Strategy | Find Your Sweet Spot

Have you found your sweet spot?

Your sweet spot is the zone where you maximize your strengths and minimize your weaknesses.

It's that elusive but powerful place that represents your optimum operating position in terms of revenues, results and, yes, satisfaction.

This applies to individuals and organizations alike.

Study the Venn diagram. It exists in a variety of forms, but we use this version to help clients to pinpoint their sweet spot. The process is simple, intuitive and self-explanatory, but let’s walk through the basics.

The three circles represent critical products, services or functions. These are the things you and/or your organization:

• Do well
• Are paid to do
• Want to do

The segments where the circles overlap pinpoint three areas of opportunity. These are areas you want to:

• Monetize
• Maximize
• Master

In other words, if there’s something you do well and want to do, you need to identify ways to exploit that opportunity to leverage your strengths. If there's something you do well and customers are willing to pay you to do it, you’ll want to maximize these ready opportunities. If there's work you’re paid to do and you want to do, consider finding ways to master whatever skills and capacity are required to make that happen.

The central space marked by the overlapping circles is your ultimate sweet spot. That’s the area where you are doing what you want to do, what you do well and what you can get paid to do. Red marks the spot.

To start defining your particular sweet spot, simply draw and label the three circles as shown, and be certain to include the inner segments and sweet spot.

Brainstorm ideas alone or with your key team. Inside or next to each circle or segment, write down all the things that apply. Deal with each circle and segment in whatever sequence works for you.

Tackle the sweet spot last. Ask yourself: What product, service, specialty or talent do I/we have that captures the essence of things I/we can monetize, maximize and master? Jot down any ideas that occur.

When you run out of ideas or steam, tack the results on a wall. Study and refine each category as new revelations occur. Keep at it, and in a short while, you'll have defined your unique sweet spot.

It's only the first step of course, but once you've found it, you'll have the confidence, clarity and precision to use your sweet spot to assess opportunities and map new directions. And who can't benefit from that?

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