Where you shine
- Your projects don't surprise anyone.
- You're the one who remembers what was decided and who owned it.
- Rigor: the plan survives contact with reality.
One of six patterns
Planner
Get the whole picture, agree the plan, then move.
Six patterns, named in plain words for how a person works. No pattern is better than another; each is one way good work gets done.
You want the full picture, in writing, with the people who'll be affected in the room before anything moves. Rollouts you run don't come back as rework.
WHERE A PATTERN SITS
Six spokes, one per pattern. The longer the spoke, the more you're like that pattern. The longest is yours.
A spoke with no length means those two pull opposite ways.
Planner
Get the whole picture, agree the plan, then move.
One letter per measure: the side of the middle, not how far.
- QuickTempoDeliberate
- HeadlineContextFull picture
- Talk it outChannelWrite it down
- Move, then loop inDecidingAlign, then move
- StraightCandorGentle
Where a Planner typically sits. Yours will be your own.
SHINE AND COST
What it can cost the people around you
- Waiting for alignment can look like stalling to someone Quick.
- Your messages carry more than the reader wanted to read.
- You may hold a concern until the perfect moment, which never arrives.
WENDY'S REPORT
Wendy's report
You're the reason things don't break, and you're also the reason some things don't start. Notice which one is happening. When the room is waiting on you, the kindest thing isn't a complete answer tomorrow; it's a partial one now with the caveats stated. You're allowed to be right in two steps.
HOW TO WORK WITH ONE
How to work with a Planner
- Give the deadline early. Avoid same-day asks.
- Give the why before the what. A forwarded 'thoughts?' won't land.
- Follow up in writing: decision, owner, date.
Ask them: What would you need from me to feel settled about the next deadline, rather than rushed by it?
THE OTHER FIVE
The other five
Straight Talker
Say it plainly, move, fix it as you go.
Connector
Send it now, keep it warm, keep everything moving.
Room Reader
Read the room first, then choose the words.
Steady Hand
Get it right, write it down, say it straight.
Mapmaker
Get everyone talking and draw the whole picture.
IS THIS YOU?
Is this you?
Only your own answers can say. The report is free and takes about 9 minutes.