Many of the founders I coach come from product or engineering backgrounds. I found that product/dev analogies work really well when it comes to working to their personal growth and goals.
The question that works best of all, and gets them to identify their gaps and pinpoint where they want to grow was:
Imagine you are a product. We are preparing a press release for your next version a year from now… What new capabilities would you announce? What new value will you deliver?
I think it works because we as individuals, just like the products we’re building, are looking for our FIT.
Personally I’m about to release version “Avi 4.9” come July and my 49th birthday 🙂 It is a complete “redesign” because last year I “pivoted” and found a new “Person Market Fit”… But I’m already defining my vision and goals for “Avi version 5.0”… I’m asking myself:
- What new value do I want to deliver by my next birthday?
- What new capabilities would I need to develop?
Why are we programmed to find our fit?
We, humans, are born completely helpless. We are dependent on our group to survive. It takes years for us to be productive and through all this time our group keeps investing in us expecting us to develop the skills (features) that would enable us to give back (value) to the group (ROI).
To survive we need to FIT in the group, to find our place. And the process of finding our fit is pretty much identical to a company’s quest for its Product Market Fit (PMF).
To survive regardless if you are a startup or a person, you must ask ourselves:
What am I uniquely great at, that people need, and are willing to pay/exchange for?
2 out of 3 isn’t enough
2 out of 3 will not do. You, or your company, will simply not survive without your fit.
I learned that the hard way as an entrepreneur… EverythingMe for example was a great product. Millions of people used it and loved it but no one paid for it. So the company died… 2 out of 3 will not do!
Drop any of the three components of fit and you will not survive:
#1 No economic engine: You have a unique talent + people need it… But people are NOT willing to pay for it… You will not survive 🙁
#2 No USP: People need it + People are willing to pay for it… but you have no unique talent (Unique selling proposition)… Your place will never be secured and you’ll end up being replaced by a cheaper option 🙁
#3 No Market: You have a unique talent + people are willing to pay for… But there are not enough people who really need it… You will not survive because there is no market for your talent 🙁
The 4th component of fit: Passion is the true secret to finding your fit
If you look at different people and cultures that tried to capture the notion of FIT you will notice that there is always a 4th component of passion/love.
The reason is that there is a catch in achieving fit… It takes endless dedication to fail again and again until you find your unique talent, master it, and figure out how to use it to create something people need and are willing to pay for…
It is so hard that more than 90% will fail… And so you need fuel to push on. You need passion to drive you as you discover, improve and master your talent.
You need the passion to push on when others tell you you are wrong.
You need passion to keep on when there are downfalls that have nothing to do with you.
So finding your fit starts with the answer to: What am I passionate about? what do I value most in this world?
What’s your next version
So what is your vision for YOU a year from now? What new value do YOU want to deliver? What new capabilities would you need to develop to achieve that?
