FOLLOW THRU

• Give them a break when they don’t finish everything they start. Their forte is keeping lots of balls in the air all at once. Toss them as many as possible, recognizing they are likely to drop some of them in the process.

• Their contribution shouldn’t be to have to succeed at everything they do, but rather to adjust what is being done so it has the greatest probability of working.

• Give them diverse challenges, so no two days are the same.

• Don’t worry about interrupting them. They thrive when able to switch gears rather than getting stuck in routine functions. You will lose their attention if you drag things out or become too repetitious.

• Point out what is wrong with a system and encourage them to assist in redesigning it.

• You will set them into action by seeking their assistance in smoothing out rough edges in workflow. They thrive in an environment in which they can realign the pattern.

• You will find them relatively easy to manage in an operations environment because they follow procedure and stick with the plan.

• If you expect them to find shortcuts, you will need to clarify that as a goal, so they do not view it as destructive. It is not that they resist going outside the standard practice, it is that they will accommodate your assignment of such tasks best when you explain what parts of the system will stay in place and which will be “enhanced”.

• Have them provide the flow for a project or problem to get their mental juices flowing.

• Suggest they sort all the pieces of a puzzling situation, assuring everything necessary is available before they tackle putting it together.

• Gain their commitment by providing as much continuity as possible and reward them for integrating alternatives into their plan.

• Support them by scheduling some uninterrupted time based on their looking for patterns or workflows that provide the best opportunities to bring their projects to closure.

• Reduce their stress by having them consider worst-case scenarios and plan for them.

• Don’t mess with their neatly organized stuff.

QUICK START

• Count on these folks to keep things on track. They will prevent chaos if you seek their involvement in critiquing possibilities for change.

• Seek their view of the benefits of sticking with the status quo.

• Avoid creating an unnecessary sense of urgency or short deadlines, and if those are the realities, protect people who stabilize from that frustration as much as possible. You could, for instance, reduce their direct involvement with the entire project and keep them focused on a particular part of it, so they are not as stressed out by a quantity of impending deadlines.

• Always try to emphasize what is constant and unchanging. While there may be a great deal in flux, surely some aspects of what they are doing will remain familiar.

• Give them a chance to respond to change after a little time passes to let the notion settle in.

• They will help test new approaches when you qualify for them the amount of risk that is involved. A little is okay, but their threshold isn’t unbounded. If you hit them with lots of immediate deadlines they will pull back, so try limiting the sense of urgency to a few issues at a time.

• They will respond well to what their instincts tell them are essential risks and deadlines, but not any that seem merely for the sake of creating an intense effort.

• You will find them “rolling with the punches” when there are a few unknowns.

• They will need you to fill in the gaps if everything seems up in the air.

• You will target their mental energy when you challenge them with bet-you-can’t scenarios.

• Deadline-intense situations are best; therefore, give them short-term projects, or milestones for long ones.

• They thrive in competitive atmospheres where compensation is based on bonuses and commissions.

• Let them work intensely without watching the clock, but if they have immersed themselves in a project for several days, let them out of regular hours or assignments in return.

• Encourage them to brainstorm – without judgment of ideas. Praise their failures, because without those they will not have been taking the level of risks that bring

IMPLEMENTOR

• Praise these people for their ability to “see” an idea or concept without the physical piece. These employees don’t need a literal translation of goals into tangible goods.

• Allow them to judge a concept based on what they know in their heads. Don’t force them to build the model to show what they think will or won’t work for the project,

• Allow them to simply describe it in written or verbal form.

• Take their suggestions for cost and time-saving materials into account because these people will prevent you from getting in over your heads in trying to build perfection.

• They’ll help you figure out where you can cut corners and still have a quality product.

• Ask them to fix, repair or rebuild equipment or models, since this gives them a chance to shine.

• Have them participate in hands-on or technical demonstrations, which will help them retain information.

• Encourage them to get out from behind desks or from within enclosed spaces to do some of their work. They need some walking around time, or opportunities to get into the field to see for themselves how things are operating.

• Have them interpret for people who get stuck trying to understand each other because of these differences in perspective because they can function with both abstract and concrete communication.

• They are highly productive when they can present an end product for which they can personally attest to the quality.

• Provide the best possible tools and space for them so they can literally craft solutions. They are more disgruntled over slipshod equipment than overpay scales.

• Communicate with them in person, when possible.

• Encourage them to give you information by using props.

• Avoid slick presentations or too much verbiage if you want to convince them of anything. It’s far better to go to their environment and take the time to see their work in person than to use the telephone or written communications. Literally, pick up what they have done and see the solid product of their efforts.