Ray Dalio’s Team Dimensions Profile Concept

I’m on a mission to help you (as a person) make more profit and enjoy more freedom in your life. 

So today, we’ll chat “people”.

 Recruiting and building up your teammates is one of the highest-leverage things you can do in a business. Amazon or otherwise. It’s also the most fun. And the most meaningful.

 But getting the “people” piece wrong can cost millions of dollars and years of time. I’m very much still a “student” of this art, so let’s explore it together.

 Our guide today is Ray Dalio.

Ray runs the world’s largest hedge fund, Bridgewater Associates.

 Current net worth:

$19 billion. 

I guess he’s done OK 😉 

Ray is now in a later season of life (73 as of 2022), so he’s publicly said he’s more interested in helping others succeed than in chasing more success for himself. It’s time to share. And leave this pale blue dot better than he found it. 

To that end, Ray published Principles in 2017.

 This gem is from page 228:

 By identifying talents and preferences that lead people to feel a particular way, you can place them in jobs at which they will likely excel. At Bridgewater, we use a test called the “Team Dimensions Profile” (TDP) to connect people with their preferred role. The five types identified by the TDP are Creators, Refiners, Advancers, Executors, and Flexors. 

– Creators generate new ideas and original concepts. They prefer unstructured and abstract activities and thrive on innovation and unconventional practices.

 – Advancers communicate these new ideas and carry them forward. They relish feelings and relationships and manage the human factors. They are excellent at generating enthusiasm for work.

 – Refiners challenge ideas. They analyze projects for flaws, then refine them with a focus on objectivity and analysis. They love facts and theories and working with a systematic approach.

 – Executors can also be thought of as Implementers. They ensure that important activities are carried out and the goals accomplished; they are focused on details and the bottom line.

 – Flexors are a combination of all four types. They can adapt their styles to fit certain needs and are able to look at a problem from a variety of perspectives.

Real quick: which are you?

 Hint: your “zone of genius” is often where you perform well, effortlessly. You may wonder why others have problems with it. But it’s because you’re just that good 😉

 You’ve probably been naturally inclined this way since you were a kid.

 Now…

 Initially, we all start as “Flexors” by default 😉 

For Amazon you’re sourcing, sampling, developing products, writing listings, running ads, logistics, and customer service rolled into one.

 This is good initially.

 You learn it all.

 But at a certain scale (usually on the road from 6 to 7 figures), sellers become the “bottleneck” in their own business, because they don’t:

 (1) Realize which of the above 5 they are, and 

(2) Start building a team to cover the other 4 areas better than they can 

For example, we have a customer named Dr Steven Gabriel. You can check out an interview with him here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKslswE65AA&ab_channel=AsteroidX) , if you want.

 Steven is a medical doctor who sells supplements on Amazon. And he’s a powerful Advancer. Like Dr. Oz, he excels in front of the camera, explaining to folks why they should try certain supplements. He’s very charismatic. Heck, I’ve taken his health advice in the past.

 But Steven’s Amazon business needed more people to grow, especially Refiners and Executors, to run the day-to-day and move the needle operationally.

 And that’s what he got from Sneha (who’s on our team). Sneha ran ads and Seller Central and made sure things got done. On time. Every time. With precision.

 And Steven, therefore, has more time to be the genius-level Advancer that he is. He’s doing what he loves, grows faster, and has more free time. 

Win-win-win.

 If you want to build out your team in a cost-effective way that drives real profit, consider booking a call with us below to see if it’s a fit.