When I worked in corporate America, I facilitated workshops to help leverage engagement with teams. We talked about identifying personal strengths and building partnerships to achieve team goals. To really work effectively and live intentionally, we need partnerships. Creatively, we each possess talents and gifts to offer to the people in our circle. When we come together, we can create powerful partnerships, or what I like to call the Creative Circle. To truly leverage your desired outcomes, identify each person’s role in your life and write it down on a piece of paper. Now let’s bucket each person’s effectiveness.
Do you have people in your circle that love to help with daily tasks, run errands on your behalf, or pitch in if needed? These people are you considered your Operational Partners. Operational Partners are people that love to collaborate with you to get things done.
Do you know anyone in your circle that are great at organizing ideas and can make things happen efficiently? These people are your Strategic Partners. According to Gallup, Strategic Partners enables you to sort through the clutter and find the best route for your plan.
Are there people in your circle that have the coolest or the most creative ideas? They can think of ideas that you would have never thought of on your own. These are Thought Partners. Forbes Definition of a Thought Partner is someone who challenges your thinking and causes you to modify or change your paradigms, assumptions or actions.
Now that you have the blue print to effective partnerships, review your goals and action items. Identify which partner is the best fit for the task to make your goals become a work of art. Enjoy your creative circle!