Want to attract like-minded clientele? Audit yourself first.

Believe it or not, the bottle nosed dolphin (pictured here) is one of the most self-aware mammals on the planet.

Here are a few things you probably didn’t know about me.

1. I’m not driven by achievement.
   I just don’t get excited when a milestone is reached. I’m too busy thinking about the process and what’s next.
2. I’m a conflict seeker.
   I seek argument to understand and be understood, and I’m always open to changing my viewpoint. I equally enjoy challenging the status quo and being an agent of change. Very rarely, I go all out and seek to utterly destroy someone else’s pathetic, ranting nonsense. Respectfully of course. 😄
3. I’m extremely disciplined.
   While I don’t care about achieving much, I’m militant about getting as much of my to-do list done, or sticking with something I’ve started doing to the end.
4. I’m highly communicative and love to relate to people.
   Part of why I was drawn to user research was the opportunity to experience what others see that was different from mine.

All of this adds up to how I engage others and what I love to do for a living. It also speaks to how I position myself in the markets I’m trying to serve. In short:

• I’m highly analytical and love to arrange things. Process, people, projects, systems… it’s all equally engaging.
• I’m really, really good at process and formulating ways of getting from A to B, C, D and E.
• I’m a connector of human beings and intent. I’m after outcomes and understanding above all else. My client relationships begin and end with human engagement.
• I’m someone who deals well with ***holes, troublemakers, hecklers, egomaniacs and drama llamas. None of it bothers or scares me.

Thus, if I’m upfront with who I am as a person without a ton of self-judgement, I’m usually attracting clients I can connect with on a human level before I even start discussing the work that needs to be done.

And while you won’t be casting a wide net to find every available client you can catch for your company, you will find the right ones that work for you.

When you have a moment, please reply and tell me:
How self-aware are you, and how does that translate into the work you do?

Looking forward to hearing from you!