Mike Nemeroff is the co-founder and CEO of RushOrderTees. An entrepreneur from an early age, Mike and his siblings started a small screen printing business in their garage as teens and RushOrderTees was born. Under Mike’s leadership, the business has grown into the $75 million dollar ecommerce company that it is today with more than 225 employees.
Everyone wants to have a successful business, but getting there can be a challenge. Your team can make or break a project. For that reason, you need to surround yourself with individuals who can provide an added boost to your production levels.
Who should you choose for your team?
It takes all personality types to successfully manage a team and pull them towards your objectives. You need to find the right people who can work together and motivate others to meet your business needs.
The best types of team members give your business the right momentum and direction while providing open communication. Running a business can be difficult, but finding the most qualified people to fill those vital roles is even more complicated. You need to choose individuals who are willing to support, guide, and even challenge your ideas.
This Process Street post will walk through the four best personalities that can help run a successful organization:
- Workplace personality #1: The Leader
- Workplace personality #2: The Task Manager
- Workplace personality #3: The Abstract Thinker
- Workplace personality #4: The Champion
Let’s dive in!
Workplace personality #1: The Leader
Those in the big offices might come up with the ideas, but you need a true leader in your business for the best results. Now in some cases, the leader isn’t the one with the title. Instead, this leader is the person who can motivate the crowd to pull in one direction. You can count on them to lead your business and workers.
Are you looking for a leader among your employees? Just take a look around. Is there someone that everyone turns towards during a meeting? That person might not say much, but they are quietly leading by example.
Remember that the leader doesn’t necessarily mean the most vocal person in the room. The best leaders often extrude quiet confidence that motivates others to be at their best.
“A good leader inspires people to have confidence in the leader; a great leader inspires people to have confidence in themselves.” – Eleanor Roosevelt, diplomat and activist
You want this type of confidence in your leaders and staff. When the leader is allowed to command the room, the rest will happily follow behind them.
Many people confuse leadership with management. However, while both terms are used interchangeably, that is not always the case. Those leadership traits can extend beyond any managerial duties of the employee.
A manager might inspire those people operating under them to work harder, while a leader inspires their fellow employees to push forward. Along with that, most leaders use innovation to spark their peers.
If you are searching for a leader for your business, just look around. Some of those traits that can help distinguish a leader from a follower in your group include the following:
- Effective communication skills
- Long-term thinking
- Responsible and accountable
- Confident
- Self-motivated
- Emotionally stable
- People-oriented
However, some leaders are not born with these qualities; they often acquire them after years of hard work. Along with inspiring the staff, a leader must solve those problems with your business.
You can use a solid leader to your advantage. The ideal leader helps your company be more productive. These individuals are also always there to dole out advice and wisdom to other members of the team.
A good leader wants to motivate others to attain your company’s objectives and goals. These individuals must be willing and able to adapt to any type of circumstance. In other words, the leader should be a good decision-maker, team builder, and communication expert. When you have this person in your business, you can reach your goals and succeed as a thriving business.
Whether you operate a company to design a t-shirt or manage an investment firm, you need these leaders to keep your business moving forward in the right direction. If you don’t know who your leaders are, it might be time to look around. When there is a lack of leadership, you need to reexamine your own business practices.
Workplace personality #2: The Task Manager
By now, you already know the benefits of having a leader on staff, but how will any of the work get done? Leaders can inspire and motivate, but you need a true Task Manager to see any project to its conclusion.
Now Task Managers often have the reputation as the “bad guy or girl.” However, don’t think you need someone with a cranky attitude to fill this role. Task Managers often require a specific personality for the job.
In any company, this role can be challenging. It might be time to cut these individuals some slack; these Task Managers have the most demanding job of them all.
The Task Manager often has the most unsung role in the company. These individuals keep your employees focused on the job at hand. Otherwise, you could have motivated workers busy in their own world without any direction.
If you have a leader and Task Manager with personalities that complement each other, all the better for your company. In fact, these two roles must work together for a successful outcome to any project.
As a business owner, you cannot oversee business operations on a 24/7 schedule. With a motivated Task Manager, you can delegate some of those responsibilities to them. Rely on these individuals to make quick and efficient decisions. When someone is slacking off on the job, the Task Manager reminds them of those deadlines.
Need to find the Task Manager in your workplace? Look for these qualities, such as:
- Extremely motivated
- Detail-orientated
- Efficient
- Quick thinking
With this hardnose approach to work, you might think that the Task Manager is all business without any personality. That is not the case! A Task Manager does have those people skills to get others to work at a more efficient level. These Task Managers must be tough but fair.
In some instances, they might come off as a curt individual, but they use their unique skills to keep others on the right path. These individuals are very results-driven. Some of these persons are found in jobs for creative people, while others might enjoy those analytical roles.
When you look around your company, does anyone stick out as an efficient Task Manager? You might be surprised with who you find. A Task Manager plays a vital role in any company, and they can motivate employees in a productive way without being abrasive.
Remember, you are not looking for an individual who screams and yells at others in your company. What would be the point of that? Fear should never be a motivator to make employees work harder for you. If that is occurring in your business, you will need to rethink your strategy.
Like a leader, you need to find an individual who can get the job done for the best results. The task of this role should not be left up to the faint-hearted.
These persons must be willing to sacrifice chit-chat in favor of more production. Take a look around your company. Are you not seeing the right results? It might be time to bring a Task Manager on board to boost the production levels of your staff.
Workplace personality #3: The Abstract Thinker
When you launch a product or idea, you need to consider all perspectives of it. When you have an Abstract Thinker – or “devil’s advocate” – you can clearly see those other sides of the issue. This individual takes that opposing view and presents a contrary perspective.
While that might seem counterproductive, you need this crucial role in your company. These individuals can help you make sure that you’re not failing to consider other options or missing any critical pieces of information.
For years, the thought of a devil’s advocate on your team might send chills up the spines of management. However, these individuals are actually doing some good for the entire business. Without someone who can make an objective opinion, you could risk missing out on those other opportunities or make big mistakes with the direction of your company.
Like the Task Manager, the Abstract Thinker gets a bad reputation. Don’t think of these individuals as those who shout down ideas and create friction among other members. In that case, you would be better off without that type of personality. Instead, this individual pushes your other team members to think outside of the box. With their differing perspective, you can take a fresh look at any project.
A friendly debate can take your business from being stuck in a rut to conquering the world with new and bright ideas. Along with that, these team members open up the room for an honest conversation.
If you have ever held a business meeting, it can be difficult for others to share their opinions. No one ever wants to be the “first” to share with the group. With an Abstract Thinker, they will happily share their thoughts and perspectives.
Do you know what that does? It opens up the room for free communication. Once one person shares their beliefs, then others will feel the need to give their input. See, devil’s advocates are not all bad.
Do you have someone in mind for the role of an Abstract Thinker? You can usually quickly find them on your team. They might be the ones who are:
- Analytical
- Diplomatic
- Adventurous
Abstract Thinkers are those with the big ideas. You don’t want to fill your team with the same opinions. If you need that extra boost in the creative idea department, make sure to find a person who is your go-to Abstract Thinker.
Workplace personality #4: The Champion
Now that you already have the Abstract Thinker, you need a little balance on the team. The Champion – or Mentor – often stays out of the limelight. However, they will have your back on any project or idea.
Think of the Champion as your personal cheerleader; they can help you remove those roadblocks in your pathway. You need to surround yourself with Champions to keep focused on your own tasks and committed to your goals.
In any business, everyone needs some encouragement. Whether you want to become an online notary or operate a clothing line, you want someone in your corner to cheer you on to success. These Champions often act in more of an observer role, but they have plenty of ideas and thoughts for the company in private.
All that support and encouragement can go a long way to help boost your own motivation with the business.
In many cases, the Champion also acts as a mentor. These individuals take their role beyond just cheering from the sidelines. They can offer advice to help you move past any of those roadblocks on the team.
For the most part, a Champion has “been there and done that.” They have the experience to offer sound wisdom to battle any problem that you or your team may have to face.
These older and wiser counterparts are the best coaches in the company. Like Leaders, Champions can motivate other workers in your business, especially those young and inexperienced employees. With their hard work ethic, they can show those “kids” how to work in a team atmosphere.
Some of the best Champions and mentors have the following skills or traits:
- Active listening skills
- Feedback capabilities
- Willingness to connect
- Positive outlook
- Industry experience
Are you missing a Champion on your team? It might be time to look around at your experienced members of the staff. Many of these individuals have the right skills to help everyone succeed in meeting their goals. In turn, you will have a “silent leader” who can create a productive environment in your business.
The importance of key personalities for a successful team
If you are operating a business, you know that there are plenty of personalities on your staff. It can be a challenge to get everyone to move towards one goal. However, if you choose the right people for key roles, your business should operate like a well-oiled machine.
These four team members will provide leadership, keep everyone on task, think outside of the box, and advocate for others. When you need a successful team, be sure to include these individuals in those important roles for your business.
Who do you have on your team? Let’s discuss the best team dynamics in the comments!
Leks Drakos
Leks Drakos, Ph.D. is a rogue academic with a PhD from the University of Kent (Paris and Canterbury). Research interests include HR, DEIA, contemporary culture, post-apocalyptica, and monster studies. Twitter: @leksikality [he/him]