How to Manage Personalities that Arise in Meetings
There are 4 strong personalities that stand out for their ability, both positively and negatively, to impact team dynamics, especially when it comes to meetings: the Challengers, the Analyzers, the Implementers and the Collaborators.
The best team managers know how to utilize the strengths these four strong personalities while mitigating their weaknesses and the negative impact they have on the team.
THE CHALLENGERS. The big idea people, who love going against convention. They are the people that blurt out mid meeting "This is a stupid idea. I've got something better we can try instead." They can deliver the great idea that unsticks a team's thinking, but when the team has been developing that other idea for a long time, and some team members are deeply invested in the work that's already been done, the team dynamics can quickly sour.
THE ANALYZERS. The content experts, analyzers don't know everything, but what they do know, they know extremely well. When a team is dealing with a challenge that matches the Analyzer's area of expertise, you're on the path to solve the problem. But when the team focus strays from the Analyzer's areas of expertise, they get bored, lose interest, often affecting a dismissive attitude that can drag down other team members.
THE IMPLEMENTERS. The "get it done" people, they are great on the operational side, with tactical plans, deadlines and workflows. But Implementers can get so caught up in the logistics of asking "but is that idea feasible?" that they inhibit team innovation.
THE COLLABORATORS. Team-harmony focused, great at smoothing out the rough patches, but can also take collaboration and consensus building to an extreme that hinders team progress. For example, if an Implementer is playing devil's advocate to a Challenger's big idea and a fight is about to ignite, the Collaborator is the person who jumps in and says, "You know, Pat, that was a really smart idea, but let's just take a minute to talk to Chris about whether or not we really have a chance to make this work."
Finally, in order to create productive and engaging meetings, you’ll need to mobilize the talents of all personality types in team meetings –
Clearly identify the meeting topics, what the it hopes to accomplish and how participants should prepare.
Establish how decisions will be reached up front.
Equalize the room by picking a focal point, a central issue presented on a smart-board, whiteboard or flip chart.
Make sure to end every meeting acknowledging everyone's role and participation, and the specific agreements you've made as a result.
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