Good team play always lead by a good team player. However, achieving a high team performance will base on not only on a single team player but a whole team itself. But it is not easy to form a team that is composed with diverse team members, team members that have different personality but can work together as one, team members that have different expertise but can work with others without any problem, and team members that are all competitive but know the word teamwork.
This article will tackle different types of team members, we will discuss their different characteristics, and we will help you understand it. Why do you need to understand them? Well, understanding the different characteristics of your team member will gonna help you identify what type of team members they are, and it will make it easy for you as a team leader to work with them with ease.
So if you are a team leader, I suggest you read this blog so that you can have a better understanding on what are the different types of team members, how can you work with them, and how can you make them work as one despite their difference.
I suggest that you also ask your team members to take a personality test so that it will be easier for you to know their personality, here in Orange & Bergamot we took a personality test in 16personalities.com.
Without further ado, let’s start discussing the different types of team members!
FIRST ON THE LIST: THE ONE THAT HAS THE IDEA BULB.
The Team Member that we can call the team’s idea machine, the one that always has contributed, suggests, and brings ideas to the team.
The one that has the idea bulb is a team member that always thinking outside the box and always wants to try new things, the visionary one in the team. The team member who isn’t afraid to do things that haven’t been tried before. The clever one that can figure out new ideas that can benefit the team.
Possible Issues with this kind of team member:
The one that has the idea bulb can become easily uninterested if the project will take too long to be finished, or if there is a new idea that comes up, the old one would be disregarded. Another thing is that this type of team members is not particularly keen on details, or they sometimes work carelessly.
Tips on how you can work with them:
Make sure that as much as possible that what they need will be met – if needed, give them extra works that will keep them stimulus and will keep their excitement up-high. You also need to focus on coaching them for their quality of works.
SECOND ON THE LIST: THE ONE THAT HAS THE CHARACTERISTICS OF AN ANT.
The Team Member who focuses on getting the works done and want to achieve goals in no time. They are the people who are less talking more working. The team member who loves to work hard and can handle any workloads that assign to them. If you want your team to success you will surely need this kind of team member.
Possible Issues with this kind of team member:
These types of people tend to focused on work too much that sometimes they forget to ask questions or challenge their selves on finishing the job that shouldn’t even be at all. They also spend too much time perfecting the things that may not need attention at all. They might also become frustrated or burnt out if their works are not managed right.
Tips on how you can work with them:
Always ask them to talk to you if they think there is a lot on their plates, and try to talk to them to learn how to prioritize the works that are needed to be prioritized.
THIRD ON THE LIST: THE ONE THAT HAS THAT DRIVES THE TEAM
The Team Member who always keeps the team in the center, the one who keeps the task organized. This team member is great as a meeting facilitator and always makes sure that everything is running smoothly and moving forward to its goal. It will be hard for a team to become a success without this type of team member.
Possible Issues with this kind of team member:
This type of team member tends to focus too much on the team process that they forget to look at the big pictures. It will also be hard for them to tolerate the member that work in an unplanned manner.
Tips on how you can work with them:
Make sure to talk to them and ask them to keep an open mind with the different characteristics of other team members. Always remind this team member the main goal of the project, and what are the visions of the project itself.
FOURTH ON THE LIST: THE SMART ONE
The Team member that serves as the team’s brain.
This team member is the one who always provides a solution when something goes wrong, they are fast in solving the problem. This type of member always provides a good analytical idea compare to other members. It is hard to find this type of member and they will serve an important role to the team.
Possible Issues with this kind of team member:
The Smart One tends to often work unorganized and very chaotic, they also tend to judge other team member’s work.
Tips on how you can work with them:
Always talk to them to recognize other team members’ skills, works, and suggestions. You can also make them join team building to try to pair them with other members in a particular project.
FIFTH ON THE LIST: THE PERSUASIVE ONE
This type of team member will serve as the promoter of the team. This member has a big network that can be used to gather support outside the team. The persuasive one is also good at communicating with other people and has an enthusiastic personality that can be a source of positivity to the team.
Possible Issues with this kind of team member:
This type of member usually made their own decision without consulting other team members, they also tend to ignore the team process if they don’t like it. They are full of ideas that are sometimes not needed for the team, or that are needed to be shaped more.
Tips on how you can work with them:
This type of team member will become a vital asset to the team if they will be reminded to always keep their focus on the team goals.
To know more about types of team members check this out.
Shout out to fauxels for the beautiful photos.