Recently a friend sent me a link to one of those cool character analysis tests. Since I really am a sucker for these things and the quiz was short, I took it. The program is called HOTS and it turns out that the results are actually both kind of fun and very revealing.
The way this assessment works, there are four personality types: Hares, Owls, Turtles, and Squirrels. And of course you could be mostly all of one type or any combination.
Here’s how Marsha, the Winter Blues Coach described the HOTS breakdown of personality characteristics to me initially:
“In a nutshell (no pun intended), here’s the breakdown:
Hares are idea people, classic entrepreneur. They love the energy of the new idea and leap into action but have no interest or attention to follow through on details.
Owls are the strategists. They see the 20,000 foot view, the big picture. They see what’s missing and what connects.
Turtles get the work done, slow and steady, one speed. Not great on ideas but they’ll carry them out.
Squirrels are detail oriented — they love to organize things in piles. Also not great on visionary ideas, but can see the small tweaks that can make a difference.
As you can see, you need all four kinds to make a business run, but you have to give them the right tasks.“
Turns out, I score as an owl — no mixture of traits, which I’m not so sure about, but based on the answers I gave, that is the type of work from home expert HOTS says I am.
As an Owl, I am spontaneous and practical. Which is true. An owl, when presented with a new idea, moves directly into thinking of how to implement it. Also true. And an owl is able to focus on many things at once. Yep. True again.
There’s more, but you get the idea. I’m guessing that Yolanda, my ex-partner, is a Hare. Which do you think you might be? How about your partners or your work from home cohorts or the vendors you work with?
In a larger business, you would surely have people in key positions who have the right traits to get their specific jobs done. When you work from home, it’s often only you and there are only so many hats anyone can wear at once.
So how do you become a turtle and get the important work done when you are really a hare and perform best when you can burn hot and fast moving quickly from one great idea to the next?
You find the right people to fill the gaps. You put together a support team of trusted providers who will carry out your ideas. Or you join a mastermind group to serve as a sounding board and filter for your ideas. You take on a partner who has complimentary talents. You hire a Virtual Assistant to handle the details for you.
Regardless of how you do it, regardless of whether you are Hare, Owl, Turtle, Squirrel of a combination of all, to be successful in your home business harness your creative side and come up with your ideal team.
Go ahead. Take the quiz. You don’t have to give your email or name and it’s quick. Then come back and tell us all about it in the comments. Which are you and did the quiz nail you or totally miss?
