Thursday, October 24, 2013

Finder, Minders & Grinders: Everyone has Expertise

The phrase "Finders, Minders and Grinders" has a long backstory with the common lesson being that you need to become a Finder in order to rise to the top. Those who bring in the most new business tend to make the most money, but their success is built on top of the Minders & Grinders who actually deliver. Even the best Finder can only sustain a business if the product they are selling is good.

Every organization needs Finders selling, Minders analyzing, and Grinders delivering results.

I'm inherently a Finder. I'm highly networked, willing to talk to anyone, and deeply invested in finding the right Product-Market Fit.

I can be a damn good Minder, but I can't sustain it forever. I get curious about the next thing, rather than being happy about pulling all the money out. Minders analyze what is going on and constantly optimize and tune. Good Minders love A/B testing and empirical results. Mature products in established markets need great Minders. Sustained social media success is built on the backs of Minders.

Grinder is not my strongest suit, but I love working closely with them! It isn't that they aren't brilliant, it tends to be they are focused on what is in front of them. Grinders are Engineers who enthused about their new feature. A good Finder or Minder needs to help them get that story out there to the right audience. Everyone should love the feature, but really only certain users in certain contexts. Finders help Grinders see a bigger picture.