Trading on ideas and discovering that I'm a Quality Architect

I've struggled for years to have deep, meaningful conversations with people where I can see their challenges from afar, but feel compelled to help. I dunno, maybe it's part of my 'pay it forward' philosophy, or it's that I genuinely enjoy it and feel I can learn more along the way.

But I don't have resources that people can tap into, so they're not interested. I don't offer opportunity, nor do I offer connections, and I rarely like to put my reputation on the line for others. What I offer is private, behind closed doors, but ever so valuable.

This is true of both personal and business relationships. The magic happens when we jump into a conversation, forget the preamble, and roll up our sleeves and dive in. That's when the other person realises what I do—even if they don't know how to put words to it.

I've been privileged to mentor a select few, won UX gigs after 'having a conversation' and been offered the ability to partner in businesses as a result of this.

But up until now, I didn't know how to describe what it is, which means I've not been able to help as many people along the way.

"Alright Martin, stop bragging"

I know, writing that feels like I'm bragging, but really it's a way for me to express the experience and problem I'm trying to solve.

The Innovators DNA

So I was reading the book The Innovators DNA by Jeff Dyer, Hal Gregersen, and Clayton M. Christensen and there was a part that jumped out.

They were talking that most people trade on resources—money, status, power, network—that type of thing. They like to engage with others using these resources. I see it so clearly in my profession. The people you know, the things you do, the opportunity you present. People treat CEOs much more differently than lower level employees. Why? Because they have so many more resources than the employee.

If you think about networking, it's a combination of holding opportunity (resource to purchase, or use your reputation) as leverage in the discussion. See anyone nearing retirement who worked like this and it's filled with stories of different people through the industry. They're flexing their network muscles. That's capital they use to trade within the conversation.

Me however. I don't engage. It's boring. And I always knew it. But when I read in The Innovators DNA that innovators trade on ideas, not resources, I had my ah-ha moment.

I've always wanted to have deep meaningful conversations about ideas. I'm sorry, I'm not as interested in your family, your pets, or what your neighbour said. That's just the way I'm wired.

Describing what I do

So trying to get past the superficial introduction when meeting new people is hard. Because I'm trying to describe what I do, not because I have resources to offer you, but I want you to open up so I can show you what I do. I've noticed most people are guarded because they just don't get it. And alas, a great opportunity passes on by.

In a recent leadership assessment through my work, I discovered that my personality aligns with being a Quality Architect. What this means in practice is that I like to spot the processes that drive success, I have pretty high standards (in a growth mindset type of way), and I understand risk mitigation and have a very methodical and practical approach.

So when I have a conversation with someone, I'm laying a foundation to understand what they mean. I'll ask probing questions when there's gaps in this foundation. I'll help bridge those gaps and I'll spot insights that are often missed.

In some respects, I like to spot the unspottable, see things from both the ground level and the 50,000 ft level in an instant. I like to stress test ideas so we understand the mechanics. All this is with goal alignment to figure out how to make it happen. It's pure idea exploration through the lens of a systems builder.

What disappoints me most

Honestly, the most disappointing part of having a talent that I just want to share is that I struggle to pitch it. There have been many online acquaintances who have passed over my offer to help—by help, I mean just have a chat to see if they like what I have to say. I even offered my help to Ali Abdaal's team surrounding an app they were working on while at one of the Part Time YouTuber Academy (PTYA) meet-ups. (See what I did there, I tried slipping in some reputational capital into this story)

But what is exciting...

Having finally connected the dots that I trade on ideas, not resources, and discovering that my ideas are firmly rooted in systems building with a strong emphasis on working towards a goal, I now know what I do.

The next step is to figure out how to communicate this clearly, so others get it, and cut through the confusion and get down to the most exciting part, figuring out the impossible challenge and making the world a better and more enjoyable place.

If you've liked what you read here, then drop me an email to martin.adams@meda.io and mention this post. Bonus points if you include a brief description of what challenge is capturing your attention right now, and let's see where the conversation takes us.