What sort of Person / Business Person are You?

I was out having my morning walk through the country when a farmer started feeding his sheep. Watching them was very interesting indeed and it got me thinking 'Are people very much like Sheep, or are Sheep very much like people?'

You see the way each sheep fed, or tried to feed seemed very much just like how people act in life. Watching them I saw four distinct types, each one with it's good and bad points (this depending on your views on life).

The first type were there waiting for the farmer to put the food in the troughs. They were the thinkers, the ones with forethought and knowledge of what was to come. They were there and were sure to get food.

The second type were the hard nuts. They had not seen the food coming, but were sure going to get some. They pushed their way to the troughs, not caring about who was in their way. They were going to get fed, that was it, the only thought on their minds.

The third group ran around the mass of woolly bodies looking for a weak spot in the crush, and finding one dived in. These were the opportunists and they too got fed. They had not seen the food coming, but were quick enough to react when it did. They slid into the pack more than barging their way in.

Then there was the fourth type, the ones that ran around the pack vainly trying to get to the food. Back and fourth they would go, hoping just hoping that they would find their way in.

Watching those sheep really bought home to me the different types of people and business people that are around. I'm not saying any of the above are good or bad, but they are all different and all have their good and bad points.

The question is, what type are you?, and perhaps more interestingly what type would you like to be?, for even the fourth type of sheep is good. True they may be hungry sometimes, but they are, for the most part 'nice sheep', they don't want to hurt anybody, they just want to 'be.'

It is when it comes to business that the types really come into their own. For me, being there first (seeing the next 'Internet' wave before it hits you)is the best bet as I don't want to shoulder people out of the way (mind you saying that I will pinch their top rankings on Google if they don't watch out).

Failing that, I take on the role of the opportunist, making sure that I take advantage of anything I can for my clients (weak spots in the keywords that people are chasing for example).

But sometimes, just sometimes, in my private and business life I find myself milling around on the edge too. I don't see this as a problem, it is good to see things from a different perspective sometimes and anyway, I quite like being a 'nice sheep' some of the time.

More (on a more business like topic) tomorrow.