By Bill Kaufmann, President of My Greener Future
Each of us has a primary operating role. However, if everyone in your work group had the same operating role very little would get done. The question is, “How does the mix and balance of these operating roles affect your job search strategy?” Let’s look at just three of them.
- The Eagle – Primarily a solo or individual-contributor role, one who acts on their own
- The Team player – Primarily an organizer for results through groups of people
- The Stabilizer – Primarily a detail person within the group, once direction is defined
Let’s take a look at them one at a time:
- The Eagle usually is a sole contributor who works best on his or her own. Give them a task that is not highly dependent on others’ interaction, and then leave them alone to produce a result. In sales, give them an area that needs development or create new business and turn them loose with specific expectations. Be careful if you make them a manager. They need to be given a degree of free rein, but within the direction and objectives of the organization.
- The team coach or player interacts up/down and across organizational lines and can participate or lead groups around complex tasks. They make the best managers. They provide the interaction between functions and tasks that are critical to the performance of the business. All companies need a number of these types of employees, well placed and competent in their function.
- The stabilizers follow the work plan and are good at what they do. They need a manager who can communicate effectively and has high standards. Don’t expect great insights or new improved processes, however. These are important contributors who usually form the backbone of the business. These are the “doers” within the organization. They get the details done while others move on to the next step.
Of course, we all have attributes in all three categories, but usually we gravitate to one or the other. So, which one are you? By the way, all three are needed in any organization. It’s the balance of where they are and what they do that’s important. The decision-maker, however, has to figure out how to put together a high performance work group given each individual contributor.
Why do you need to understand this insight? When you’re interviewing for a new position, the group is already established and set. The question is how and where will you fit in? If you’re working with a group of Eagles, the issues will be very different then if they are mostly Stabilizers.
Take control of your destiny. Be a candidate rather an applicant. Join us at My Greener Future.
Our website: Mygreenerfuture.com
Email: Mygreenerfuture1@cox.net