You can use your newfound expertise in personality types to better understand how to deal with other aspects of employee behavior.  Need to get a decision out of that quiet lady by the copiers?  If you’ve done your homework on personality types, you will recognize that that her reluctance does not come from obstructionism. 

Rather, she is an analyzer.  She has to absorb and analyze every piece of information before she makes a decision.  She needs time and a lot of information before she comes to a conclusion.  If she requests more data right when you think that the cluster should have reached a decision, it’s not because she’s trying to thwart your plan. 

She really thinks she can come up with a better idea.  Your job is to use your knowledge of personality types to make the best use of her analytical ability for the good of the project, while at the same time recognizing that her reluctance to come to a conclusion does not mean that she is trying to hold up your project.

What about the Vendor Guy who always seems to be aware of every detail of your orders and their shipments; but can’t seem to understand when you tell him that you need to streamline your supply chain?

The Vendor Guy is an example of someone who is great at the details, but not so good at seeing the big picture.  If he’s on your team, you need to pay attention to his strengths and weaknesses.  You can rely on him to manage an amazing number of details.  However, you may have to spend a little extra time explaining how his role fits into the bigger picture of the project.

Again, your study of personality types will help you to use the Vendor Guy’s abilities to help your cluster, and to turn his liabilities into assets for the project.

The Poor Performer

Now we’re down to Moe.  Moe, to put it mildly, is not a high energy performer.  When pressed for results he’ll promise you anything just to get rid of you.  What do you do?

Reams have been written explaining to managers how to deal with direct reports who don’t get their work done.  None have succeeded very well, and here you are trying to deal with it in a co-worker.  You have an uphill battle, but there are some things you can do. 

• Start by studying Moe’s personality type carefully.  You’ll need all of your analytical skills on this one.
• When you ask Moe to do something, get him to commit to a target date.  Make sure that he knows that you are writing the date into the project plan – meaning that his commitment is public knowledge. 
• Inform him of the consequences to the project if he fails.  Tell him that there are other contingent actions that depend on him getting his work done on time.  With most people these types of information are self evident.  With the Moes of the world, you need a bullhorn.
• Get him to commit that he will let you know immediately if his work will be delayed.
• When you find out that Moe is delayed, react to the problem, not the individual.  Grit your teeth and ask Moe what’s keeping him from getting his part done.  Write down his answers, and be visible about it. 
• Remove all the barriers to Moe’s progress yourself, if possible.  If you can’t remove the barriers yourself, get help. 
• You may very well find that the problem is Moe’s priorities.  His other work might be keeping him from your project…a likely story, but it’s a good excuse.  At that point you will have to sit with Moe’s boss.  You will have to clarify the priority of your project in Moe’s boss’s mind.  If you agree on the priority, fine.  If not, you’ll need to get your boss involved.
• Once you’ve resolved the problem, get back to Moe.  Get his agreement on a target date.  Be relentless.  But pay attention here!  Don’t lose your temper when dealing with Moe.  If you do, Moe has won.  

Don’t despair all this hard work.  People will notice that for every excuse that Moe invents for not performing, you have an answer.  The Moes of the world will soon learn that it’s easier to give in and do what they should rather than fight you.

Keep your boss informed of progress.  Let her know what the problems are.  Make sure that she knows that if Moe doesn’t do his part, that the project will be delayed.  Be crystal clear.  Show her a Gantt chart with the critical path outlined.

In this series I’ve tried to point out a few of the tactics that work when you’re leading a team of peers.  To put them into perspective, here are three that you should avoid.

• Going ballistic – at best it will suppress the disagreement for a while.
• Focusing on personalities – even if they really are the root cause.
• Micromanaging – this is a tough one; knowing how much direction to give is a fine art, even for experienced line managers.  It will be tougher for you.

Will all of these hints work all the time?  Certainly not.  Are there others that will work as well?  Probably, but you should experiment and find the ones that fit your unique style. 

The one message I’d like to convey is that you can use your analytical skills to enhance your ability to influence your co-workers.  Even if you’re not a born leader, you can turn an apparent weakness into an asset.  You will have to invest some time into study and analysis, but hey, that’s what you’re good at, right?

Remember while you’re bogged down in this drudgery that you’re building your reputation every minute.    Eventually everyone will recognize that once you’re on their case, resistance is futile.  The downside for you is that you’ll get all the tough, important projects.   Then, if the time comes that you want to move into a line manager job, you’ll have a leg up on everyone else.