Time management - People
People
General
People are not all the same; they can not be guided or cajoled by a series of rules.
Personnel can be broadly characterised into particular types.
Knowing what these are and how people fit into them is very useful.
It is important that when you have a team to try to get a balance of the key types.
Also, it is useful to know the characteristics of people for the purposes of delegation.
Key attributes of individuals can be covered under 4 areas of ‘introvert’, ‘extrovert’, ‘fact’s and feelings’.
A person can be ‘categorised’ by putting him / her into boxes as in the diagram above.
The boxes create a hard edge in compartmentalising people which would not exist in practice. These are still a good guide.
A person in this box would tend to mull over facts and be very thorough before acting. They like detail and can be relied upon for accuracy.
Accuracy is their forte. They are good at analysing information and noticing technical errors. They are thorough and methodical and will give great support to anyone in Box 2. If you need a well organised approach to a task this is the person to give it to.
Box 2 (extrovert and facts)This person also enjoys facts but is much more comfortable in losing the detail to get to the key points from which he / she can make a decision.
They are usually results driven.
They tend to drive their projects, getting to grips easily with the salient points. If you need a job doing under pressure then these are the people to delegate it to.
Box 3 (introvert and feelings)Relationships with people and getting to trust them are key elements for this person when making decisions.
Where people are involved (most of the time) there is potential for mistakes. Persons in this box are good at making judgements based upon people factors. They can usually foresee problems relating to resource which are difficult to support with facts. They will need encouragement to put forward their concerns and may seem to be holding up a meeting. Their input can compliment the hard facts and fast pace approach of Box 2 candidates.
Box 4 (extrovert and feelings)This person is decisive but may use gut feelings ahead of factual assessment.
These people are creative and look forward in a positive manner. They are easily derailed at meetings and as such can be seen as time wasters when deviating from the point of the discussion. They are good motivators. They will take on tasks but need careful monitoring and reminders to get towards completion.
You can see that if you can compile a team with at least one person from each type your approach to projects and other tasks will be more balanced.
Weaknesses
The above covers the good points about being in Boxes 1,2,3 and 4.
There can be some drawbacks.
Perfectionism here can lead to delays in coming to a decision. This often results from waiting for information. They perhaps need encouragement to focus on the required output and reduce the detail at times.
Box 2They can work to hard and often need to stand back from the problem and relax a little more.
Box 3Can be a little timid and spend too much time helping others instead of focussing on their own objectives.
Box 4Although having plenty of enthusiasm they will often prove inefficient due to a lack of planning.
Therefore they like to do easier tasks first and would avoid challenges.
Being aware of and considering these personality traits can help you in many areas.