by Shawn | May 21, 2021 | Podcast
This week we’ve been looking at the four personality types as first presented by Gary Smalley.
They are Lion, Otter, Beaver and Retriever. If you missed any of the week’s episodes, head back and check them out.
Today, we’re going to talk about how all of these can work together to leverage their strengths.
The more you start to dig into these personality types, the more you’ll see them start to show up in the people in your organization.
And while some types tend to fit really well with certain roles, it’s also often happens that each person just brings that personality to their role that might not be what you would have assumed.
For example, because beavers are great with details, they make great accounts and financial specialists. Or even legal or otherwise.
But I’ve also known beavers in all kinds of other roles and I’ll see how both their strengths and weaknesses come out in those.
Lions are natural managers and leaders, but I know several lions who are in non management roles and they do a great job of speaking up, bringing to light important information and paving the way for others.
As for Otters, because of their love for being around people, they might thrive in an HR setting, but their weakness in the details could prove to be a struggle there. I love seeing otters littered throughout various groups where I’ve worked because they bring a new life to the group and a levity to what can be tough work.
And Retrievers can show up just about anywhere. I’ve often seem them sort of take on a caretaker role, looking out for coworkers, speaking up for others and doing their best to share their pulse of the organization.
Bottom line is that we each have a mix of these and we work best when all are present in a group. As well, it also helps to identify which type we are and be willing to examine those natural weaknesses that come along with that personality.
I think you’ll find the same in your business. And if you want your team to operate at its best, create a culture where strengths of one personality type feel comfortable helping to fill in for weaknesses of others.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this look at the four personality types. I love examining how we are each designed, what makes us special and unique and how we can grow and become our best selves in the process.
Thanks for listening to today’s episode. I’d love hear from you about today’s topic or just in general. You can shoot me an email at shawn@shawnwashburn.com or head to shawnwashburn.com/contact and you’ll find links to connect with me on social media as well.
by Shawn | May 19, 2021 | Podcast
This week we’re talking about the four personality types that you’ll find in your organization. To find out more background, go back and check out episode 22.
So far, we’ve discussed the take charge Lions and the easy going Otters.
Today, we’re going to take a look at the people who take care of the details… the Beavers.
Beavers LOVE the details. They love the rules, the structure, the instructions, the procedures.
They find the fatal flaw in the proposal, they dot the i’s and cross the t’s.
They excel at the analytical.
They can scan lines of code and pick out the error.
They can crush financial statements and love numbers and order.
They can often be perfectly content holed up at a desk just chomping away on data.
It is their superpower. And without them, our organizations would fall apart.
We’d miss important safety details in a procedure, fail to protect ourselves adequately in a contract.
We’d miss a crucial step in an instruction, have no idea where were financially and forget a major event that was coming up.
Beavers are like the glue that holds our businesses together.
And like each of the four, they are essential.
But also like the others, they have their weaknesses.
They are quite obviously the opposite of the otters.
And one of their challenges is to be able to think more creatively, come up with new ideas or solutions that maybe aren’t the standard way of approaching things.
Not always, but often they aren’t general connectors of people.
They can struggle when things don’t go according to plan, as opposed to the Otters who have lived their life on that principle.
I’m sure you know some Beavers on your team. And you’d do well to make sure they have access to those details or get a chance to review the data and instructions so that they’re secret skill can be put to full use.
Beavers are like the built in spell check of your organization.
Thanks for listening to today’s episode. I’d love hear from you about today’s topic or just in general. You can shoot me an email at shawn@shawnwashburn.com or head to shawnwashburn.com/contact and you’ll find links to connect with me on social media as well.
by Shawn | May 18, 2021 | Podcast
This week we’re talking about the four personality types that you’ll find in your organization. To find out more background, go back and check out episode 22.
Yesterday we talked about the take-charge lions of your group.
Today will be a little more fun because it’s time to highlight the life of the party… your otters.
Otters are naturally fun and relational.
When you drop an otter into a boring meeting, they’re bound to spice it up. They hate the mundane and live for creative and spur of the moment.
Otters are idea people, they’re always thinking, and they tend to live in the “outside the box” realm.
Otters bring life to your organization and you can feel it when they’re around… and when they’re not.
They love to connect people, to make others feel part of the group.
They will give you some of your best ideas, challenge the status quo and lift the spirits of the company at the same time.
They thrive around others and make great teammates.
But… like with the other personalities, they also have their weaknesses as well.
They are horrible at the details. They detest the rules, the disciplines, the step-by-steps.
They often struggle with keeping projects on task and on target.
They are so full of ideas and wanting to try new things that they can sometimes need to be reigned in.
They will be prone to missing key pieces of communication or conversations because their minds are already 5 minutes ahead.
Though they love to connect with others, they can sometimes have fun at the expense of others as well without knowing it.
Just like with Lions, your team needs otters as well. Otters make work fun. They help people feel valued and included. They bring about great new ideas and challenge others to think outside the box.
Value your otters. They breathe life into your team.
Thanks for listening to today’s episode. I’d love hear from you about today’s topic or just in general. You can shoot me an email at shawn@shawnwashburn.com or head to shawnwashburn.com/contact and you’ll find links to connect with me on social media as well.
by Shawn | May 17, 2021 | Podcast
Back in Episode 22 I introduced the idea of the four personality types that I first heard described by Gary Smalley years ago.
The four types are Lion, Otter, Beaver and Golden Retriever.
There are certainly tons of assessments these days for personality, mindset, strengths, and how we relate to the world. But this is still one of the simplest and one of the most profound that I’ve seen.
And along with helping us understand more about ourselves and those we do life with, they are also helpful in the workplace, helping us to understand our team members and how to work well together.
This week, we’re going to dig into each of the four. And today’s focus will be on the Lions.
As you might expect, the lions are the natural leaders, the ones who will step into a room and take charge.
They have no problem speaking up and are great at charging forward with a plan.
We need lions in our organizations. And you might very well be one yourself.
We need their strength, their courage, their ability to hold steady, set a vision and bring others along with them.
Like with lions in the wild, there is often no question who the lions of your organization are.
They are often confident, vocal, decisive, tenacious and driven.
They are a vital part of giving a team a path forward and paving that path as they go.
As with the other personalities, lions also have weaknesses and blind spots.
Lions can sometimes roll right over others, especially their soft-spoken golden retriever colleagues.
They can be prone to not really listening well or taking others views into account.
Because they are able to come into a situation, quickly assess, and make decisions, they may not take the time to understand the work that has already been done or decisions that have already been thought through. And this can sometimes leave others feeling invisible.
Their natural opposite is the people and feeling-centric golden retrievers.
You get the picture.
Every organization needs each of these personalities to thrive. And they need to understand who they have on board to really figure out how to work best together, see each other’s blind spots and leverage the strengths that each person brings to the table.
So maybe you could start to make up a list of the different personalities on your team today.
Starting with the lions… which shouldn’t be hard.
Just listen for the roar.
Thanks for listening to today’s episode. I’d love hear from you about today’s topic or just in general. You can shoot me an email at shawn@shawnwashburn.com or head to shawnwashburn.com/contact and you’ll find links to connect with me on social media as well.
by Shawn | May 14, 2021 | Podcast
If my pre-calc teacher from the late 80s is listening, I want to say right now that I’m sorry for what you’re about to hear.
You were great. Really, you were. But… I was someone who could get bored sometimes and looked for something creative to do.
I can still remember sitting in that high school pre-calc class with my brand new Casio fx-7500G scientific, graphing, hinged, flip open calculator.
Now I know that I actually used it at some point to draw graphs and do… you know… pre-calc stuff.
But this thing also had the ability to write and save programs.
Programs that could, say, create a fun mini gambling game where if you guessed the right number you could double your imaginary calculator money.
Or, if a certain student not to be named here was interested in doing so, they could create a program to graph something like Bart Simpson… for example.
Suffice to say, both of those kept me company throughout the year along with other fun exploits on the Casio.
But do you know what the most amazing thing is about that calculator?
It’s still working. Today. In May 2021.
In fact, I have it right in front of me and it’s still my go-to after 30 years. Though now, I actually use it for stuff like math.
Not only does it still work, but did I mention it was hinged?
I’m talking about a hinged calculator that has been opened and shut thousands of times over the last 30 years.
More than enough times to ruin most hinged devices that you might find today.
But not my Casio. Still going strong.
I kind of keep picturing the day that I’m going to go to turn it on or open up the hinge and it will just have finally given out.
And I’ll sort of hold it there in my palm, rest my other hand on top of it and whisper quietly “You were such a good calculator and I’ll never forget you”.
But, that day hasn’t come… yet.
So, why am I rambling on about a thirty year old calculator?
Because back in the late 80s the people of Casio decided to make something that would last.
And whenever I use my calculator, there is a voice inside of me that sort of nudges me to do the same.
Make something that will last.
Do something worthwhile. With your work. With your life. In your family. In your community.
Leave a mark. Make an impact that will resonate for decades to come.
Create a product, capture a photograph, give a speech, build a structure, write a book, record a podcast, serve exceptionally.
Whatever it is that you’re about today, consider putting just a little bit more of yourself into it.
You never know when that thing you’re creating might just be sitting on someone’s desk 30 years from now… or helping them graph pictures of Bart Simpson.
Either way, you’ll know that you’ve done something pretty special.
Make something that lasts.
Thanks for listening to today’s episode. Connect with me on Instagram @shawnwashburn7
