As my thinking has developed over the years, and after perusing many, many personality tests, I believe that there are four basic working styles: Doing, Leading, Loving, and Learning.
The best teams have a balance of all four styles. And the best organizations have many well-balanced teams who are confident in their working style and understand the necessity of divergent types or work. So, what’s your style?
Doing
Doers execute. They come alive when tasks are complete, lists are checked, or projects are tackled. They typically have intense focus and are detailed in their efforts. […]
Leading
Leaders create the vision and inspire others to believe in it. You can’t help but listen to, admire, and follow the Leaders. Without Leaders, we would be spinning in a hamster wheel with no real vision. […]
Loving
Lovers are relationship-builders. Believing that we’re stronger together, they thrive in harmony and work hard to manage relationships and build consensus. People strong in the Loving working style are sensitive and empathic. They have an unconscious finger on the pulse of every other person on the team. If you want to know how others on your team are really feeling, ask the Lover. […]
Learning
Learners are the researchers. These engineer types love learning and meticulously understanding the nuances of a problem. They are deliberate, disciplined, and tend to think more strategically than most people. […]
So, let’s get over the notion that all work looks one way. It does not. Nor should it. You need many people doing many things to accomplish many goals. Everyone has unique strengths that become super-charged once they’re aligned with other people’s strengths. Rather than critique someone who you believe “isn’t working,” make sure you’re living out your unique contribution in a powerful and sustainable way. Just do what makes you come alive.