We continue our monthly exploration into optimizing people’s energy for impact, focusing on Polisher-heavy teams. As one of the five energy-based proclivities within The GC Index® teams, those heavy on Polisher tendencies tend to drive progress through improvement. 

Like all the proclivities, this is a critical attribute for a company, enabling it to establish excellence in execution through setting high standards, reviewing, refining and improving practices, policies, procedures and products. 

Following the structure of our previous team articles, we explore how to lead a Polisher-heavy team to optimize their impact on the business by:

• Understanding the context for creating a Polisher-friendly environment.
• Building upon the team’s core competencies.
• Enhancing cohesion with other teams and cross-functional colleagues.

Understanding the Polisher-friendly Context:

Polisher teams are task-focused but unlike their Implementer counterparts, aren’t solely focused on completing tasks that meet basic requirements. Rather, they are striving for perfection and may settle for excellence. They thrive when they are making progress, can see the results of their actions and are stretching themselves to the highest standards. Tension and frustration may arise when other teams don’t share their high standards and are pushing ideas or actions without consideration of how to best deliver them. Further strain may come about, if they don’t have the resources or time they need in order to polish things to perfection.

Polisher teams are inherently optimistic as they truly believe everything can be better, however; in order to convert that optimism into forward momentum, they have to learn how to bring others along for the journey. On a team of polishers, they will likely learn, fail and fix from each other. In collaboration with other teams, they will need to carefully articulate the steps on the journey to excellence, so there is clarity from the other teams on how specifically they can contribute and add value to that journey. Otherwise, the standards and expectations may just seem unachievable. Polishers can tend to debate strategic actions and need to be mindful of balancing rigor with negativity; thus suggesting what would be better to drive more commercial value vs. what isn’t working, for example, will likely engage others more effectively. Polisher teams will tend to push each other and while supporting each other with learning, improving and excelling, need also to step back, take care of themselves and ensure they are focused on polishing the hinges that really need polishing, to conserve their energy for the things that matter most.

Building upon the Team’s Core Competencies:

Polisher teams excel in Innovation, Quality Control & Compliance, and Work Ethic. Leaders should focus on developing skills aligned with these core competencies:

1. Innovation: the Polisher version of innovation is on reviewing, refining and improving things that already exist, rather than coming up with ideas that are new, different, radical or transformational (that’s their Game Changer colleagues). It’s the rigor of the approach, the small refinements and tweaks that can lead to polisher led transformation, as part of continuous improvement. To build upon this energy, a leader should set and inspire with high standards, ensuring the team members understand the expectations and specifically how they can contribute towards them. Further, model and encourage an environment of review and learning, where it is ok to fail, so long as we fix. Finally, encouraging debate around improvement that is grounded in progress not stuck in deficiencies.
2. Quality Control & Compliance: Evaluating how an organization or department is executing against various standards benefits from a polishers eye. They are energized to see what needs to be done and how things can be improved to meet (or beat) the required standards. A key part of driving value here is ensuring that the polishers are focused on polishing the things that are core value drivers, not necessarily every little thing. Helping them understand when things can be ‘good enough’ or ‘fit for purpose’ by providing a broader context (Strategist) or aligning activities to the possibilities ahead (Game Changer) can help focus their efforts where they make the most impact.
3. Work Ethic: like their Implementer Team colleagues, polishers appreciate being recognized and rewarded for their high achieving and hard-working nature. Leaders should model these attributes, but also be mindful of potential burnout. Encouraging team members to take care of themselves (and each other), to give themselves a break, to celebrate their small wins, can all help with keeping their polishing energy positive, vs. self-critical and never good enough.

Building Cohesion with other Teams and Cross-functional Groups:

Polisher teams are often seen as the gatekeepers to perfection, or at least excellence: “if we walk through this gate, we’re not getting out the other side without a lot of rigor, review, refinement and hard work.” This energy, while inherently positive, can be intimidating for other teams. Thus, it is critical that both polisher teams and their counterparts, with other energies for impact, know how to get the best results together.

One of the ways polishers can demonstrate their value is throughout all stages of the business (product / brand) cycle. Their eye for excellence can be applied early on to an idea, to articulation of a strategy, or to getting a project off on the right (or best) foot. It’s how they do this that is key, as much as how it is received. Taking a ‘can-do’, ‘imagine or what if’ approach may inspire engagement to improvement from other teams, rather than burst bubbles, or raise a perceived unnecessary delay to a process.

Additionally, leaders should share and communicate some of the commercial wins that have come from the polishing team’s efforts. Everyone wants the organization to succeed and polishers can demonstrate a direct line of input to a number of wins.

Equally, it is important for leaders to know when to encourage their polishing team to let go and step back. To allow other teams to proceed with projects, practices, products or processes that may not meet their polisher standards of perfection, but are necessary and fit for purpose. This can reduce some of the potential tension and resistance with other teams engaging with the Polishers as they may feel their efforts are never good enough. Thus, encouraging more openness and even proactive engagement when those other teams appreciate that they would benefit from the Eagle eye!

In conclusion, Polisher-heavy teams are high-achieving, excellence seeking and progress-driven. Understanding the context that builds upon their Polisher energy, along with enhancing core competencies with innovation, compliance & quality control, while sustaining a strong work ethic, will optimize their impact on the business.

To learn more about how we support leaders and teams to optimize their energy for impact, click here.