Influential U senior faculty member John Baigent explains the need and benefit of having the right mix of ‘Transactional Personalities’ in your team to ensure it is not lopsided and slowing things down.
On one of my projects, the site foreman was an experienced builder who could always come up with a solution to a problem. It was in his nature to tinker — and that was the problem.
While his ideas were helpful at the pre-consent stage, once we were in construction, tinkering with design/plans was not helpful.
This desire to constantly “improve” on what was being built started to extend the programme and chew up valuable resources.
He just didn’t get that his behaviour in this transaction called “building a building” was totally inappropriate. His job was to oversee the project — to have it built to the specifications and on time.
What was called for was determination and rigour, but what we got was the opposite. This foreman had a strong personality, so at project meetings, I had to adopt a “Mr Grumpy” persona to keep him on track and hit home the impact his behaviour was having on me and my bottom line.
I was aided by the fact that I had positional authority. As the property developer, I was the client after all but, even so, it was necessary to document everything as a means of holding him to account.
We got there in the end, but it highlighted to me the need and benefit of having the right transactional personalities in the right roles. Square pegs in round holes can really slow things down!
Transactional Personalities
If you relate to the above, it might be time to consider the transactional personalities of your team, and if the team is lopsided. Do you know the mix of personalities best suited for your team?
Have you ever wondered why some teams go well and others — well, they seem like a train wreck? Consider the personalities involved. Too much of a good thing (or one type of personality) can be disastrous.
My transactional personality is “Inventor”. Full of good ideas living in a subjective world. We’ll have lots of ideas, even when ideas are not needed — all we’ll do is talk about it and jump straight into action, forgetting about the others involved.
On the other hand, “Performers” will be constantly trying to “people” everyone, keeping the mood high and taking care of everyone’s (perceived) needs. They tend to avoid commitment.
You’ll recognise the objective “Producers” — they have their lists and just want to do something. The problem is that what they end up doing may not be entirely aligned with what’s actually needed.
Finally, the sceptical “Judges” are happy to deconstruct everything and tell you what you should have done.
That’s not very helpful when we’re trying to invent a future, because their focus is on the past.
Many teams miss or dismiss one or more of these personalities, and that’s a mistake. Depending on the purpose and aims, each team will have a different mix of personalities.
Trying to involve all personalities is a smart move because all viewpoints are covered for any given situation. However, this can be a problem if there are less than four of you!
One of my businesses involves just me. I get around the issue of having all personalities involved by having a small advisory board with each of the personalities represented.
I’m amazed at how other personalities see the same situation in different ways, and am delighted that I can use those viewpoints to the advantage of the business.
Do you know which transactional personality you are? If not, see the link at the end to take the quiz and find out.
Superpowers
If you know which transactional personality you are then you can get a sense of the value or cost you are in a transaction. We call your value your Superpower. Did you know its flipside is your Kryptonite?
My superpower is the ability to see a way out of, through or forward in virtually any situation.
The problem is those ideas are all very subjective — the idea is there, but the detail behind it can be very sketchy at times. I “know” the result but not always the specific activities needed to get there.
Consequently, I go from idea to result and then work on those around me to produce the results I had in mind, trying to secure their commitment with promises about the future that I think we want.
If only they would do what I’m thinking!
While I’m valuable at the formulation stage of a transaction, I can be very high cost when it comes time to implement. Who wants to be second-guessing what I had in mind or hearing about ways I’ve thought of to improve things?
Some of you will recognise what I’m saying in yourself, and others, well, you’ll be thinking “not another ego-driven idiot. Can’t they come up with something practical so that I can just get on with it”?
Luckily, with the training I’ve had, I’m now aware of my Superpower and my Kryptonite. I know where I can add real value to a transaction and, just as importantly, I know when to shut up.
I’ve learnt to seek out and engage with those that use narrative and relationship as their Superpower.
Working together, we can engage the whole team in the transaction so that everyone can play to their Superpowers.
Roles
Are you starting to get the feeling that our personalities make us suitable for some roles in a transaction and unsuitable for others?
If you’re like me, you tend to want to do everything yourself (because nobody can do it as I do) or you’ve got no one else — you have to do it.
Over time, we get practised at playing each role in the transaction, and I think I’m quite good at sales, contracts, delivery, assessment and reinvention.
And there’s the problem! I only see what I’m offering customers from my perspective. There are three other different perspectives (or Superpowers) that could (and should) be used at the appropriate time in a transaction.
Just because I can sell, doesn’t mean I should. I know others who are far better at selling than I am — it’s their Superpower.
Many years ago my father suggested I should be a generalist. It was some of the worst advice I ever had!
Trying to be a generalist actually held me back. Not focusing on the role (in a transaction) that I was best suited for had me focus on everything. A jack of all trades and master of none.
When I realised that specialisation was the key, and that my Superpower in a transaction was in the domain of planning (looking at the facts, inventorying resources and formulating possibilities), things started to move for me.
I learnt to gather around me all four of the transactional personalities needed, and then actively use their perspectives in shaping my offer.
Each knows their role and the appropriate time for them to speak up, (or shut up).
By focusing on the specialisation of roles, I have been able to focus on my specialisation, which is bringing professional influence and Transactional competence to the environment of teams.
Transactional Leadership
When we know our roles in a transaction, we can start to consider Transactional Leadership.
Transactional Leadership is more than one “leader” — and who it is, well, that depends on where we are in a transaction.
Transactional Leadership is reciprocal and co-constitutive. That means that this type of leadership relies on the group (leadership is a social phenomenon) playing to their individual strengths and taking responsibility in that part of the transaction where they are best suited.
The common phrase we hear in groups that practice Transactional Leadership is “where are we in the transaction, who’s leading?”
Now this presupposes that they are familiar with the transaction cycle, understand transactional personalities and behaviour, and understand which transactional personality is best suited in which quadrant of the transaction cycle.
Consider also that leadership occurs in the gaps between people (it doesn’t reside in a particular individual), so there also needs to be a willingness and acceptance of the group working collectively.
It is the group that sets the rules on how leadership emerges and unfolds over time.
And it is this practice, this learning achieved through the constant reorganising or reconstructing of experience, that enables teams to function at higher and higher levels.
Want to know more? Take the quiz: https://quiz.tryinteract.com/#/610dbd0f96add90017a757c8
• John Baigent is an experienced property developer, business consultant and senior faculty member at Influential U where he teaches business professionals the philosophy and practice of Transactional Competence.
