Working styles
Working styles describe the way people naturally approach tasks, collaborate with others and add value to a team. Deloitte's Business Chemistry framework identifies four primary styles: Pioneers, Drivers, Integrators and Guardians. Each brings different strengths and creates different friction. Strong teams have a deliberate mix.
You get most energised by:
Pioneers are imaginative, adventurous and energised by possibility. They generate ideas, embrace risk and look for what could be. They thrive on novelty and dislike rigid process. Pioneers are great at sparking innovation and shifting direction, but can frustrate colleagues who want detail or follow-through.
At their best: creative, optimistic, persuasive. Watch out for: jumping between ideas, leaving execution to others, underestimating risk.
Working across styles
- Pioneers working with Guardians: slow down, share the structure, respect the detail.
- Drivers working with Integrators: pause for relationship, name the trade-off, invite input.
- Integrators working with Drivers: be direct, stay on the issue, push back when needed.
- Guardians working with Pioneers: make space for the idea before testing the risk.
Knowing your own style - and naming the styles around you - takes most of the heat out of working differences and unlocks the team's full range.
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