Office culture has changed a lot over the past few years. More cooperative working spaces and hot-desking hubs are popping up all over the city. There are lots of alternatives to the regular 9-5 office hours, with more people than ever working as part of the ‘gig economy’ opting for freelance or self employed roles. Wether you’re self employed, building your own start up or working a regular job, there is one thing that hasn’t changed: the need to be able to collaborate with other people with varying work styles. So, what is your working style?
There are lots of different working styles from the lone maverick to the team leader. Let’s dig in and have a look…
What is Your Working Style?
Lone Maverick
Some people thrive working alone – we’ll call this the Lone Maverick working style. As a Lone Maverick you will have difficulty working closely with other people. You will struggle to work well under supervision. You want to run your own show and do things your own way. The Lone Maverick loves to follow their instinct and see where it leads.
Lone Mavericks are often innovative and entrepreneurial types. This independent working style lends itself to creative and scientific fields. Picture the engineer burning the midnight oil inventing a problem solving device or the writer penning their latest best-selling novel. The Lone Maverick working style is creative, disciplined and productive.
The Collaborator
The Collaborator performs best as part of a group. The Collaborator wants to share responsibility with the group for any task they take on. Bouncing ideas around, getting feedback and working together with colleagues on projects is where the collaborator thrives. Collaborators are typically diplomatic and great at communicating.
The Collaborator will thrive best in relationship-oriented roles like human resources and in managerial roles. Roles such as company directors and project managers are often known to have the collaborator work style types. The Collaborator is organised, a good communicator and thrives in a team.
Proximity Peer
The Proximity Peer working style is somewhere in between. The Proximity Peer prefers to work with peers, whilst maintaining sole responsibility for the job in hand. They like to be in charge but not working solo. They get to have a social connection working in proximity with their peers while pursuing their own projects. The Proximity Peer working style is valuable in all types of business. Typically versatile and able to take on many types of roles effectively.
The Proximity Peer will thrive in many types of working environment, but would suit contract and consultancy work best. This will often see them enter workplaces and work there as if they were an employee, but still be in control of the particular task. If you’re a Proximity Peer and decide to do contract work, make sure to use IR35 experts, QAccounting for your taxes. Of course, contracting can be difficult for other working styles but the Proximity Peer will thrive. The Proximity Peer is independent, cooperative and versatile.
Support Superstar
The Support Superstar is expressive and emotionally alert. These are individuals who love to form deep connections with those around them. Support Superstar team members with this style are great at facilitating team interactions and will always know if their fellow coworker is down in the dumps. The Support Superstar loves collaboration over competition. They love to support and thrive off seeing the success of the team.
Blue Sky Thinker
The Blue Sky Thinker is always focusing on the bigger picture. Often a leader or an entrepreneur. Blue Sky Thinkers see the vision and drive change to enable success. Having some Blue Sky Thinkers on your team will enable you to anticipate future obstacles and transform them into opportunities.
Chances are you know someone or recognise yourself as having one of these working styles. To have a team it’s always good to have a broad mix of working styles to create balance and harmony. Which one are you?
“Those with different work style types all have a part to play in the grand scheme of a successful business.”
– Tony Robbins, Entrepreneur, Bestselling Author, and Philanthropist
Stay fabulous
Christine
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