Different Team Member Types!

My presentation on this topic

Introduction
There will be different personality types in the team members. One team member may have more than one type. Each team will have the mentioned types. If not, we will have to create the positive ones by mentoring, coaching and setting expectations.

I have been seeing some managers/leaders deal with the regular situations as and when they occur. IMO, It is always better to set the things appropriately so that for you, no need to be very cautious on the day to day activities. Empower your team so that you can concentrate on the strategic goals of your team/organization. As we said above, we need the positive types in the teams. If not, embed the types/qualities by mentoring/setting expectations into the team so that the team will be self organizing with in itself.

Points of Discussion
Constructive Types
Destructive Types
How to Deal with Destructive Types
Questions?? & Answers!!

Constructive Types


Initiator
He is someone actively initiates ideas and activates on a project. This type is considered positive because it is proactive and can be highly productive.


Information seeker
He is the team who actively seek to gain more knowledge and understanding related to the project. This is a positive role because fostering an understanding among the team is important, and open communication should be valued.

Information Giver
As its name implies, is someone who openly shares information with the team. Although not all information may be shared (for instance classified or secret information must be kept confidential), the overarching principal is to focus foster good communication and a good flow of information on the project.

Encourager
He maintains a positive and realistic attitude. On the project, they focus on what can be accomplished, not on what is impossible. This is a positive role because it contributes to the team.

This particular personality type is the one of them who binds the team with motivation and encourages to go the extra mile. If you have one in your team, you are the luckier one. He will do half of your job ! ;) 

Clarifier
As the name suggests, is someone who works to make certain that everyone’s understanding of the project is the same. This is a positive role because it ensures that everyone has a common understanding of the project goals and details.

Usually, this type, Information Seeker and Information Giver will be part of one single team member.

Harmonizer
In Music, harmony is not same as melody but it complements and enhances the melody. Similarly, a harmonizer on the project will enhance the information in such a way that understanding is increased. This is a positive role because the overall understanding of the project and the context, or the details surrounding it, are enhanced.

Summarizer
He takes the details and restate them succinctly or relate them back to the big picture. This is a positive role because details on the project may become overwhelming, but the summarizer can keep things simple enough for everyone to understand the higher purpose of the tasks.

If this guy has good data/information presentation skills over an email/document, that would help a lot for whole of the team delivery.

Gate Keeper
The term gate keeper has two possible uses in the project management literature. The first definition is used differently in the project management than it is in other disciplines. A gate keeper is someone who draws others in. Someone who says, "We haven’t heard from the other end of the table today", would be and example of a gate keeper. This is a very positive role because it encourages the entire team to participate on the project.

Destructive Types: Introduction

Action
Destructive types have to be dealt as soon as they have been observed. They have to be mentored and clear expectations are to be set. And keep under observation till they are working as expected.

Critical Action
If the same team member has more than three of the destructive type attributes, he/she has to dealt carefully. If there is no change in the behavior, it is always good to take out the rotten apple.

Aggressor
He is someone who is openly hostile and opposed to the project. This is a negative role because it serves no productive purpose on the project.

Couple of scenarios where you can find aggressors.
1. If a natural aggressive guy being with the team for longer duration and you enter as a lead/manager, there is high likely chance of that guy starts opposing you. One of the reasons is, he will start thinking that he owns the team. The case would be worse if the aggressor is half-knowledged. You can not explain him how to proceed with your action plan and he will not come up with his action plan. More over, high likely he will be disturbing/playing around with other team members emotions. Little complicated. Isn't it?

Blocker
He is someone who blocks access to information and tries to interrupt the flow of communication. This is a negative role because of the disruptive effect poor communication can have on the project.

This one people will do consciously or sub-consciously. The ones who does consciously had to be found sooner and set expectations.

If he does it sub-consciously then explain and make him understand of the implications of his actions on the team and delivery. He can understand and give him a plan to over come that problem then things will go right.

Withdrawer
He does not participate in discussion, resolution, or even the fleshing out of ideas. Instead, he is more likely to sit quietly or not participate at all. This is a negative role because it usually produces a team member that does not buy into the project and can have a negative effect on the overall team member that does not buy into the project and can have negative effect on the overall team morale.

If all the team members are participating in discussions, decision making actively then most likely the team will reach the performing stage very quickly. If one guy is a withdrawer, entire team takes long to reach performing stage.

Topic Jumper
He disrupts effective communication by constantly changing the subject and bringing up irrelevant facts. This is a negative role because it prevents issues from being fully discussed and brought to closure.

This is similar type as blocker. The same remedies applies to him as well.

Recognition Seeker
He looks at the project to see what is in it for him. He is more interested in his own benefit rather than the project's success. This is a negative role because of the damaging effect on team morale and because a recognition seeker may ultimately jeopardize the project if doing so somehow personally benefits him.

Interesting one. This type usually other members of the team will recognize easily. But in some cases, the recognition seeker does not show himself like that on the straight lines. But when the other team members does not have good general knowledge, the RS will start showing his GK skills and take other team members over a period of time to a stage where the team members start believing that this RS knows ALL. So funny right. You start observing the various teams and team members..  ;).  

Dominator
He is someone who disrupts team participation and communication by presenting opinions forcefully and without considering the merit of other's contributions. He will likely talk more than the rest of the group and will bully his way through the project. This is a negative role because valid opinions are often quashed, and the project may take on a one-dimensional quality.

If the dominator is not knowledgeable enough, he will take whole of the team in a very wrong direction. With this, there is a high likely chance of people not developing their skill set as required. That in turn slows down the team's delivery.

Devil's Advocate
He is someone who will automatically take a contrary view to most statements or suggestions that are made. This maybe a positive or negative role on the project, but it is often associated with a negative role since it often disrupts and frustrates communication, discourage people from participating, and stalls progress.

They will always be ready on one foot for the cat fight. What ever you do, say, not do, not say still they will have a problem. And unfortunately, it will be very difficult to talk and come to common understanding on anything. So, better use toughest path to set expectations, if it does not work.. .throw him away.

How to deal with Desctructive Types?
Aggressor, Blocker, Withdrawer and Topic Jumper
The above mentioned negative types can be handles easily.
They will require little Mentoring, coaching should be fine in most of the cases.

Recognition Seeker, Dominator and Devils’Advocate
The above mentioned negative types can not be handled easily. Mostly, they will be behaving deliberately. These types need a strictly set with expectation. If the same team member posses more than one type of these, it’s advisable to get rid of him asap.

Q. What If you find too many of destructive type in the team?
A: It is advisable not to spend much time in mentoring/coaching and/or getting buy-in from them. Be a dictator for some time and get the things done. Later, slowly you can move towards coaching, mentoring again.

Original extract is from  added with my view points.
These are my personal views and not of my organisation.

Effective Leadership with Emotional Intelligence!

Introduction:
Most of us heard of Intelligence Quotient(IQ).
But what is this Emotional Intelligence/Quotient(EI/EQ) then?
How one's Emotional Intelligence is related your Leadership qualities?

What is Intelligence Quotient (IQ): Intelligent Quotient is one's natural analytical abilities towards any subject, whether it is technology or business. This determines how quick and deep one can learn things. It is a number used to express the relative intelligence of a person. We can determine a person's Intelligence by some IQ Tests.

What is Emotional Quotient/Intelligence (EQ/EI):
Emotional Quotient is also called Emotional Intelligence quotient, is a measurement of a person's ability to monitor his/her emotions, to cope with pressures and demands, and to control his or her thoughts and actions. The ability to assess and affect situations and relationships with other people also plays a role in emotional intelligence. This measurement is intended to be a tool that is similar to intelligence quotient (IQ), which is a measurement of a person's intellect. There is much debate surrounding the legitimacy of EQ, however, primarily because there is no standard of measurement.


IQ vs EQ:

IQ	EQ
Measure of one's ability to learn and understand	Measure of one's ability to understand, use emotions and logical skills
Understanding the facts	Using emotions/reasons to make them understand the facts in a positive way
IQ is something that one is born with	EQ - can be improved upon
Decides one's individual capabilities	Decides how you respond as a team player and to crisis situations.
Helps in getting the job	Helps in succeeding in the job

Myths:

Myth-1:
If one has great IQ, he/she will become a great leader.
Truth:
1. Even though one is with average IQ and great EQ, he/she can become a great leader.
2. Great IQ, average EQ does not help in your leadership.
3. Great IQ, Great EQ is the best combination can be observed in the world's greatest leaders so far.

Myth-2:
Good EI means- 'Being Nice'.
Truth:
1. Using EI, one should be able to convey the message with out hurting the other and get the job done.

Myth-3:
Men will have greater EI compared to Women
Truth:
1. EI is gender neutral

Myth-4:
Higher EI means giving free rein to feelings/emotions
Truth:
1. Managing emotions so that they can be expressed effectively, appropriately
2. Enabling people to work together for a common goal

Myth-5:
EI can not be learnt!
Truth:
1. EI can be learnt and practised

Two Different View Points- They say Emotions

Traditionalists	High Performers
Distract us	Motivate us
Increases the vulnerability	Increases the confidence
Cloud our judgement	Speed our Analysis
Inhibit Free flow of data	Build Trust
Not required in workplace	Provide Vital Feedback
Must be controlled	Must be managed
influences rational thinking in a negative way	Helps in rational thinking for better decisions

Why EI is so important in Leadership?
Whom do you lead?
A team/set of individuals towards a common goal.

If you do not understand one's emotions, how can you deal with them to make things work towards a common goal? That means, it does not matter how good your IQ is, but all that makes hell lot of difference is your EQ.

As part of the job, one will have to work with/lead people from different geographical locations, regions, religions, genders, languages, ethnics, social, cultural, living styles, ages and their life experiences. Having said that, no two people will have the same emotions and/or emotional intelligence. Their emotions will be a mix of all the above. So the better you understand them, the better you can communicate with them.

After all the fuzz...., we are going to understand little more about EQ.

Emotional Intelligence is all about understanding, managing one's and others' emotions.

Basically, Personality+Intelligence Quotient( I think)+Emotional Intelligence (I feel) makes a man.
Emotional Intelligence Components:
EI comprises of 5 components majorly-
1. Self Awareness
2. Self Management
3. Social Awareness
4. Social/Relationship Management
5. Cognitive Competencies

1. Self-Awareness:
1. Awareness of own feelings/emotions
2. Understand why feelings occur and their implications
3. Aware of own strengths, weaknesses, needs and drives.
4. Being honest to oneself and others

Open to feed back is one of the powerful tool to improve self-awareness.

2.1. Self-Management - Emotional Self Control:
1. Dealing quietly with stress
2. Ability to control feelings, moods and emotional impulses
3. Keeping cool head in situations of high pressures
4. Overcoming negative emotions
5. Think realistic in tough times
6. Responding to situations rather than reacting
7. Exhibiting the same behavior in even in high pressure situations

2.2. Self-Management - Adaptability:
1. Multitasking ability
2. Ability to handle rapid change
3. To adapt to behaviors, plans and approaches

3. Social-Awareness - Empathy:
1.  Get great understanding by both verbal and non-verbal active listening.
2. Effective and Diverse Relations
3. Understanding others emotions, understanding and actions
4. Behaving carefully while instructing the team

4.1 Social/Relationship Management - Coaching/Mentoring:
1. Providing feedback to others to improve
2. Recognize and Encourage other's good work/strengths

4.2 Social/Relationship Management - Inspiration:
1. Motivate others by vision and goals.
2. Build group pride and make everybody engaged

4.3 Social/Relationship Management - Influence:
1. Convince others by their self-interest
2. Build Support with buy-in from key supporters
3. Show gratitude to the help others did for you. (more..)

4.3 Social/Relationship Management - Conflicts:
1. Identify the disagreements and remove them by active and empathetic communication

4.3 Social/Relationship Management - Team work:
1. Build Team identity
2. Gain Respect of others by involving them in the discussions and actively listen to them. (more..)

5.1 Cognitive Competencies - Systems Thinking:
1. Ability to explain complex systems in understandable way
2. Ability ti identify cause & effect 

5.2 Cognitive Competencies - Pattern Recognition:
1. Ability to identify patterns, similarities and trends
2. Ability to use analogies to describe patterns/trends


Your time is much appreciated!

Building High Performance Teams

My presentation on this topic

Team Development Stages
As per Tuckmann's theory, there are 5 stages of team development
i)   Forming 
ii)  Storming 
iii) Norming 
iv)  Performing 
v)   Adjourning 

In the Forming Stage, Team acquaints and establishes ground rules. Formalities are preserved and  members are treated as strangers. 
In the Storming Stage, Members start to communicate their feelings but still view themselves as individuals rather than part of the team. They resist control by group leaders and show hostility. 
In the Norming Stage, People feel part of the team and realize that they can achieve work if they accept other view points. 
In the Performing Stage, The team works in an open and trusting atmosphere where flexibility is the key and hierarchy is of little importance. 
In the Adjorning Stage, The team conducts an assessment of the year and implements a plan for transitioning roles and recognizing members’contributions.
Leader's Role in each of the Team Development Stages
In the Forming Stage, Leader has to communicate clear objectives, both for the team as a whole and for individual team members. Model effective behavior. 
In the Storming Stage, Establish clear processes. Build trust between team members. Resolve conflicts swiftly. Remain positive in the face of challenges. 
In the Norning Stage, Step back & trust team members to take responsibility for progress towards the goal. Reiterate your vision often. This is a good time to arrange a team-building event. 
In the Performing Stage, Delegate tasks and projects as far as you can. Focus on results not methods. Celebrate successes. 
In the Adjourning Stage, Identify the next level leaders and groom them. And the process repeats and the new leaders will take over the smaller teams, team dynamics will change a bit. Now, the time to spend each stage will be minimal.
High Performance Teams Characteristics
The strong leadership with an environment is filled up with know & grow, mutual respect, trust, authenticity, consistency, open & honest, straight talkers.
The team characteristics will be as below-

Smart Alignment:
-with a clear mission statement
-With very well defined strategy
- With Very well known Project Priorities
- With very well defined roles & responsibilities

Inspiring Vision:
-They will have a passion for what they do
-They feel inspired for the leadership's vision
-they will be the change champions. That means, they welcome the changes always.
-They will be creative risk takers
-They will have very much shared values. They all laugh for the same reason. ;)

Action Orientation:
-The right processes will be in place
-They always look for smart working rather than hard working
-They will have great problem solving skills complimenting others thought process
-They will become very good at group decision making
-They will be very open for resourcing & planning

Great Team Spirit:
-They maintain Interdependence & at the same time, cohesion.
-They care & confront for each other.
-They celebrate success with each other.
-They always exhibit the 'Can Do' attitude.
-They recognize/compliment the others always.

High Performance Teams Advantages 
-Shared Responsibility 
-Job Satisfaction 
-Business Results 
-Adaptive to Change -
-Mutual Respect 
-Sense of team identity 
-Customer Satisfaction 
-High Commitment 
-Effective Decisions 
-Accountability 
-Increased Trust 
-Opportunity Growth
High Performance Teams How to build ?
-Respect each Team Member’s Opinion 
-Effective Team Meetings, Conflict Resolutions 
-Effective/Group Decision Making 
-Set up right Processes, Check points and Metrics 
-Measure the progress against the Metrics/Feedback 
-Protect your Team from all Evil 
-Build Capability and Career Path of the each individual

High Performance Teams Do nots
-Micro-Manage – At least it should not look like. 
-Over ride Tough Decisions always 
-Take out support in Difficult situations 
-Avoid to Deal with Conflicts and Risks 
-Encourage Blame Game 
-Discount other’s Emotions and Perspectives 
-Be Over Theoretical

High Performance Culture
Enable 
-the capability by appropriate Trainings.  
-Measure the effectiveness of the Trainings. 
Encourage  
- Encourage with Rewards/Appreciations. 
- Recognize High Performance Individuals/ Teams periodically. 
Empower 
-By Open Communication. 
-To be adaptable to change.
Engage
-In Team Building Activities. 
-In Fun and Positive Environment

High Performance Leader
Vision, Honesty,Motivation, Accountability, Skills, Planning, Metrics, Trust, Togetherness, Appreciation, Purpose, Performance, Evaluation, Behavior, Adaptive, Inspiration, Advantage, Collaboration, Responsibility, Research, Best Practices, Freedom, Focus, Flexibility, Mentor, Knowledge, Solutions, Dynamic, Curiosity, Values, Integrity, United, Brainstorming, Influence, Effectiveness, Charisma, Coaching, Mentoring, Process, Metrics, Goal, Success, Celebrations, Encourage, Strength, Strategy, Style, Purpose, Encourage, Safety