Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger — Maximiser
Whenever I saw something good, I would always become fixated on it. Not because I was content with what I saw but because I was infatuated with the opportunity for excellence. But it was more than an infatuation, it was a deeply rooted motivation, it was the Theme of behaviour Gallup identifies as Maximizer.
Where it came from? I have no idea. But it was definitely part of my nature, and the more I could acknowledge it, the more fixated I would become, to the point where I had to do something. In any given situation I tend to always spot the opportunities to make a go of something. I remember being a student and maximising on that very fact to convince people to get on board with something. Whether it was through a funding application or in a one on one with a role model. It seemed like people gave you more permission to screw up because you’re still learning or something, and everyone wanted to ‘help a promising student out’. It was a gold mine of potential and opportunity.
I guess in some ways that sounds pretty self-serving and it’s only one example of how I saw this theme come out. In 2010–2012 I was studying music, and I was lucky enough to do this at one of the best music schools in New Zealand. The amount of talent that surrounded the school was immense. In fact NZ, as a nation, is a place of significant talent when it comes to musical ability and originality. My maximiser manifested how I saw the industry shortly after the Christchurch, Earthquakes of 2010 and 2011. I started Chambers Sessions and was purely motivated by my Maximizer theme.
Christchurch was missing out on a whole lot of talent that was touring post quake because of lost buildings and venues. The gigs that did happen were in noisy bars on the fringes of town. From my point of view, I saw the talent, I heard the amazing music, but the experience of listening live was totally killing it for me. If something isn’t ‘maximised’ I consider it almost obsolete. Why would you even bother with something that isn’t the best? Chambers Session was the maximisation of this touring talent. It was meant to compliment the music I know people wanted to hear. For sure, sometimes music demands the context of a rowdy bar, and we need those spaces. But the music I was seeing needed a different environment. One that would compliment the subtleties of dynamics in each song. It also gave the artist another option when thinking about tour dates and venues.
It gradually picked up momentum and ran for over 3 years hosting some of my favourite artists who are also now building amazing careers. Marlon Williams, Aldous Harding, Nadia Reid, Chelsea Jade, Anthonie Tonnon, Ben Tolich, I could go on.
Earlier I mentioned the word ‘gold mine’ and maybe it’s not the best term. One thing that Maximizer is synonymous with, are people in business. Entrepreneurs capitalising on market opportunities. Even though part of me is drawn to this, I don’t fundamentally identify with this sentiment as much as other ‘Maximizers’ may. I think this is partly due to my other Dominant Themes (Connectedness, Includer, Relator, Developer etc). I tend to be drawn to things that have a social benefit instead of a financial one. This is why I started Chambers Sessions, why I joined WikiHouse, and also why I became a StrengthsFinder coach.
Taking a further step back, I don’t see how profit is a maximisation of society as a whole, when it’s distributed amongst very few individuals. This to often ends in inequality, poverty, class divide, fraud, greed, basically all the shit stuff that exists.
So that’s a little bit about how I see Maximizer in my own life. Do you relate to some of these behaviours and feelings? Maybe you have it too.
