How to work from your Zone of Genius

Hi, Nikolas here.

Welcome to "The Mindful CEO”,

After 4 years of writing “A Mindful Week,” my newsletter found a new name, “The Mindful CEO.”

The new name reflects my daily quest:

I spend most of my work days in a room with makers (CEOs, founders, leaders, board members, and lunatics), helping to distill complex problems into honest, humane answers.

They invite me to remind them of the bandwidth they are capable of holding:

Leadership is doing the hard things in a human way.

This newsletter follows my quest to figure out how we can do “the hard things in a human way.

It is a gentle reminder for us to step into responsibility.

The world is filled with beautiful problems that need solving. This newsletter is my commitment to support you in solving them.

May it help you tackle them with more attention, reflection, and kindness,

Nikolas

How to work from your Zone of Genius?

Most people spend their work life doing things they hate.

Why?

They work (at best!) in their ‘Zone of Excellence.’

They spend their days doing things they are good at but don’t enjoy doing.

Here is how I help the executives I work with find their genius zone:

Context

Let me break down the four ways you’ll be spending your work day today:

1. Zone of Incompetence
   Things other people could probably do better than you.

2. Zone of Competence
   Things you do just fine, but others are equally as good at.

3. Zone of Excellence
   Things you are excellent at but don't love doing.

4. Zone of Genius

   Things you are uniquely good at in the world and love to do - you love them so much that time and space disappear.

People who spend more time working in their unique Zone of Genius feel great, do their ‘best work,’ and tend to be kinder to themselves and others.

Now… how to get there?

Method

A) Audit your calendar
Draw up a four-square (like the one below) separating all the tasks of your current day into these categories.

This gives you greater clarity and perspective.

B) Delegate

You spend too much time doing things you are good at but hate doing.
Because you are good at it - everyone pushes you to take over those tasks.

Don’t do it. Delegate those tasks.
Being good at something does not mean you need to do it.

This will often be the biggest block (for high-achievers) to having more time for their unique ‘Genius.’

C) Make space

When do you notice that you enter a zone of flow?
What are tasks that make you forget the world around you?

Ask your friends what they think your zone of genius is.
Narrow it down.

Now, make space for it:

Daily, weekly, monthly.

Set the time aside now in your calendar.

This will now be a feature of each week.

D) Take bold steps to reshuffle your life

Experiment:

• How would your life look like if you spent 60% in your zone of genius?

• What if you dedicated three months to work on what you love doing?

• How can you better invest in and amplify that ‘Genius’ that you have?

I hope you will create some of your best work today with this framework I use in my work with reflected leaders.

If it resonates, share it with someone that needs it.

I’ll see you next week,

Nikolas Konstantin

P.S. Want more…

Here are some portals into the Nikolas Konstantin Multiverse:

The Yearly Reflection Space for Leaders: The Wise Leadership Retreat

I've opened applications for my 2024 "Wise Leadership Retreat.“ It will take place 28. May - 02. June this year.

What you can expect:

1. Opening workshop on Wise Leadership to gain clarity on your values and goals.

2. Three days of silent meditation training to radically enhance creativity and skills of awareness.

3. Nourishing meals, sauna, and beautiful surrounding lake and nature.

4. Connecting with like-minded leaders facing similar challenges.

5. Closing workshop to harvest new skills and insights for lasting growth.

You could be eligible if you:

• are an inspiring founder or leader (with over 5 years experience)

• have an ongoing reflection practice (coaching, therapy)

• have a meditation practice

If you think you are eligible, apply here

Training the Theory and Art of Meditation: A Beautiful Mind Course

You asked me if I could pack the meditations and lessons of my retreat into a portable format.

Here is my clumsy attempt at distilling the feeling, models, and mental training into something that could work for the online world.

If you want to train your mind but also want to understand the theory from science and meditation traditions, this one is for you: So far, I have included The Guide to the 3 Styles of Meditation E-Book, 4 hours of theory, 10 + Meditations & Retreat Mode (create your own silent retreat with my retreat recordings). Join and let me know what to record next.

The Best of Management and Leadership: Founder Playbooks

As a founder coach, I scan the best of leadership literature, Harvard Business Review, and mindfulness so you can focus on what matters most—building a thriving organization.

Some of that theory makes it into my library, featuring the best management and leadership theory. So far, I have made those "Founder Playbooks" only accessible to my coachees. But I decided to open it for you. Join the club and tell me what I should write about next.