Jack of All Trades, Knows Jack Shit

I have two business partners. One is brilliant at opening doors I didn’t even know existed. The other is obsessed with making sure nothing explodes once you walk through them. Me? I mostly wander around thinking I’m connecting the dots while tripping over my own dumb ideas. Alone, I would be a strategy-addled disaster. Together, we actually get shit done.

Left to my own devices, I live in strategy, ideas, and connecting people. I see patterns. I know where things should go. What I do not naturally do is chase every opportunity or obsess over execution details. That is not a quirk or a design choice. It’s a flaw, and pretending otherwise is how teams implode.

Years ago, while in EO, I picked up a little nugget that finally gave language to why some teams work, and others quietly self-destruct. It’s not a personality test. It’s not a silver bullet. It’s just a way to figure out how people show up when the work actually starts.

Most people lean toward one of three roles: Finders, Minders, or Grinders*

(No, I’m not talking about the app).

Finders go out and get shit. They sell, network, persuade, and generate momentum. They are comfortable talking before anything is figured out and somehow get energized by possibilties. They will sell the vision before the roadmap exists and feel great about it. They are relentless, optimistic, and kinda exhausting (but, like, in a good way).

Grinders make it real. They do the deep work. They care about quality, accuracy, and durability. They notice what’s broken, what could come back to haunt you, and everything everyone else conveniently ignored. They think in systems. They are the reason things actually work and don’t just look good in a slide deck. They will glare at you if priorities change midstream. And, they should.

Minders sit in the middle. That’s me. We see the big picture, connect the dots, and try to keep the chaos from spinning completely out of control. We are where ideas are born. Conversation becomes collaboration*— I secretly hate this word, but love the practice. We translate the Finder’s enthusiasm and the Grinder’s skepticism into something coherent. We lead, we mediate, we overthink, and occasionally panic silently while smiling at the client.

None of these roles is better than the others, no matter how much each one wants to believe otherwise. Each needs the other two to actually work. Problems arise when you expect a Grinder to move faster, a Finder to be realistic, or a Minder to stop overthinking and somehow do both jobs at once. Alone, each of us is flawed. Together, we’re functional.

I am a better leader because I am surrounded by people who do not think like me. Without them, I’d be thoughtful, well-intentioned, and completely useless.

If you are trying to be a jack of all trades, this probably feels familiar.

The goal is not to do everything. The goal is to build something complete.

And if you are exhausted, congratulations. That is not a personal failure. It is a structural one.

Michael is the Creative Director and co-founder of FoxFuel Creative. He loves British music, vintage German cars, and American history, and his sarcasm knows no bounds. #DreamBig