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A Good Leader Knows The Team’s Colors
by Barbara White
Leadership can be a very challenging task. As leaders we don’t always get to
choose who is on our team. In fact very often a leader inherits a team, of which
most of the members have been there far longer than the leader, and may even
know more about the work than the leader. Whatever the situation, one of the
responsibilities of a leader is to motivate the team to all work together
towards the common goal. This can be a daunting challenge. So often the team is
comprised of very diverse members, each with their own strengths, weaknesses,
and work styles. The team dynamics are also often complicated by internal
disagreements and personal conflicts. The leader, not only has work with this
group of people, but also needs to achieve the results expected by their
superiors.
Leaders can great benefit by being able to identify the types of personality
characteristics of team members. By understanding the basic personality types,
the leader can use individual strengths of members for the good of the team, as
well as assign tasks that individual team member’s naturally excel in. A leader
can also learn to communicate in a way that is motivating, by taking into
account the needs, values and working preferences of different team members.
A good leader will see the greatest results by working and utilizing the
strengths and working style characteristics of the personalities on the team. By
correctly positioning the individual member strengths and compensating for
weaknesses, the leader can bring the team into a productive balance and harmony.
A brief overview of the different values and working styles of the four main
personality types demonstrates the importance of this knowledge being part of
the successful leadership toolbox. The four types of personality will be
described using the colors Gold, Blue, Green and Orange.
The strong Gold employee takes work and responsibility very seriously. Gold
personalities want to contribute, be part of the team, and to be successful and
productive. They respond well to recognition, rewards and incentives. However
Gold team members need well defined responsibilities and structure, firm
expectations and timelines as well as being reassured from authority that they
are on the right track.
The strong Blue personality needs an open, social atmosphere to be able work
well. Relationships are very important for them, and they need the freedom to be
able to nurture relationships with coworkers, customers and employers. Conflict
and intense competition are painful for a strong Blue, but they will thrive in a
positive, creative, service orientated atmosphere.
A strong Green personality is more noted for expertise rather than people
skills. They are excellent working with facts, data, research and analytical
projects. Greens shine in their ability for designing, understanding complex
systems and strategy. Facts are of utmost importance for the Green, but they
have a weakness for routine follow through and are somewhat insensitive in
social interactions.
Orange team members are noticeable by their energy, skill and creativity. A key
factor for an
Orange is the
freedom to be able to use their skills and abilities. If there is too much
structure, or their boss is very authoritarian, the orange personality feels
blocked and does not function well. Orange personalities like people and work
well in a spirit of teamwork, competition and camaraderie. They are action
orientated, though and become impatient with prolonged talking and detailed
administrative tasks.
A leader, by knowing the colors of his team, can use this knowledge to blend the
team members into a unified, well coordinated picture poised for success. By
facilitating each team member to function in their areas of natural strength and
motivating them by communicating in a way that inspires harmony and team work,
the leader is well on the way to achieving extraordinary results.
| About The Author Barbara White is the President of Beyond Better Development. As a speaker and author, Barbara brings her passion and expertise in leadership development to work with people to help them grow towards excellence in their personal and professional life. For more articles visit www.livingbeyondbetter.com |
source www.article-emporium.com
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