Insight Exercise
Are you a Finder, a Minder or a Grinder?
Explore your own working style with this simple unscientific questionnaire. Which one of the responses most closely captures your natural inclination in each situation?
1 When faced with a roomful of people …
a) I enjoy working the room and getting to know new people.
b) I will make sure I say hi to all the folks I already know.
c) I prefer it if other people come to me.
2. When I start work each day I prefer to …
a) set some broad goals then see what the day brings in.
b) make a clear to-do list and feel I have completed it by the end of the day.
c) get myself into a zone where I can create.
3. When it comes to ideas …
a) I am not precious about my ideas and just like to see good things happen.
b) I want to capture the ideas of the people around me and make sure they do not get lost.
c) It is great when my ideas are recognised and selected.
4. Money …
a) matters to me. it is one of the key ways i measure success.
b) is something that i enjoy controlling and using wisely.
c) is handy to have but its main purpose is to make good stuff possible.
5. Meetings …
a) are tedious unless they open up new opportunities.
b) can be really important to make sure everyone is on the same track.
c) generally waste my working day and stop me getting on with doing stuff.
6. Plans …
a) are a helpful guide if they are not restrictive and leave us free to seize opportunities.
b) help everyone understand what they are trying to achieve and measure progress.
c) are OK in theory but as reality never turns out the way you expect, it is better to go with the flow.
7. I feel great when …
a) I close a deal and persuade someone who never seems to spend money to open their wallet.
b) work ends in a neat and tidy way with everyone feeling they have made a contribution.
c) I help us get out of a difficult situation by thinking of something new and surprising.
8. The biggest contribution I make at work is …
a) exploring opportunities and bringing the stuff that we need to succeed together.
b) making sure we deliver what we promised.
c) doing work that is excellent and recognised as so by our peers and competitors.
9. Being given targets at work makes me feel …
a) motivated to go and achieve.
b) confident that we have set a clear goal.
c) under pressure to deliver something that often cannot be measured in numbers.
10. Faced with a blank sheet of paper and a two-hour train journey I …
a) make it into a paper aeroplane and entertain the kids sitting opposite me with it.
b) write a list.
c) start doodling words or pictures.
If you chose mostly (a), you are a natural finder. Mostly (b) and you are a natural minder. Mostly (c) and you prefer to work as a grinder.
