Relationship management—every HR professional deals with it every day. Training expert Brad Karsh has four simple categories that will describe many employees, along with advice for understanding how the diverse members of your team might operate.
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Karsh, who is president of JB Training Solutions and author of Manager 3.0: A Millennial’s Guide to Rewriting the Rules of Management, shared his tips at the Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM) Annual Conference and Exposition held recently in Las Vegas.
Do You Know Who You’re Dealing With?
You (and the members of your team) are going to end up in one of four boxes, says Karsh:
So, what are these personality types like? No single one is right or wrong, says Karsh, but they each have their individual super powers—and nemeses. Let’s take a look.
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The Driver
These people are all about action, says Karsh, and they like to be the chief in any situation. They’re direct, efficient, and no-nonsense; they can be demanding (but decisive), and they crave structure and order. At their best, they’re who you’d want to be president, says Karsh—they make the tough decisions when they need to be made. At their worst, well … they’re a little bit TOO demanding.
- Their “holy grail”: Achievement. Drivers want to spend their precious time working, says Karsh.
- Their super power: Making the call.
- Their nemeses: Fools and “feelings.”
The Calculator
It’s all about precision and being the expert when it comes to Calculators, says Karsh. They are cautious, inquisitive, and very into process and/or procedure. Calculators want to take the time to get things right—and they deliver on their commitments. At their best, they’re like a brain surgeon, explains Karsh. They will spend hours exploring every little thing to make sure the surgery goes perfectly; they are not the type to say, “Whoa … that lobe looks a little funny … let’s take it out and see what happens. Chop it off!”
At their worst, says Karsh, Calculators may be too obsessed with precision. Think of the parking authority officer who writes you a ticket for being 18 seconds late.
- Their “holy grail”: Perfection—these workers want to spend their time thinking, Karsh says.
- Their super power: Finding the answer.
- Their nemesis: Mistakes or misdeeds, especially committed by others.
The Innovator
Revisiting Karsh’s brain surgeon analogy, the Innovator would be the individual who cuts out a brain lobe just to see what happens. Innovators are those who are relentlessly energetic, enthusiastic, and optimistic, with a “forgive and forget” outlook that often has them gleefully challenging the status quo. It’s all about passion for them.
At their best, Karsh provides the example of the guy who gets up at a wedding because they need someone to make a toast. He makes the guests laugh and cry during an awesome 8-minute off-the-cuff speech, and then after he sits down … he admits he doesn’t even KNOW the bride or groom. At their worst, they can be more than a little disorganized.
- Their “holy grail”: Glory! Innovators want to be the star, says Karsh, and they want to ensure they have time to play.
- Their super power: They can swoop in and quickly save the day.
- Their nemeses: Those pesky details and deadlines.
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The Stabilizer
This tends to be an HR position, says Karsh because what do Stabilizers love? People! They thrive in the savior role and enjoy helping others out. At his or her best, a Stabilizer is like a personal trainer, someone who’s physically right next to you every step of the way with words of encouragement. At their worst? They can be a bit easy to take advantage of, says Karsh.
Who’s that person in a construction-related traffic jam that lets in the motorist who didn’t realize until the last minute that a lane was closed (who, by the way, is probably an Innovator)? That’s right—the Stabilizer.
- Their “holy grail”: Harmony. They always have (or make) time to listen.
- Their super power: Development of the team.
- Their nemeses: Complaining and complacency.
In tomorrow’s Advisor, we present more from Karsh on how to manage teams of these diverse personalities—and why the Golden Rule might sometimes not apply—plus an introduction to Team Interviews: How to Orchestrate Effective Dialogue between Current Employees and New Candidates for Optimal Hiring Results.
Had to laugh when I saw your comment about HR tending to be in the Stabilizer position. I am a ‘Driver’ and have been in HR for forty plus years and a Manager for most of that time. I always laugh when I hear ‘I love people, therefore I want to be in HR.’ A ‘Stabilizer’ does not have the strength to be in HR. They tend to be ‘wimps’ and can cause more problems than they solve. One must be able to listen and coach employees to solve their own problems. The quickest way to change one’s mind about ‘loving people’ is to deal with the mixed bag this position regularly encounters.
@ Rebecca Renault-Rasor – YOU TOOK THE WORDS RIGHT OUT OF MY MOUTH! too funny!
I see all of these at our organization.