I don’t know of any manager, leader, or company owner who does not want to build the best possible team to work with. This series of posts by Holly Regan and Dr. James Maynard of Software Advice may provide some useful insights into the types of people you would want to have on your roster.
Ragan and Maynard identified 4 distinct psychological profiles of certain team members and their associated characteristics; the Giver, the Champ, the Matrix Thinker and the Savant. Below is a summary of their findings. I encourage you to read the whole series to learn more!
Givers like to give to other people. They put the company and their co-workers ahead of themselves. They work hard, and go above and beyond. Givers tend to be great lieutenants, they often do not want to take a management role. They do best when they’re taking their marching orders from someone else and representing that person or organization. They may be good leaders, but they typically don’t want to be the boss.
Characteristics of Givers:
• They’re loyal.
• They give it their all.
• They’re team players.
• They play by the rules.
The Champ is high-energy, optimistic and loves engaging with people. They’re also extremely skilled at reading people—a skill which often comes from their upbringing. Champs tend to come with another distinguishing characteristic: the “Chip” on their shoulder. That Chip can come from a variety of sources, such as the socio-economic status they lacked as a child, their physical appearance or their educational background.
Characteristics of Champs:
• They’re optimistic.
• They’re confident.
• They strive to be the best.
• They’re “people persons”.
Matrix Thinkers are the creative types. Highly-functioning Matrix Thinkers have developed an ability to synthesize the many inputs they’re receiving. They maintain clear thinking, connect the dots and present their ideas in a way that makes sense to other people. Whereas poorly-functioning Matrix Thinkers are often impulsive decision-makers with chaos and disorder in their personal lives.
Characteristics of Matrix Thinkers:
• They’re good problem-solvers.
• They’re creative.
• They’re trailblazers.
• They take in everything.
The Savants are really good at what they do. They have the ability to become skilled in many, but not all, fields. Savants are creatures of habit: they have a very specific working routine. Commonly, they need to isolate themselves in order to work effectively; outside noise is very distracting, and they are sensitive to environmental factors such as temperature or even the clothes they’re wearing. Once settled, however, they will work with laser-like focus, concentrating intensely on a given project for hours on end.
Savant characteristics:
• They’re really good at what they do.
• They’re focused and determined.
• They love to learn.
• They’re perfectionists.
What personality traits do you look for when hiring team members? Do you have these personality types working with or for you? Personally, I think you need a good mix of people to create a high performing team. Understanding what makes them tick can certainly be beneficial for managers and HR.
Read the full series of posts on workplace personality profiles.
