Lead, Follow, or Get Out of the Way

In a previous post, I introduced the Smalley Personality quiz, a quick take on personality types in the workplace. The types are categorized as animals: Lion, Otter, Golden Retriever, and Beaver. Otters tend to be energetic, optimistic, and enthusiastic, especially about new, shiny ideas. They’re team players and the team cheerleaders.

Beavers, on the other hand, live for accuracy, precision, and finding problems to point out, if not exactly to solve. They often come off as critical and negative, which they consider needed qualities in a room full of otters. The two types can clash over everything from pie-in-the-sky optimism, unrealistic expectations, analysis paralysis, and line 83 on the monthly mileage report.

It takes a strong leader to keep things moving and resolve conflict. Enter the Lion, the competitive and confident problem solver who is always looking for fresh meat, er, ideas to pursue. Lions often present as classic CEOs: busy, blunt, and not inclined to suffer fools gladly. They want results, and they want them now. He who hesitates is lost and subject to a show of teeth and roaring.

Otters are essential to the team’s success; they’re often salespeople and “people” people, which helps to balance the lion’s impatience and my-way-or-the-highway decision making and communication style. Lions consider Beavers to be a necessary part of the team’s success, but the Lon doesn’t want to hang out with them often. The Lion-Beaver dynamic is the reason executive summaries exist. “Just give me the highlights,” and “What’s the bottom line?” are their most often asked questions.

It’s easy to imagine them rubbing teammates the wrong way, especially if they’re not the CEO, but merely a high-octane coworker.

Every team needs a peacemaker, and the Golden Retriever is the empathetic listener who can help smooth things over. The Golden Retriever is sensitive and can get hurt feelings easily. They’re loyal to a fault, but if someone does them wrong, they’ll hold a grudge for a long while. They also tend to put others’ feelings first, which isn’t always sustainable in the long run.

They’re the nicest guys in the room – until they erupt.

But the Golden Retriever’s good qualities outweigh the bad, just as they do with the dog version. They thrive on routine and will stick to the plan; they’re not prone to thinking up better ways to accomplish the mission. They’re also warm, likeable, and care about their team members. If someone’s baking cupcakes to celebrate birthdays (or simply Friday), it’s probably the Golden Retriever on the team.

The key to managing a team is recognizing the personalities you have and tailoring your leadership style to what each type values the most. Give the otters a chance to brainstorm new ideas or find ways to bring in new clients. Give the Beavers a chance to review your plan and point out all the typos, gaps, and oversights.

Give the Lions a chance to prove their leadership by making tough decisions, get things done faster and better, or give blunt feedback on your ideas. Give the Golden Retrievers a job to do that’s within their comfort zone and praise them for getting it right and showing up when it matters.

Find your personality type here: Smalley personality test

Published by candacemoody

Candace’s background includes Human Resources, recruiting, training and assessment. She spent several years with a national staffing company, serving employers on both coasts. Her writing on business, career and employment issues has appeared in the Florida Times Union, the Jacksonville Business Journal, the Atlanta Journal Constitution and 904 Magazine, as well as several national publications and websites. Candace is often quoted in the media on local labor market and employment issues.
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