Are you Dreamer or a Doer?

The world is full of dreamers and doers. Dreamers are contemplating the next epiphany, having bright ideas and full of big bodacious potential. Doers are out there getting it done, all day every day. Most individuals gravitate to the doer role because actions can be measured and seen in the activities completed, the sales closed, the work-product produced, the margin achieved, the awards bestowed. Seeing progress gives them the boost to keep going and making more progress. So what does a doer do when there is nothing to do? How about, become a dreamer; easier said than done.

Dreamers, always a fascinating lot, can whip up a vision out of nothing. Their excitement is driven by the mere fact that if they can think it, it must be possible. Hours can pass with a dreamer crafting and recasting an idea. Put a few dreamers together in one room and the possibilities are limitless. They feed off each other: one idea leads to another leads to a spin on the first idea. Dizzying … to say the least, but, at the same time, amazing. And dreamers always have something to dream about – new services and products, new deals to be struck, and new lands to be explored … endless. So, do dreamers ever become doers? Sometimes.

There is also a combination of the dreamer and doer, called a leader. Leaders have a way of creating vision where none existed – just like a dreamer. Leaders bring clarity and goals to the dream – just like a dreamer. Leaders create paths to success paved with tasks to accomplish – just like a doer. Leaders use solid indicators to measure progress and create motivation to keep going – just like a doer. And guess what? Leaders are not always the person in charge – they are the field resources working with clients, day in and day out; they are the team managers juggling schedules of 20 resources and about 50 critical client requests; they are you. So how does one parley their current strength – dreamer or doer – and become a better leader?

For doers, stop doing and start dreaming. Doers can get so caught up in the tasks at hand and the next task on the list that the entire strategy around doing the task is no longer viable, making the end result less successful. So instead of becoming frustrated, stop doing and start dreaming: better deliverables; new ways to accomplish tasks; repeatable / profitable delivery with packaged widgets; new offerings.

For dreamers, stop dreaming and start doing. Dreamers can spin an idea 6 ways to Sunday and back again … over and over and over again. The dream is the vision and the vision is comprised of goals. When you have a big dream, the best way to tackle it is head on with an action plan that includes goals and detailed tasks.

So, whether you are a dreamer or a doer, you have the makings of a leader. Someone willing to take the challenge of strengthening their weakness and parley it into a big bodacious success!