Meet The Dabbler, The Hacker, and The Obsessive.

I'm sure you have a few books on your bookshelf that have had a significant impact on you. The pages are dog-eared, the margins are filled with notes, and you find yourself referring back to them when you need a new perspective. One of those books for me is "Mastery" by George Leonard. A mentor of mine gave it to me while I worked in training and development at a Fortune 500 company before starting my studio. I can say that this book is a staple for anyone who wants to find personal growth while working towards mastery of any craft.

In this book, Leonard draws from his experience as a martial arts expert and his work as a coach and educator to offer a unique perspective on the process of mastering a skill. I thought it would be interesting to relate this to the different approaches to entrepreneurship and offer a few tools to help you overcome obstacles along the way.

So, let's get into it.

Meet the Dabbler:

The Dabbler in entrepreneurship starts off with enormous enthusiasm and loves the "shine of newness." They love the rituals involved with getting started, buying all the supplies, setting up the new office - but happily jump ship at the first sign of defeat. They may have a lot of ideas but find it hard to follow through or may have many projects that are only partially done. They jump from one idea to another without ever mastering any one of them.

TIPS FOR THE DABBLER:

Set specific (S.M.A.R.T.) goals for yourself, create a consistent practice to achieve it, and work through your first hiccup instead of changing course.

The Hacker:

The Hacker in entrepreneurship works hard but loves to find any and all shortcuts instead of putting in the necessary time and effort. They do just enough to get by and hesitate to reach out for help. This can look like a backlog of online courses they purchased but haven't completed. It can also take the form of someone who "can do it all," but this approach is unlikely to lead to true mastery and may even hinder progress in the long run. This is generally due to a lack of core purpose or north star.

TIPS FOR THE HACKER:

Once your goal is in place, craft a detailed plan to achieve it while giving you time to improve your skills and collecting regular feedback or accountability.

The Obsessive:

The Obsessive is characterized by being consumed by the desire to achieve mastery in their chosen field. Results (or the bottom line) are what count, and they want them as fast as possible. Second-best is not an option, and moderation is unacceptable. The unsustainability of this is probably the reason why hustle culture is finally losing momentum. While this intense focus can lead to rapid progress, it is also a direct road to burnout and a lack of balance in other areas of life. Everyone has a friend who doesn't have a personal life or can't make time for friends because of their business.

TIPS FOR THE OBSESSIVE:

Remember that there will always be another goal to hit once you’ve achieved this one and that success is so much more fulfilling when you have someone to share it with - don’t find success at the cost of everything else. The work will always be there.

How to apply these concepts

Just like any archetype model, you may see a bit of yourself in all three, and it's very likely that you will bounce between them in different aspects of your life. I know I resonate with the "Dabbler" when it comes to having a lot of ideas half-baked, while I am definitely more of the "Hacker" with new design software. Instead of identifying with only one type, I think the best way to apply this is to ask yourself:

WHAT IS MY SKILL TO MASTER?

In your role or the future role you are working to create for yourself - Is it more important to become a master of marketing and color theory or could your time be better spent perfecting your craft and getting to know your customers? Maybe not everything we take on as entrepreneurs needs our 100% best effort. What areas can you afford to reserve your resources now (and eventually hire the people who are the masters of this) so you can focus on what is most important to your own journey?

FURTHER READING