Are you an Inspirer or an Implementer?

I have a friend who is a font of ingenious ideas, none of which will ever see the light of day. He’s a wonderful guy and inspires a lot of people, but the truth is, he’s more talk than action.  On the other hand, another one of my buddies rarely takes a moment for reflection. Instead, she’s a whirling dervish of constant motion.

My two friends represent opposite ends of the Inspirer-to-Implementer continuum, from all contemplation to all action. Neither approach is right or wrong, but it’s important to recognize where you fall within the spectrum so you can play to your strength while you’re shoring up your weaker side.

You know the Inspirers of the world. They’re the ones who’ve developed a heightened sense of vision. They’re good at trusting their gut and coming up with inspiring and creative ideas, but they often fail to act on their intuition.

Implementers are just the opposite. They are constantly on the go, but often neglect to take internal inventory of what’s really important to them, so they end up fulfilling other people’s agendas without stopping to figure out their own.

When you link inspiration with implementation, you have the vision to know where you want to go and the action plan to get you there. And you can round out your natural inclination with others who bring the opposite skill-set and temperament to the party. To help you understand where you fall within the range of Inspirer to Implementer, take the following quiz.

Inspirer or Implementer Quiz

Rate yourself on a 1-10 scale, 1 being strongly agree and 10 being strongly disagree:

1. When I run into a problem at work or home, I would rather think it through than take action to solve it.
2. When contemplating a big change in my life, I consult others for advice before making a move.
3. It’s not necessary for people to warn me to look before I leap.
4. When I find myself in personal or professional situations that make me miserable, I usually understand how I got there.
5. I sometimes feel that I am being directed by some form of inner guidance or unseen wisdom.
6. I would rather rely on gut instinct than market research.
7. The idea of a silent retreat, during which I don’t talk, watch television, or listen to the radio for several days, appeals to me.
8. I generally trust my own judgment more than other people’s.
9. I avoid acting impulsively or making snap decisions.
10. No decision is better than the wrong decision to me.

Now let’s see where you are on the continuum of inspiring to implementing so you can begin to link up these two powerful forces accordingly.

Scoring:  Add your scores on the 1-10 scale and see how you rate as follows:

10 – 33  Inspiring Dreamer

You are in touch with your internal voice and can often inspire other people to think big. You are able to trust your intuition, but may not always take swift or appropriate action when you encounter obstacles. Hire an Implementer or get into gear.

34 – 67  Visionary in Action

You are usually able to find the fulcrum between internal vision and external action. You are generally intuitive and self-aware, often taking your own, as well as others’, viewpoints into account before acting. Once you’ve given thoughtful consideration to a problem or obstacle, you do not hesitate to act. Bravo!

68 – 100  24/7 Implementer

You are the person everyone is referring to when they say, “If you want something done, ask a busy person.” You tend to stay in constant motion, sometimes to the point of collapse. But you are often disappointed that you don’t always reap the rewards you expect, because you have ignored the vital internal homework to determine a specific outcome and, instead, are merely taking action because you dread standing still.

Now combine those inspiring dreams with doable action and you’ll be on your way!

And to help you accelerate your path, join me for my webinar My Secrets to Career Acceleration on May 3rd at 5:30 pm PT / 8:30 pm ET!