The Best Thing You Can Do for Your Team is Knowing Yourself
In my recent reading of an interview on Paul Maritz, the CEO of the Red Hat. I’ve learned a few important things that about what it means to be a leader and how to carry out an effective leader-centric team. I have to admit that I’m a hands-on person, and truthfully, I learn from mistakes and from experience. But to understand these concepts, and to be bit more thoughtful of these concepts, it helps to really to promote a flow and growth in a team composition and productivity.
So what did this interview say? Well Maritz explains that to be really effective in a team scenario, the best thing you can do is know what you excel in, and play that role to the fullest. Thus, on the flip side, don’t try to put yourself in a position that does not fit your personality, and let others who are naturally good at that role to play it. But what are these roles? Well the roles are as followed.
The Visionary
The visionary is someone who sets the direction of the organization. They are the ones who may inspire you when you think of a company branding. (Steve jobs and Apple perhaps?)
The Classic Manager
As you can imagine, the classic manager is the who sets the task and manages the team. But more importantly they take responsibility to making sure things are getting done. And as we all know, every team needs that – as hard as it may be to admit.
The Champion for the Customer
In many respects you can think of the champion as the individual who represents the customer. They play an important role as they ensure that the development of the product is kept in-lined with the consumer.
The Enforcer
Ahh the scary title of the Enforcer… however, it’s important to stress the role of the enforcer as they are the ones who will force the team to climb over that ridiculous boulder along the path. Without an enforcer a team can be stuck upon a dilemma for longer than necessary. These roles are important, as in the hiring process people who are self-aware of their strengths and learned from their mistakes (possibly playing a role they weren’t good at) are the ones who will provide the most contributions to your team.
Thus, if there was one thing I would stress from this article that everyone should know and reflect on is, their natural role. For myself, I know that I’m a visionary and champion for the customer. If I was to be placed as a manager or the enforcer, I can guarantee you things would never get done. And if we got stuck on a problem, I promise you I would be pretty determined to find a solution, even after we made a decision. And if you may be wondering, yes I do speak of experience, a painful experience. Therefore, if I could inform you of one thing, just one thing. It’s to know who you are, and don’t be who you aren’t (in respects to a leader-centric team, and in life).
For Your Own Interest