TeamMark Combinations

Team Characteristics – Important Combinations



Sensing/Judging (SJs) – Guardians



David

Victor

Don

Stan

Tom

Laura

Heidi

Ashley

Melissa

Ann

On a Team

Often called Guardians, SJs value the ground rules and have a concrete, realistic vision.

It is the SJs who will, to a greater degree, provide the factual details and practical considerations that will affect schedules and the bottom line.

Look to your SJ team members for help in planning, providing directions, assigning responsibilities and following through.

SJs trust experience. They view the future as an extension of the past. They rely on the tried and true, “if it isn’t broken, why fix it” attitude. Skill and competence are defined in terms of experience, and there is a tendency to organize roles and structures with people of similar experience (grouping   all the accountants together, all the marketing people together).

Those team members who share Sensing/Judging will typically have a common communication style that focuses on details and facts and their logical implications.

They place a high value on responsibility, adhere to policies and procedures, agreed upon decisions, and expect the same of others. They are loyal team members who strive to establish and maintain a stable environment and will pick up the slack within the group to get the job done.



Potential Blind Spots and Pitfalls



May resist change and new ideas and be reluctant to risk or experiment.



Frustrating others by worrying too much, and generating a pessimistic,

        fatalistic attitude about the future.



Focusing on the trees and loosing sight of the forest.



May need to work on their “out-of-the-box” thinking and getting             alternative points of view.



Pushing for closure before all the options have been explored.



May aggravate others by carrying a self-imposed overload.



May be seen as too serious and hesitant to include some fun.



Intuition/Thinking (NTs) - Rationals



Judy

Ben

Lynn

Kim



On a Team



As Intuitors, these team members do their best when envisioning and designing the future. Their focus will be on trends and patterns. Although they believe past experience is useful, they don’t want it to be a justification for not doing things differently.

They thrive on possibilities and enjoy being on the growing edge of change. NTs are described as Rationals. They use logic and reason to argue their point, thinking that a lively give-and-take debate generates ideas and solutions.

Look to your NT team members to provide analysis and synthesis using models that link systems and options to strategy.

They value knowledge and competence. Smart, highly motivated people, rather than the most experienced or higher titles and status, are what gain their respect. They have enormous drive and high expectations of self and almost the same of others.

Because they are holistic in their approach, they are usually open to input from other sources: clients and other creative Intuitors who are at their best with the big picture. Although their focus is on the big picture, they can also zero in on the details and identify what’s missing.

They are reluctant to state the obvious and avoid giving the specifics and step-by-step information, thinking they would bore or insult their listeners.

Potential Blind Spots and Pitfalls

May be viewed by their Sensing colleagues as lost in the clouds.



Failing to be fully open in communicating with their team members and             being patient with those who need more information before moving forward.



Driving too hard. Being unrealistic about time requirements and practicality.



Not acknowledging the contributions of others, assuming that would be         stating the obvious or construed as manipulative.



Can be outspoken and may offend others with their critical questioning,          direct communication style and arguing their points too rigorously.

Intuition/Feeling (NFs) – Idealists

Jack

Heather

Jennifer

Jeff

On a Team

Those with a preference for both Intuition (N) and Feeling (F) pay attention to insights and to what could be instead of what is. They like to discuss relationships and values. Described as Idealists, NFs have a strong sense of what is right and honorable.

They are concerned about the future, how individual’s and the organization’s goals and aspirations can be achieved. Look to your NF team members to supply valuable insight into the human elements: team harmony, relationship marketing, client connectivity, and vendor relations. They are skilled at generating fresh ideas to meet clients’, stakeholders’, and employees’ needs.

NFs value the democratic, participatory process and believe that how well the team works together is as important as what it accomplished.

They communicate in general terms with few concrete details, often using metaphors and analogies to present their position.

Potential Blind Spots and Pitfalls

Being overly idealistic, too nice, and spending too much time on the people     issues.



May downplay colleagues’ faults, rescuing or doing for others what they            can do for themselves.



May fail to give straightforward feedback and criticism when needed.



May avoid unpleasantness, hoping that the problem will disappear or             resolve itself.



Tend to find routine paperwork, costs, budgets, and details frustrating,      especially if it keeps them from interacting with people.

Sensing/Perceiving (SPs) – Artisans

Greg

Patricia

Sandy

Mary

On a Team

Often described as Artisans, the SPs prefer the present to the past and usually are not very concerned with planning the future. Action, not ideas is what counts with them. Look to the SPs for innovative ways of doing things. They excel when introducing changes in systems and operations and have a sharp eye for new technologies and processes.

Keen observers who can quickly discern where breakdowns may occur, the SPs are considered to be good tactical problem solvers and able to create expedient solutions.

The SPs are flexible, resourceful, and adaptable in times of change. As realists, they will adapt their position as new facts surface and events change.

Use your SP team members’ negotiating talents to resolve strained situations and reach compromise/consensus.

Open-minded, tolerant, and flexible with expectations of self and others, SPs are typically easygoing.

Potential Blind Spots and Pitfalls

May be seen as impulsive, acting too quickly, jumping from project to           project without finishing tasks before moving on.



May irritate others by forgetting, side stepping or ignoring the team’s or organization’s rules, policies, and procedures.



May not see the big picture or enjoy tasks or meetings that involve

        long-term visioning or strategic planning.


May not take time to define roles and responsibilities and push ahead            before others are ready.

My Team’s Combinations

Guardians – SJs

Rationals – NTs

Idealists – NFs

Artisans – SPs

46%

18%

18%

18%

10

4

4

4

“The legacy I want to leave is helping people understand

that sometimes it’s really good if people aren’t like you.

There are different packages that work, and different styles that work.

And not that it’s just OK to be different…sometimes it’s better.”

                                                              - Debra Dunn, Hewlett-Packard

The Ryan Group - Leaders in Human Capital Management Solutions