I have a confession to make - I struggle with Mindmaps!  Some of my associates will look back and remember the time when they tried to get me involved in a group Mindmap.  I really did try but I’m practical and detailed and I really struggled to allow my thoughts to run free and be articulated without comment.  My instinct was to make a To Do list, to analyse each option before writing it down as it felt wasteful to list irrelevant or impractical ideas.  I recognise how they help some people and even myself in a rare situation but it really brought it home to me that different people have different styles and we really need to accommodate or understand them in all aspects of business.

I have a very definite style, it comes across in everything I do: the way I do business and the way I take in information.  It doesn’t always match other peoples ideas and it definitely colours how I view the world.  I’ve learnt over the years that there are other ways of doing things (not always easy when you like to be in control!), that my staff might not have managed the project the way I would but the event was still a great success.

I now go out of my way to fill my teams with people with complementary skills, people who challenge my assumptions and look at the world in a different way. It’s not always comfortable but I’m sure it makes for a much better team.This style difference and it’s importance in the way we work was brought home to me last month when I reviewed a website for a friend - it was a great site full of some really interesting ideas but he is the classic creative (or Belbin Plant).  He’s so full of ideas and enthusiasm that his thought processes can seem chaotic to someone who likes order as much as me.  He’s not disorganised at all it’s just that he has a different style.  So should he amend his site so that people like me are not alienated by the style or am I not the right audience for his site and so it is just perfect for the clients and prospects he’s talking to?

I would always say that you need to clear about your audience and fine tune your work for that group.  However, be aware that if you have an extreme style that you may be seen as inappropriate to an audience who really could benefit from your services if only they could understand and recognise the value your offerings.  Small business owners, tend to be opinionated and so close to their brand that they can’t see beyond their immediate outpouring.  A little reflection and outside comment is a good thing so maybe we should all search out a variety of friends, colleagues and clients and ask them how they view our offering.  The big challenge is then taking their advice and objectively using it to the better of your brand.