The Four People I Want On My Team

Multi-national corporations. Educational institutions. Small businesses under 100 - the heart & soul of America! You get to see a lot when you keep your mind and eyes open, no matter what role you play. I've thought about the diverse teams I've been on (professional, volunteer, educational, recreational). And I've distilled my findings into the types of members that are most effective.

Here are 4 types of game-changing people on any team.

1. Accountable Truth-Mongers

These individuals will hunt down facts, data, and information to support (or even deconstruct) their argument. They are fearless in the eye of criticism or failure and driven by a desire for accuracy. They naturally have a sense of ownership for what they do. Thus, they quickly grow to take on more than their role on paper. 

It's because these people are most interested in what's right... not just what gives them a paycheck mid- and end of month. They are not bound to loyalties to specific people, ideas, or projects - only to the core goals they set forth for themselves. This makes them a highly objective and valuable asset in whatever position they fill.

2. Efficiency Aficionados

Proactive productivity nuts will always be on the alert and assessing bottlenecks or inefficiencies. They love learning how to learn. They observe teams at high levels and colleagues at micro levels. They come back with a better way to do things and are always willing to share the knowledge of how to implement. It's because repeating mistakes or following faulty methods gives them nightmares.

Most of the time, they gather knowledge and discover new ideas simply by Googling, reading, or having free-flowing conversations. You know you have an Efficiency Aficionado on your team when they hit flow when (a lot of) things are moving forward - and they continue to add as much as they effectively can on their plate. You're in awe of how they get so much done... all without working weekends! Their uncanny ability to ferret out and eliminate wasted efforts makes every team they are a part of a more productive one.

3. Constructive Collaborators

These types are the best sort of teammates. They are always looking to improve within the group, with an eye on the "impact" and "value" of any exercise. At the forefront of their minds, they want to balance quality with delivery. They won't run a team into the ground simply for the "best result", nor will they let a project suffer out of fear of hurting another's feelings.

Constructive Collaborators analyze inter-relational strengths and weaknesses across the team to uncover hidden opportunities. These are individuals who are respected for their opinions, even when it can be hard to swallow. And they'll embrace, even solicit, constructive criticism. Their desire to have everyone succeed combined with their intuitive understanding of how to really work together is what makes them irreplaceable.

4. Globally-Minded Builders

Stepping into a new role or filling a much-needed void in an organization might seem terrifying. But not to the kinds of workers who thrive in building empires and going from zero to one. These "builders" extract the most fundamental values, determine the strategic goals, and use this information as a guidepost to focus only on what matters. 

They'll create new structures, establish new processes, and even invent new solutions to fulfill needs. Ambiguity in the details is just fine, even preferable... so long as they understand where they - and the greater team - are trying to go. They'll energetically experiment, then patiently wait out the results. This is the type of person who runs marathons and relishes looking back on everything they've been a part of, surrounded by the team they've brought up with them. These types launch teams into new dimensions with their fearless and original personalities.

What do you think?

Do you know anyone who embodies the types described above? Or do you have another "winning" team addition?

Interested in all feedback. I'd love to hear about the most effective team members in your past and current teams.

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Grace is a tenacious marketer with absolutely no formal education in capital "M" Marketing. With an academic foundation in art history and neuropsychology, corporate experience in architecture, engineering, and technology, and a personal fondness towards watercolor and board games, she draws from a complex multi-disciplinary background to inform and achieve. She is process-impassioned, relationship-driven, and endlessly inspired by her work (sometimes too much).

To Grace, impactful marketing is the authentic narrative of your value proposition, clearly communicated and beautifully demonstrated.