The Examiner boss

You examiner boss personality types can be a little bit anal and pedantic and this sometimes doesn’t go down well with members of your team. You tend to like things “just so” and would do well to loosen up a little in your approach. Your attention to detail is second-to-none, but don’t forget you have great assets on your team with strengths that will compliment yours – persuaders are super-creative, rulers are extremely quick and unifiers can see dissent from the troops coming a mile off. Use them to get the job done and oversee projects to make sure they get done right.

Face it, examiner boss personality types, you just don’t get persuaders. You can see that they got the job done, but you can’t see their “workings out” and that bugs you. Get over it. They do so much stuff in their head so fast that you will never see the way they got there. Just accept it and appreciate that they are a heck of a lot more creative than you and that you need them. If they seem to be daydreaming they may be getting ready to leap into frenzied action – keep an eye on their general productivity and if they’re not disturbing too many other people and reaching their targets then don’t try to rein them in too much – that’s the way to crush a persuader’s spirit and ensure that he or she spends all their time working out ingenious ways to irritate you. Don’t spend a lot of time explaining the minutiae of how they’ve fallen short – keep it fairly quick or you’ll lose their attention. Praise them in front of their team members – you may hate the idea but they will love you for it.

You appreciate unifiers because they tend to get on with things with little or no fuss, just as you like it, and are generally pleasant to be around. Use them to find out how morale is in your team – as great networkers they will know exactly who’s getting on with whom and if anyone is upset about anything. Although dealing with emotional issues is not your favorite thing, it behooves you to keep your team functioning at peak performance. Praise unifiers for their sensitivity to the group dynamic and for helping you to keep a tight and happy ship. When disciplining them, your calm demeanor will help assuage their fears and if you address their concerns with sympathy you can avoid emotional outbursts.

Rulers are on the same wavelength as you regarding being task-focused and you will be amazed at how quickly they will get things done. Watch that they’ve hit every mark since sometimes they can overlook elements that seem “unimportant” to them – make sure you get the job done right. Keep disciplinary matters very short and to the point – endless detail will simply irritate your ruler team member and could lead them to think you are being vague or deliberately trying to confuse them. Your idea of clarification is not the same as theirs! Again, praise rulers for their speed and work ethic and delegate jobs to them that you know they will get done to your satisfaction faster than you can.

It’s a pleasure working alongside other examiners – as long as you are both singing the same tune. Conflict, or at least disagreements, can occur if your process comes into question from other examiners. Listen to their concerns and give detailed feedback – and be prepared to take their ideas on board – remember that their ideas may be better than yours. Praise examiner team members for their attention to detail and how they’ve approached tasks. Watch that they complete things on time and if they fall short give as many specifics as you would like to be given in that situation. Support your examiners by making sure any persuaders aren’t creating too much distraction and give them ample opportunity to prepare for meetings.