get delivered on Christmas, the elves don’t get blamed, Santa does.

If you look at most hierarchies, they are shaped like a pyramid with a few people at the top setting the vision and strategy and lots of people underneath making that strategy a reality. This structure is seen in all kinds of groups. On the reservation, there are few chiefs yet lots of Indians, and on the sports field there are few coaches and lots of players (and for professional sports, just one principal owner). The structure works because it is hard for groups of people to make effective decisions; have you ever heard the phrase “too many cooks spoil the broth”? This structure also works in terms of core competencies, because most people aren’t visionary strategists, they are “doers.” In the Santa context, that means most people are elves.

In keeping focused on core competencies, if you are a doer, then you should do a doer’s work. There is no shame in being a doer. In fact, not much progress would be made in this world if there weren’t doers. The doers get things done! They lay the bricks that build the buildings, they prepare the food that customers enjoy, and they teach the children that are the world’s future. The doers may not get to fully participate in the upside of any endeavor; however, the doer’s life is typically a lot less stressful because doers wait to be told what to do (and don’t have a big risk if the doing doesn’t get done!).

Are You Santa or an Elf?

I had one particular friend that desperately wanted to start her own business a few years ago. I was baffled when she told me this because in her previous jobs she had always complained when there was a lack of direction. When she was told what to do, this woman was a superstar. She was unstoppable. She could do anything and do it well. However, if you didn’t tell her what to do, then she did virtually nothing. She didn’t have the innate drive to “pick up the ball and run with it” unless someone specifically told her to do so.

Fortunately, after a few conversations covering this issue, she acknowledged that she did better work when she had specific guidance and decided against the entrepreneurial route (and is now in a fantastic job where she has been promoted twice).

Basically, you can’t run a business when you are waiting for directions. There is no goddess of entrepreneurism that will appear in a vision or pop out of the cash register and give you guidance and suggested next steps. Not only is it up to you as an entrepreneur to set the direction, strategy and work process for yourself, but you need to do that for every person in your organization. If you are a doer, not only will this task be daunting, it will be nearly impossible.

Core competencies are all about maximizing what you are best at—your innate skills and the areas in which you shine. If you are going to leave your comfort zone and try something new that is not aligned with your competencies, you may not want to test it out by starting a new business, where you have thousands of your own dollars on the line.

EXERCISE 11

TARGET FOCUS—PERSONALITY:

Assessing Your Strengths in Terms of Role

Write down the answers to the following questions:

1. When you interact in groups, what role do you typically play (and like to play)? The leader? The heavy lifter? The free rider?
2. Have you managed groups of people before now? If yes, what did you like and dislike about the managerial role?
3. How would you feel about managing employees, customers, and/or the direction of an organization?
4. Do you like to take on responsibility? Why or why not?
5. Do you like to take the ball and run with it or prefer to wait to be given specific instructions to follow?
6. Do you like to look at the big picture or focus on details?

If you aren’t sure about any of the above, ask some friends or colleagues to give you some feedback (make sure these people are “spinach in your teeth” people and not smoke-blowers).

Review your answers and write down next to each whether that preference or strength is more consistent with being a “Santa” or an “elf.” If you are trending more toward elfdom, you will want to avoid running a business, which puts you squarely in the Santa position. Instead, consider taking your entrepreneurial spirit and put it toward your work in someone else’s organization.