When Management Goes Bad

How to restore balance & communicate with the 7 Roles.

Ever had a bad manager?

Chances are, you have — and at a cost. According to research conducted by Gallup, a staggering 50% of employees leave their companies because of their boss. Other than triggering a “yikes,” this stat highlights the importance of balance within the 7 Roles — the seven behavioral skill sets of a highly effective team.

Normally we focus on the positive side of the 7 Roles — how to grow, move forward, and set goals using your strengths. However, today we’ve chosen to highlight the risks involved when the Roles are played to the extreme. By uncovering the downsides of an overplayed Role, we’ve identified ways to communicate to promote balance once again.

So wherever you find yourself today — contemplating joining the 50% who leave their jobs, or seeking to better your managerial skills — assessing which of the 7 Roles you, a colleague or a manager plays and implementing a new communication tip may make all the difference.

1. Prophet

Visionaries to the core, Prophet’s boldly speak their mind, sharing criticisms of the current systems, processes, and sometimes people. Most often found in lead-dominant roles, Prophet Managers may bulldoze their way past others’ emotions, feelings, and concerns.

When balanced, these managers offer realistic and innovative solutions that challenge the status quo. Additionally, we can benefit from their ability to say “no” and thereby set healthy boundaries ourselves.

Communication tips

• Prophets speak their mind and get straight to the point — so should you. Instead of sending a verbose, detailed email, use bullet points and summarize your key points.
• With every problem, offer solutions that tie your idea back to the vision.
• If something they said did some damage — confront them honestly, and offer a solution as to how you both could work together better.

2. Organizer

Efficiency, structure, systems. The 3 main food groups of an Organizer diet. Like walking calendars, Organizers have a plan and an internal clock for each day, maximizing their time and focusing on growth. When focused on workflow and process (aka rules) over people, Organizers can be seen as the archetypical micromanagers.

When balanced, Organizers are incredible at managing time, planning, and of course, organizing. They bring order to chaos and are essential to any functioning system.

Communication tips

• Pushing back passively or aggressively is likely to erode trust, and increase your manager’s need to control. Instead, focus on building trust by succeeding in the dimensions they care about.
• Be direct about your plan and how much involvement you expect (or don’t) from them. Be consistent with updates on progress.
• If all else fails, remember that everyone loves positive feedback. Remind your boss that their time and effort is more valuable when spent on the big picture, not on minutiae.

3. Team Builder

Pop quiz: what’s a dirty, 8 letter word that unhealthy Team Builders avoid at all costs? You got it, “politics!” Kidding, it’s “conflict.” When unhealthy, Team Builders become over-sensitive to team dynamics. Like an emotional sponge, they can absorb others’ negative feelings and shut down: avoiding necessary conflict altogether.

When balanced, Team Builders create empathetic, supportive, and harmonious work environments that inspire purpose and collaboration. Their ability to listen and care for others is the glue that holds the team together.

Communication tips

• When emotion or opinion seems to weigh the conversation down, focus on the facts and reasonable action steps.
• Create opportunities for sharing opposing ideas and perspectives.
• Avoid blunt and abrupt conversation. Team Builders benefit from small-talk, so don’t be afraid to share; you’re building trust.

4. Conceptualizer

“Think before you leap” is the motto of the Conceptualizer. Before making a decision, this role seeks to understand everything they can about the process, data, project, etc. They value consistency, so to disrupt the current processes, considerable support data is necessary. As such, this role can appear stagnant, risk-averse, and decision avoidant when overplayed.

However, balanced Conceptualizers understand that quality takes time. Without this role, teams risk expending energy and resources towards projects doomed to failure. With the help of Conceptualizer research and careful thought, adverse outcomes are avoided.

Communication tips

• Trying to challenge the status quo or get your point across? You better have data to back it up.
• Instead of hopping on a “quick” call, a well-thought-out, detailed email may be the best way to communicate difficult topics.
• Need help? Conceptualizers take pride in their ability to teach others — don’t be afraid to ask!

5. Implementor

Implementors are masters at getting things done. By taking a task, this role can break down the next steps into an orderly progression and start making progress. When overplayed, Implementors may prefer to do it ‘their way,’ instead of delegating. As such, the unhealthy Implementor is most susceptible to overwhelm, overload, and burnout.

When balanced, Implementors are reliable and often the first to volunteer. They take pride in doing the detailed dirty work others shirk. You can count on them to work hard and make progress.

Communication tips

• When tasks are being assigned, encourage delegation and the support of other team members.
• Before jumping into work, start by prioritizing the key items that drive the business forward and directly add value.
• By proactively seeing and filling a need, you’ll lighten the load for your manager and team.

6. Investor

Wherever they go, Investors seek to maximize opportunities. They skillfully acquire the right people and resources to achieve success. When overplayed, this Role views people over profit and is overly cautious with finances.

When balanced, teams benefit from their wide network, ability to negotiate, and focus on the bottom line. Healthy Investors find good deals, a more profitable path, and secure the future of a project.

Communication tips

• Investors will turn down immediate gains for big wins in the end. Highlight the value of what you’re doing as it relates to the long game.
• The Investors language of choice is value. Speak to value and the ROI and you’ll have their attention.
• Investors like to keep their options open. When communicating with others, be sure not to disparage another person’s ideas or values.

7. Luminary

Take 30 seconds, and name a few qualities of a leader. Chances are, you’ve described the characteristics of the Luminary. The classic bold, charismatic, optimistic, friend-to-all who generates excitement and energy around their ideas.

The pitfall of the unbalanced Luminary is mobilizing their network towards an idea that lacks vision or purpose. Or, simply by being too gregarious and valuing the attention over the mission.

When balanced, Luminary’s use their abundant conversational skills to grow their network and encourage others to embrace challenges. This Role is the master of influence.

Communication tips

• When possible (and still authentic), flavor your conversations or mundane meetings with excitement and fun!
• Luminary’s suffer when isolated, and thrive in social settings. Lively events or working sessions won’t be wasted.
• When your manager proposes an idea, ask how it ties back into the vision or purpose of the company or project. A Luminary manager appreciates the space to share what they’re excited about.

Conclusion

No one wins from frustrated or less than effective teams. Whether you want to improve your skills or raise the long-term positive impact of your teams, we hope these tips will help you to thrive.

Our mission at Lumiere Sciences is to equip today’s workforce to lead, hire and retain top talent. Our family-owned company, My Team Role, can give you a brief overview of the roles, let you access our assessment, and allow you to schedule individual coaching sessions with one of our executive coaches.