Fitting into a working style

Those with a guardian working style like stability, order, and rigor.

They’re pragmatic, detail-oriented, and risk-averse.

Drivers are goal-oriented.

Those identifying with this working style thrive on challenge, results, and winning. They tackle problems head-on with logic.

Companies with increased growth are 72% more likely to have high diversity in their organization.

Use Learning & Development (L&D) training to raise awareness about the current state of diversity and inclusion in your work environment.

Up to 70% of trainees forget what they learn within 24 hours after training. However, it does not have to be the case for your employees.

An effective leader will implement and integrate an agile training infrastructure into their daily operations that can change quickly to keep up with the pace of innovation.

If we want our knowledge to compound, we’ll need to focus on the invariant general principles.

Half-lives show us that if we spend time learning something that changes quickly, we might be wasting our time. 

A one-size-fits-all approach won’t work well on a team with a mix of types.

For example, too many constraints can completely shut a Pioneer down, while a Guardian may withdraw in an environment that feels too chaotic.
A Driver may become very frustrated in an organization that lacks decisiveness, while an Integrator may wither on a team that doesn’t value broad-based input.

Manage the team in ways that support the diverse needs of different types of work.

You wouldn’t want a team that is all about creative ideas with no focus on implementing those ideas. Or one that is searching for the big win with no attention paid to the people involved in getting there.

Virtual teamwork places greater emphasis on communication and organization.

Over the short-term, newly formed virtual teams experience more negative outcomes, such as team conflict, lower satisfaction, less knowledge sharing, and poorer performance. But, they will adapt and improve over time.

At an individual level, some people will find it easier to adapt than others.

• A study revealed that when people are imaginative and enjoying a new challenge, they are happier to embrace virtual teamwork.
• Extroverted individuals prefer face-to-face work, and virtual work may lessen the energy they get from social interaction.
• Introverts are better at adapting to a virtual environment as it involves less face-to-face interaction.
• Those who like to make quick decisions prefer virtual teams.

In any organization you will usually find these main work styles:

• Logical, analytical, linear, and data-oriented
• Organized, sequential, planned, and detailed-oriented
• Supportive, expressive, and emotionally oriented
• Big-picture, integrative, and ideation-oriented.

Their strengths are in analyzing data, logical processing, and solving complex problems.

They are focused on achieving the established goals and will ensure that you stay on budget.

Work on cultivating personal connections with your colleagues, and allow them to get to know you. 

You don’t have to be “the greatest person in the room” or make sure “everyone is blown away by your charisma.” You just need to have good rapport with your colleagues. That way, they won’t impute negative intentions or motives to you.

Start by giving them your undivided attention in one-on-one situations. Turn your body toward the other person, freeze in place, and listen.

Sudden changes in the industry can disrupt the status quo, potentially derailing the success of your organization. In these situations a leader must remain flexible and adaptable, ready to make the quick decisions that can keep the company on track with minimal negative impact.

Putting speed and innovation ahead of tried-and-tested business practices often makes leaders cautious. However, in a fast-changing world, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks.

For a start-up, the risks can be even greater but innovation is impossible without risk. And if you can’t take risks, you may not be cut out to be a digital leader.

• Work together, complement each other, and function as a team.
• Able to operate on and enable environments that are more dynamic, team-centric, and connected.
• Lead and build teams and partner with the broader ecosystems, keep people connected and engaged, and drive a culture of innovation, learning, and continuous improvement.
• Lead a workforce that includes contractors, the contingent workforce, and crowd talent.
• Understand how different business functions, industries, and technologies come together to form solutions.
• Comfortable and competent with risk-taking.

Millennials expect to be developed via opportunities, mentoring, and stretch assignments. However that is hard to come by in top-heavy companies. 

Most millennials think their roles provide little development while most companies report they have excellent or adequate programs for Millennials.