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The president of a small manufacturing firm called me to work with his leadership team. His staff wasn't working well together or meeting their business goals. A week before our first session took place, one of his team members, Ron, hit the wall. Ron had stood up in a meeting and yelled at the group, "I've had it. You will not give me one more thing to do!"

Successful teams possess four essential talents:

• DIAMOND talents to generate new ideas.
• CLUB talents to set projects up for success
• SPADE talents to organize and complete tasks
• HEART talents to ensure teamwork and positive climate

Diamond's want to be creative
Diamond talent individuals want to create innovation. At Apple Computer, founder Steve Jobs flurry of ideas was too discomforting for the establishment-minded leadership. The company offered him a VP position at Apple. But Jobs wasn't interested in playing small. He turned down the job and launched a new company called NeXT Computer - which Apple later bought from him for $400 million. Diamond talents thrive in organizations that support innovation and risk taking.

Club talents want to climb mountains
Club talents are natural change agents. Clubs often meet resistance simply because they are making waves. But making waves is the Club talent's stock and trade. A Club leader will have few qualms about outsourcing a whole division if that's what's needed. The Club knows that implementing a new system often means clearing out the old. Successful Clubs learn how to engage others and minimize resistance to change. They use their Club power to reach out and engage the right people. Club talents thrive in organizations that want growth and change.

Heart talents want a positive work climate
Heart Talent individuals can get short shrift in a rapid fire, "make it happen" organization that‘s focused strictly on the bottom line. In this environment, Hearts find it hard to contribute in a meaningful way. There is scant recognition for the time and effort they spend motivating, developing, and inspiring their staff.

Spade talents create efficiencies
Spades are busy getting things done. The challenge for Spade talents is when they work in a culture believes in working crisis to crisis. The Spade may feel undermined when they try to bring order to the mess. Spade talents need to feel respected and have their ideas and suggestions heard. They want to receive the support necessary to solve the problems see.

Spade Talent can also be overlooked. Their long hours and hard work can easily be taken for granted. Others assumed the Spade will dig in and get things done. Once in a while Spades need to look up and see where they are going - and even call attention to the good work they are doing. Be sure to recognize their contribution and hard work. The Spade talent thrives in a culture where their ideas are heard and actions are taken to remove barriers to performance.

The leader's role is to help employees orchestrate the right mix of talents to achieve the goals. At any point you might have too much of one talent or not enough of another. For example, you may have too many Hearts Talents on a team. When this happens meetings and discussions can become too emotional and process focused. Every topic is subject to endless rounds of circular discussions. Lots of energy is devoted to how everyone is feeling. However, not enough energy is directed at the task at hand and moving the agenda forward.

Conversely, a team comprised primarily of Spade talents concentrates exclusively on the work itself. They don't see why they should meet at all. When Spades do come together, they often run through a series of checklists asking, "Is this done? Is that done?" Spade discussions are about tactics. Dialogue about the vision, employee morale, and personnel policies are frequently not on the agenda. It's the work itself that motivates and propels Spades. But Spades types can miss important issues of sustenance.

Hold a meeting dominated by Club talents and you'll see a lot of wheeler-dealers who design plans for the future. However, an overabundance of Clubs can mean that immediate issues are not being addressed. For Club Talent individuals, the here and now concerns are not fun and take precious time away from bigger plans.

Diamond talents add innovation. But too many Diamonds on a team can create more ideas than can possibly be implemented. Diamonds can also disrupt projects that are already underway by throwing in their latest bright idea. Diamonds need to be aware of when suggesting one more idea is not helpful and interferes with progress.

Balance Mix of Talents
There's a right time and place for each talent contribution - the right balance is essential for success. The following chart outlines the contribution of each talent and identifies what happens when there is either too much or too little of a talent type. To be most effective, leaders need to strive for the right balance and mix of the four talent types. Notice when you have too much of any one talent:

It's especially important for employees to associate with others who are strong in their weakest talent. Typically, employees are weak in one or two of the four talent areas. Connecting with others who have skills that they don't increases their perspective and sensitivity to what's needed for project success.

Eliminate the "It's Not My Job!' Mindset

To a Spade, the Diamond's work of designing plans five years into the future is not real work. The Spade is dealing with projects that are due next week-not next year. To a Diamond, thinking about the mundane details of daily logistics is not ‘real work'- whereas, landing a big account or developing a new product is.

A Spade Talent who is doing Heart Talent work-such as team building--will feel as if it's all a big waste of time. They think, "When is this going to be over so I can get back to my real job?" The truth is that all talent types are necessary and each does real work. All talent types are necessary for a strong team. Employees need to appreciate the perspectives and priorities of other talent types.

Ensure accountability

Everyone must be responsible for the end-goal. Just because individuals do their part, doesn't mean they're off the hook. You must help knowledge workers recognize that once they do their part, they're not done. A Diamond might think, "I've just made an incredible breakthrough! Why do I need to get bogged down with the mundane details?" However, the Diamond Talent still needs to ensure a smooth handoff to someone else.

There's a strong tendency for each talent types to see their contribution as the most important. However, it's the lively exchange and combination of talents that brings the greatest value - not any one talent alone. As the leader, you can help employees see the value of different talents and avoid overusing their best talent.

Topics

• Leadership
• Managing Talents and Career