A few years ago I attended a training course which was designed to help participants understand how they think and behave to help them make better decisions both individually and as part of a team. In this training I completed an Emergenetics Profile which helps you understand the way you think. There are 4 Distinct Categories which are Analytical, Structural, Social and Conceptual which are fairly self explanatory. The training was really insightful and helped me better understand the way I tend to approach situations and also better understand how others approach situations as well.
When I took the test my profile was heavily weighted to ‘Conceptual’ thinking which has thinking attributes and traits such as Imaginative, Learns by experimenting, Enjoys the creative process, etc…. Looking at my work I can see this reflected in the projects and work that I do. While it is great to have a conceptual approach to creating solutions that has to be counter balanced with activity from the other categories – any plan needs elements of the other traits involved as well to be successful. What good is having a big plan if you do not take care of the basics or learn how to translate your big ideas into bite size action items. Everyone has an idea, the hard part is taking those ideas and turning them into reality.
Our campus team has implemented a number of changes over the years to improve the services we provide which has been a great challenge and very rewarding for all of us. Looking back at my blog post from 2 weeks ago, helped me realize that for all the articles out there talking about being innovative, driving change, etc…. we must also stay level headed and make sure that we focus on the building blocks and basics of our work as well.
All the good ideas in the world will not be of much use if you cannot execute or maintain them. The challenge is in translating what is in your head to the real world and taking care of all the things involved in your work including the tasks that may not necessarily be fun. Once you have your big idea and you get the building blocks right then you have a much better chance of success then just going head first with an idea and a prayer.
This post originally appeared in David Talamelli's Blog