Part 5 of 7 By Al Mills
Six Types of Working Genius: Galvanizing
The Six Types of Working Genius uses the acronym WIDGET. Widget represents six categories of work that are necessary for almost any type of project. Usually, people discover that two of those categories really inspire and energize them. Read on to learn about the first category, Galvanizing.
Usually, when I work through The Six Types of Working Genius, either with individuals or as a team, I enjoy the connection I have with Galvanizers. Certainly not because of my personality, because I’m pretty introverted, but I’ve found most Galvanizers, are people who are adept at making connection with other people. This isn’t necessarily 100%, but I’ve seen this often enough to recognize that there could be a pattern here that makes sense.
If you are a Galvanizer, it’s pretty likely that connecting people is high on your motivations list, and it energizes you. Galvanizers are the troop gatherers, inspirers, and motivators. When faced with a project, Galvanizers rally people to the cause and inspire them to take up the fight. Painting a picture of the vision and mission of the organization or the project, Galvanizers are a crucial part of organizational activities as team members participate more fully and with more energy when Galvanizers are doing their thing.
Teams that lack Galvanizers have trouble executing new initiatives well, or tackling projects with energy. Maybe the team performance in this instance is best described as lacklustre. While Galvanizers do play a bit of a role of cheerleading, it’s important to understand that the role is much more than that.
The ongoing role of Galvanizer continues from the initial inspiration and rallying of the team. We all know that vision leaks. In other words, the greatest motivations atrophy over time and need a fresh influx of energy and definition. That’s why leaders often remind teams about the DNA and culture of their organization. It’s why teams need regular reminders of the why and how of the way a company does business. Constant reminder keeps these issues at the forefront of peoples’ minds. Galvanizers may well rally the troops in the beginning, but they also keep the team Galvanized.
Galvanizers can also be considered persuaders. During the course of inspiring people Galvanizers may help team members alter their own thinking and be moved to adopt a new position and support the team in its effort.
Galvanizers are especially powerful when they know that the project for which they are providing inspiration is a worthwhile endeavour. Any of us will respond better to a compelling vision as compared to something that doesn’t have a lot of intrinsic value. Motivation is much easier for any role when individuals understand how their role contributes in meaningful ways to the overall mission and vision of the organization. Galvanizers fit this bill as well, performing much better when the value of the project is clear and contributes to the growth and success of the organization in which they are involved.
If this is one of your Geniuses, you represent great value to your team. And your organization represents great value to you; by ensuring your role involves galvanizing, the company will get the best from you, while you get the best from the company. So get to galvanizing!!
Next: Enablement
Al Mills is the lead consultant and founder of The Advantage Mill, a company dedicated to bringing out the best in the workplace. You can find the website at www.theadvantagemill.com.