"Be Your Authentic Self" the headlines read on the cover of almost every woman's magazine. The phrase was given great power by Oprah who spent decades inviting women to live their dreams and is quoted as saying, "I had no idea that being your authentic self could make me as rich as I've become. If I had, I'd have done it a lot earlier." So what exactly does being your authentic self mean for women entrepreneurs?

In my opinion, women entrepreneurs (and all entrepreneurs) must understand their strengths and weaknesses and surround themselves with people who can fill in the gaps. Now, I know that sounds too easy, but often it is the easiest tasks in life that are forgotten and why opportunities for true success are lost.

As a business coach and a woman entrepreneur, one of the first things I do with a client is to assess their personality and skills. Although I do not formally conduct an assessment test such as DISC, I ask questions about the individual's personal interests, attitudes and values to better understand their behavior.

I recently had the opportunity to take part in a DISC evaluation and it reminded me what a powerful tool it is to know my strengths and weaknesses. As a high D (dominance) I see problems quickly and love problem solving. My above average I score (influence) explains why I am easily able to sell people on my ideas and share the win-win in our relationship.

Knowing these things about myself enables me to see how I can best assist my clients and others in my life with their businesses and lives. However, as important, is understanding my much below average S score (steady) acknowledging my inability to move slowly and sympathetically. A lower than average C score (compliance) is no surprise as the word compliant makes me squirm.

So how does this help you? With or without a DISC evaluation, YOU know many things about yourself. YOU know whether you are a leader or a follower. YOU know if you are calm or excitable, a peacemaker or troublemaker, a nurturer or independent adventurer. So grab a piece of paper and write down every adjective that describes you on one side of the paper and every adjective that does not describe you the other side of the paper. For example, here are some suggestions: authoritative, controlling, bold, determined, independent, confident, visionary, spontaneous, inspirational, entertaining, engaging, sympathetic, reliable, predictable, perfectionist, diplomatic, accurate, and/or scheduled. Be careful to choose words that you believe are true about you NOT words that people have said about you. For example, there is a big difference from being in control and controlling. And, please don't give words more power than they deserve! There are no good words or bad words only words that describe who you are.

Believe me when I say the world needs leaders and followers and pushy people and easy going people. It's called balance and in business a great team needs a balance of interests, attitudes and values. It should be obvious that a team of leaders will not be able to move together on the path to success any more than a team of followers can.

Therefore, take the time at an office meeting to ask your staff to spend time doing the above exercise you have already completed so that they can personally assess their own strengths and weaknesses. Rather than sharing all the results of the exercise, ask each member of your team to describe themselves using one word from their list. As the business owner, and therefore head of the team, comment on the importance of each descriptive word shared and the value that person brings to the business.

It can't be said often enough that a business is only as successful as the people who work there. If your business is having trouble you can be sure that somewhere in your operation there is a people problem.

Finally, finding your authentic self and living it will only bring you business success if you realize the importance of surrounding yourself with people that augment your abilities. The best advice I can give you is to be honest about what you are good at and work with it and hire what you need to be complete. Being true to yourself is always a work in progress.

(If you are interested in a DISC evaluation, I recommend Gabrielle Jenkins at Resource Management of Boston gbjenkins@rmboston.com) Let Gaby know I sent you.