This past year part of my journey both professionally and personally has been to take a closer look at my strengths, weaknesses and personality. Diving in and examining how that affects me and the people I work with – both as a team leader and when working with a client.

It has felt like working on a big puzzle at times, getting stuck on the outer edge, not sure how to fill in the center. But now the center pieces are starting to fall into place and understanding my personality better has had a huge impact on this process.

I have read a ton of books on these subjects, I’m a sucker for those personality tests, I’m curious to see what results will be. This year has been different, the personality tests have started to make sense. Light bulb moments of why I enjoy certain things and others I don’t, why this job/task/project has been so much fun and why this one really drove me nuts.

My business is starting to change as a result of this understanding. I am taking a closer look at they type of work I do, services I provide and the people I work with. Now I can put a finger on why some things worked and some really did not.

When doing a consult with a client, I am now learning to listen better and ask questions about work styles, work preferences, communication needs etc. Interestingly, this journey has shown me that some of my strengths, or at least what I have thought of as strengths, are tasks, jobs etc. that I have grown into – not because they are things I like to do but because I have been around long enough to know the “big picture” and this is the “next logical step”. This happened quite a bit in the corporate world and I have seen it in my journey with clients as well.

Here are some of the things I have come to understand better about me this year:

• I’m a troubleshooter & a fixer – give me a problem to figure out and I will dive in and see how to make it work. This is one reasons I love working with WordPress, creating videos or editing an audio – I see what needs to be done now, I know how to do it but now it is time to jump in figure out how to make the pieces fit.
• I’m an emailer – Even as a kid I was not one to talk on the phone, did not enjoy it at all. Nowadays, if it can be typed, drawn and faxed/emailed, woohoo, I’m your gal. Of course the phone is not out of the question but I do avoid it if at all possible. But I am much more comfortable with the written word then I am the verbal. It will also depend on the client or team member I am talking to. There are some that a regular call is no problem, the call will be fun, energizing, creative etc. it is a connection point with others – especially when really technical explanations are needed, just give me my keyboard!
• I’m not a manager/minder – I enjoy collaborating with professionals but have come to realize that I am not a manager anymore. I’ve done the whole hiring, training, firing thing before, for many years in fact and it is not something I am looking to go back to. The team I will be building over the next year will be professionals I can collaborate with and not have to manage.
• I’m a collaborator – There is something magical about sharing creative energy, sharing ideas, brainstorming and then working with someone to make it happen. Working with a group of people, all of whom are working from their strengths to bring that vision to life. That is so energizing. This is a new focus for me in 2011, finding ways to collaborate with others whose services, skills, personality etc. compliment mine and create something really cool and meaningful.

What about you?

Do you know and understand your personality enough to know what type of VA you can work with? Enough to know what kind of VA you need? Did you catch the difference in those 2 questions? We’ll talk about the first question here.

What type of person can you work with:

• Are you a phone person or an emailer?
• Communication – Do you need lots of details or are you more of a “just the facts ma’am” type of person?
• Are you serious? Funny? Sarcastic?
• What speed do you operate? Full speed ahead all the time, fits and starts, slow and methodical?

These are all things you should be aware of and be able to talk with a potential VA (or your current one…) to find the best fit for you. Once you know and understand your needs, you can ask questions during a consultation about how they prefer to work and who they like to work with. The answers to these questions can give you confidence in your decision or it might show you some potential red flags before you get in too deep.

This may seem like a lot of work but it is such an important step that it warrants some time and attention. Make sure you are noticing your work habits, work hours and communication preferences. What bugs you when talking with or emailing others, what makes you say, wow, that was a great email, I know exactly what they are talking about. Or I really need to be on the phone for this one to help us both understand what I need. Are you visual in your learning? Audio?

All of these are important in your journey as a business owner. The team you bring on will either help move you forward or hold you back. Make sure you are building a team that will help move you and your business forward.

What other personality traits do you think are important when working with a virtual assistant?