People are frustrating.
Accept people for who they are so you can maximize their gifts and minimize their weaknesses.
5 people who drive leaders nuts:
- Know-it-all owls.
- Get-it-done squirrels.
- Cautious possums.
- Quiet sheep.
- Social butterflies.
Leading social butterflies:
Social butterflies relish relationship but struggle with follow-through.
In the past, I thought it was my job to “fix” social butterflies. I focused on their lack of follow-through and how to improve it.
Tip: If you need something done in the moment, ask a social butterfly. They work to make you happy.
Social butterflies:
- Struggle with solo projects.
- Chafe at details.
- Make excuses for people who don’t perform.
- Don’t like to push people to do hard things.
- Wait for the perfect moment to ask others to do things.
Social butterflies make important contributions when in the right role.
7 ways to maximize social butterflies:
- Assign them to team projects.
- Enhance their performance with coaching. Ask them,
- “What would you like to accomplish this week?”
- “What do you need to do today to reach your goal?”
- “When I touch base with you, what would you like me to ask about?”
- Role-play their performance. “What will you say at the beginning of the meeting that you’re leading?”
- Listen when they talk about the feelings of others. When socially gifted people wince at something you say or do, explore it. They’re great at connecting and showing compassion.
- Praise every good performance.
- When something doesn’t go well, discuss what to do differently next time. Get specific. “Prepare more,” is not a useful response.
- Seek input from socially gifted people when forming teams and assigning projects. They understand the strengths and weaknesses of people and how they work together.
Bonus: Schedule regular one-on-ones.
What strengths and weaknesses do you see in Social Sally?
What suggestions do you have for maximizing the strengths of Social Sally?
Bonus material:
9 quick tips for handling overly social employees (Insperity)
When you don’t want to socialize with co-workers (Inc)