Building upon our overview of the five GC Index proclivities and how we can each apply them as individuals, we are now considering the value in understanding how our energy for contribution at the team / group level, drives our performance and impact. In so doing, we can understand as a group what we value, what we focus on, how we tend to lean in, what we may miss, not value, or appreciate external support with. Again, this is about understanding how our natural energy for contribution at the aggregate level, is the bridge between what we’re doing and how effectively we‘re doing it.

Why is this important?

If you apply a sports analogy to a team – when you’re building and developing your team, what positions do you want people playing? How do you determine that? It’s certainly not based upon personality, although that may factor into whether someone is the right cultural fit in the first place and how you communicate with them if they make the cut. Rather, it’s going to be based upon their relevant capabilities that are needed by the team (what they’re good at) and their unique application of those capabilities within the team (how they add value within the team dynamic).

Understanding our mix of the five proclivities which represent our natural energy and enthusiasm as a team for getting things done in a particular way, helps us review, understand, adjust and improve our contributions both as individuals and collectively, to outperform. We can overlay these proclivities against our contribution to a particular project, brand, product or customer relationship for example, to dynamically assess over time, how we can derive more value.

How can we support each other’s contributions, so that we can perform better as a team?

 We can consider our teammates’ internal and external drivers and areas of focus, per our previous article here. If we understand these, we can be intentional about how, when and why we would like that person’s input. Also, we can practice enriching their contribution strengths by tailoring the communication of our requests, questions and feedback accordingly.

For example, you think there could be a more effective way to carve out market share for one of your brands. You want to get your team’s input. If you had a mix of proclivities on the team, you could then consider the following questions tailored for each proclivity:

• Game Changer: What ideas to you have to get us a transformational result?
• Strategist: What would need to be true commercially, for us to achieve this result?
• Implementer: What do we need to do, to come out of the gates sprinting?
• Polisher: What should we consider to achieve the best possible outcomes?
• Playmaker: What support does the team need to most effectively achieve this?

We can also consider what our teammates need from us, in order to perform at their best. The best way to do this of course is to have the data based upon each of your teammates’ proclivities. If you don’t have this, the next best tactic would be to ask thoughtful questions, to ascertain what elements drive them at their best and then ask yourself – how could I best support that?

For example, this is what each proclivities’ core capability is, and the respective needs from their teammates to support it:

Game Changer’s Core Capability is: To imagine possibilities that others don’t and engage others with the excitement and vision of what is possible

In order to do this, Game Changers need:

• Space to play and be free to explore possibilities
• Help to verbalize and organize their thoughts
• Their ideas to be evaluated from a can-do perspective, rather than having their dreams killed by reality

Strategist’s Core Capability is: Join the dots to see patterns that reveal the bigger picture

In order to do this, Strategists need:

• Time to think things through before they act
• Space to ask ‘why’
• Acknowledgement of their need to feel purposeful

Playmaker’s Core Capability is: Getting the best from others by building trust and community

In order to do this, Playmakers need:

• A sense of teamwork and shared endeavor, pulling together
• A belief that we can rely upon each other
• A picture of what we can achieve as a team

Implementer’s Core Capability is: Translating strategy into tangible, feasible and realistic operational action

In order to do this, Implementers need:

• A ‘can-do’ mindset and energy
• Clear expectations and freedom to deliver
• Recognition of contribution when it comes to getting things done

Polisher’s Core Capability is: Constantly seeking to improve products/services; learn to not over-deliver when it isn’t necessary

In order to do this, Polishers need:

• Help balancing their high standards & self-critical nature
• Challenging to look after themselves and stop being a relentless perfectionist
• Team members who appreciate their standards

We can also apply all the aforementioned considerations, at the team level. Let’s say the team is Game Changer and Strategist heavy. We would have likely taken the time we need to articulate a potentially transformational idea and to map out a strategy around it which appeals to peoples’ hearts and minds. That’s how we’re wired, what energizes us, what we’re enthusiastic about. The issue being, how effective will our operating plan and initial execution be? How good will we be at reviewing & improving the process, to carve out incremental gains? Further, how are we going to be coordinating, challenging and developing each other and making adjustments to our contributions as we go?

These aren’t necessarily areas we need to bring in other people or rely on other teams for (although that can be one solution), as these contributions can be effectively implemented through learned skills. However, if we don’t have the natural energy (strengths) underpinning these skills, we have to be more adept at developing and refining them, more aware of how they affect our overall energy, and more open to constructive feedback on how to improve. Otherwise, disproportionately leaning into these contributions has the potential to drain our energy, increase frustration, stress, anxiety, tension & overwhelm, on the team. Yes – we can still get these things done well potentially, but how long for? It is not as sustainable as building skills on top of strengths.

So, as you can see there’s a lot to consider around the how of energy for contribution, that can result in game-changing results for teams and groups.

Our next article looks at the application of proclivities to the world level – organization and stakeholders. Then, each month, we’ll take a deep dive into one of the proclivities.

To learn more about how your own proclivities drive performance for you and your team, please fill out this quick form.