A workplace ‘dream team’ has a variety of unique personalities and requires a balanced mix of skilled players placed in roles that best utilize each of their talents. At Nortek Solutions, we pride ourselves on the variety of talented individuals that make up our organization. We feel it’s the combination of our peoples’ strengths that define our success. What about you and your team?

Don Fornes, CEO at Software Advice, wanted to learn more about what motivated his top performers. So, he commissioned a business psychologist, Dr. James Maynard, to see what made them tick. All in an effort to better lead employees and manage them in a style they respond best to.

The research concluded in four distinct personality profiles – The Giver, The Champ (and the Chip), The Matrix Thinker and The Savant – that identify their strengths and weaknesses, motivations and the jobs in which they excel. Do you have these players in your workplace Dream Team?

A Giver

A Giver is a supporting player who puts others first, both at home and in the workplace. They come in early, stay late and go above and beyond for their team and the company. While they can be great leaders, they don’t really want to be the “boss.” They perform best when their goals are presented to them. Givers are loyal to the company they work for and always follow the rules. However, sometimes they give so much that they burn themselves out.

Givers are great supporters, so they excel in customer service and support roles where they can help customers or executives directly. This makes them excellent administrative assistants, customer service representatives and even managers.

A Champ (and their Chip)

The Champ is your archetypal high-performing salesperson. Champs are high-energy and charismatic; they love interacting with people, and know how to read them. They have confidence in their abilities and are driven to be the best at what they do–and they often succeed. However, most Champs also have a Chip on their shoulder. In most cases, this drives their ambition; but in others, it manifests itself in cockiness and problems with authority.

Champs have the greatest propensity for success in sales, C-suite executive and political roles, where a competitive edge, strong leadership and communication skills are required.

A Matrix Thinker

Matrix Thinkers are exceptionally creative, both artistically and intellectually. They are constantly absorbing inputs from everything in their environment, and frequently connect the dots between ideas in revolutionary ways. Matrix Thinkers are innovative problem-solvers and are often visionary — but they may struggle with communicating their ideas to others. They can become bored and distracted quickly, and may be impulsive decision-makers. When highly-functioning, they are brilliant; when poorly-functioning, they are in chaos.

The best roles for Matrix Thinkers are creative positions that stimulate their intellectual and imaginative drive. Matrix Thinkers typically excel as designers, artists or content writers. Those who have a good handle on their communication skills and have the confidence to prove their groundbreaking ideas can rise to the ranks of CEO. They have the potential to be visionary leaders.

A Savant

Savants are independent and are natural problem-solvers. Their focus and determination allow them to concentrate intensely for hours at time, often times not stopping until the project is complete. They are self-motivated perfectionists that hold themselves to high standards, and strive to deliver the best possible product. Savants have developed a superior talent in a single field; they’re really good at what they do.

Savants excel in writing, research, and creatives roles. They are natural wordsmiths, and their problem-solving nature makes them great researchers. Their creative skills and active imaginations combined with their natural talent for words makes them great content creators or editorial directors.

By understanding what makes these personality types tick, placing them in their ideal roles and managing them according to their unique needs, you, too, can build a Dream Team that helps your company achieve success.

This was originally posted on the Nortek Solutions blog.