Évocateur
Have you been called a dreamer? Do you have flashes of ideas that play around like the cosmos in your mind? Do you get excited when you bring a new idea forward? Do you struggle with actually making your big ideas happen? Do you find partnering with someone who can strategize and help execute your ideas exciting? Do you get others excited about your ideas?
You are the Évocateur of embodiment by evoking collaborative leadership through your creativity, fluidity, magic, presence, and inclusive perspective.
You have an energy that is electrifying and positive. Others are drawn to you for how bright you shine, especially when you are flowing in creativity. This might be in solution design, innovation, marketing, training, organizational design, or a vision for a better way. You challenge status quo without it looking like you are. You are a muse, confident in creative expression and the ability to create. Your openness to change and novel ideas comes with ease. You love to play with ideas and new ways of doing things. You thrive on encouraging an environment of playfulness, humor, spontaneity, and unpredictability. You inspire others to unleash their creativity!
The impact Évocateurs have is the ability to keep things real, fun, and simple. They don’t overcomplicate something to “give it value.” They give it value by the passion they fuel their creative ideas with. They bring excitement to rally others, which gets others to not only buy in, but integrate and embody the ideas. They share and bring others in to create an inclusive perspective. They are not stubborn about their idea, and they love feedback to build on the idea. It’s so important that the Évocateur is heard, supported, and given not only the space, but resources to bring ideas to light.
Some challenges you may find. The Évocateur struggles with NOT being able to share their gift in the business world because of time constraints/pressing deliverables causing procrastination. Also, you may feel scattered, feel too serious (due to old expectations), or have a hard time expressing yourself. Fear of being judged for being silly or for “playing,” and fear of being left out impact the creative flow. I’ve seen many folks come up with super-creative ideas and not be able to articulate an “execution” plan (a requirement in the business world).
Share your gifts with the world!
The Edgewalker is one of my favorites, gifting everyone through inclusiveness (giving a voice to all) like a megaphone. They have a magical ability to create a safe space to share ideas and issues. They are great at showing all members they are valued for their contributions and giving safe space for them to share their concerns, ideas, and how they would like to participate or what they see is needed. They put themselves out there without it feeling like they are, because they are so passionate about what they see, hear, and feel. The Edgewalker invests in others through one-on-one conversations to share their vision and spend time helping others to connect to it. They have instinctual integrity and are highly intuitive (trusting the unknown through instincts and inner knowing). Many entrepreneurs have the Edgewalker gift.
As an Edgewalker, you bring the collective together in the big picture and are a grounded catalyst through challenge.
As an Edgewalker, you are a big-picture visionary, passionate, and untamed in bringing your ideas to the masses. You magnetize teams and community with wisdom and integrity and are a go-to for both personal and professional guidance. You are a cutting-edge creatrix bringing forth bold ideas and challenging status quo and outmoded systems. I like to visualize the Edgewalker as having one foot in the here and now and one foot in the future. They literally walk the edge of the earth. One foot can slip into the unknown while the other stays planted. They act as a bridge between these worlds to help those who struggle to see the big picture and future do so without it being so far out there. They are grounded in understanding the practical of the here and now.
You are a powerhouse: bold and unapologetic, and you can be shocking and catalyzing. You are vibrant, almost wild, even weird (yay), and stretch us beyond our existence, beyond what we know. Your collaborative leadership is one of the power tools for shifting old norms and creating a visionary path others can get behind. You find beauty in dismantling, knowing creation will be more impactful. You are a recordkeeper of the most trans-formative moments of your team members, company (community, family, person) by bringing authenticity and vulnerability (nakedness) to the table through connecting the dots. You are also a great bullshit detector!
You don’t have to feel it to see it, and you don’t have to see it to feel it. The Edgewalker is comfortable with extremes including disruptive change and contentment. They smoothly navigate challenging things in life, working through them with flow and ease (even the difficult ones). Basically, they are pretty grounded and steady in stressful, chaotic, and challenging times. They are comfortable with the uncomfortable. This helps to calm others around them. They filter out the noise and chaos to reduce the sting of situations and change, allowing others to smoothly transition as well. This gift is very useful in creating bold new ideas and solutions in an inclusive and collaborative way. It’s also a necessary gift in companies going through transformation or creation. Natural leadership qualities of an Edgewalker include holding space when everything else is falling apart. The Edgewalker navigates transition and change with ease and helps others do so as well.
Some of the challenges the Edgewalker can experience are separation (from self and others) and a feeling of limitation and lack caused by feeling the resources you need to accomplish an idea, vision, job, cause, or people-focused effort, won’t be available to you. The feeling of pushing against the edges and never quite feeling like you are where you want to be is a real frustration. Feeling separated can cause competition, comparison, and expert status (either in the more extreme or less for each). This may cause an Edgewalker to feel like they can be too much, too intense, and not valued. It can also be a lonely world. Newly bloomed Edgewalkers struggle to understand why others “just don’t get it” and can feel rejected or lost. I’ve seen this quite a few times. Once they realize it’s not them, it’s the others who just aren’t quite ready (or not the right group) for what they are bringing to light, it shifts their approach and patience.
In old systems, the Edgewalker can feel trapped or caged with no space to self-express and can have a powerful yearning to feel free and rebel against rules or authority (which then creates conflict because it looks like disrespect). How many times have we felt this way in the business world (the words politics and bureaucracy come to mind)? Let’s not forget rebelliousness is also a gift!
I have seen some great Edgewalkers overcome the challenges through not attaching to expectations and letting go of a project or change once it's complete. It's done, let it go. Focus on connecting through collaboration and inclusion to help fight separation. Ask others how they have been able to get resources (maybe it's a phased approach and not in the order you may think it should be). When you feel like you've “crossed the line” (I'm sorry I have to laugh when I write this because what the hell line, who created it and when was it created?) and are being “too much” or “too bold” with your ideas, statements, etc., don't recede. Ask questions versus telling to truly get others to open up their thinking in a way they are able to process.
Have you noticed there are certain people (maybe you) who others constantly confide in around issues, potential challenges/opportunities, or ideas? It’s not because they are designated to be the Messenger. It’s because those folks trust that person and KNOW their voice will be heard through them. The Messenger is the one who will step forward to share what needs to be shared. Even if it means being uncomfortable. They put the greater good above their own and leverage their intuition to guide them in “how” they deliver the message.
As a Messenger you are a vessel to carry the message into reality on behalf of the whole.
As a Messenger, you are the one who is in tune with the people, the focus, the priority, the strategy, and the need. You bring forward important feedback, guidance, and outcomes because you are a great listener to the energy of the organization. You ensure the message is inclusive and full. You step out of your own comfort zone for the greater good. You embrace and embody the messages you share, which creates an energetic connection to others. You are a relevant key to connection of the whole. Your intuition is your channel, and your message is your gift.
Messengers don’t have it easy though. Many times, these are tough messages that need to be spoken. Sometimes fear comes to the forefront. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve brought forward a message and then said, “Well, I’ll probably be fired for sharing that.” Nonetheless, I still believed in it and KNEW it needed to be brought forward. Regardless of whose ego it affected.
Messengers are not the bearers of bad news. Many messages they need to share are wake-up calls, opportunities to shift and stimulate evolution or revolution, and may bring peace and stability to those needing to hear the message. I love the analogy of death and rebirth. Of course, our soul may take this journey, but within life we actually have these acts happen all the time, not in a physical sense, but in a metaphoric sense, —in our lives, our jobs, our relationships, our companies, or our projects. At some point “birth” was given to spark it up and get it going, and potentially at some point “death” happened to tear it down (especially if it was no longer serving us). The point of “rebirth” is when new creation happens and, of course, we typically say, “Dang, this is so much better.” I believe Messengers stimulate much of this cycle in the world, which is great!
One of the challenges of the Messenger gift is the need for validation versus just going for it. When they bring something forward and it’s rejected, they feel rejected, and it’s hard to then put themselves in that position again. The Messengers struggling with this can establish a board, community, or support team to run their messages past to get feedback or simple validation, if that is what they might need. There is a heavy burden a Messenger carries, but the good they bring to so many and to the organization or community is truly heroic.
Creativity, creating, and being a Creator all come from a sense of bringing vision to life. Unfortunately, when we think we are not creative (typically tied to art, performing arts, music, creative problem-solving, etc.), we lump all of those pieces of creating together and toss them out the door. You are a Creator because you generate: from a vision, feeling, thought, or emotion. Even as we may recover from old wounds and open up that Creator door, there are current adulting behaviors that will still hold it down, including not giving yourself space to create and not tapping into your resources.
Being a Creator does not only mean writing a book, whipping up some concoction in the kitchen that is to die for, or creating a piece of art. It means using your gift to bring to life something from within you. I’ve had so many thoughts that led to big ideas, that led to initiatives, that led to new business practices. I didn’t realize how important it is to allow space for the initial idea or seed to get started. Seeds take time to germinate, sprout, and grow into something that maybe you didn’t even fully imagine at the beginning. The point is that you got it started and tended to it! The most important part of shaping your idea is through storytelling in a way that others can align to. Being a visionary storyteller is a superpower for Creators.
You are a Creator through your ability to provide structure to vision to bring something into being.
You are a Creator because you take action on your vision. You use your imagination to find solutions. You are confident in your abilities to build. You see solutions/creations come into being. You know what it takes, are resourceful, and bring your ideas to life. You share your ideas with others without fear they will “steal” them. You are able to start with a blank canvas to create a plan, idea, solution, process, organization, marketing campaign, tool, software, policy, presentation, message, vision, strategy, mission, business model, engagement model, or basically anything else from scratch. This doesn’t mean you can’t bring others into the creation process; it just means you drive it.
One of the challenges of the Creator gift is not sharing ideas due to a fear of rejection. This may be due to experience, existing culture, or lack of confidence in the creation. Another can be not bringing it to fruition by not tapping into resources or not getting support to bring it to fruition. In a fast-paced world, everything is expected now. This may cause a Creator to rush through the process and not be happy with the results.
The most important piece of advice to get started or to keep your Creator gift going is you don’t need to know all of the answers or how things will turn out (outcomes). Experiment and adjust along the way. The more space and time you provide your creation, the more it will evolve and grow. Being buried in tasks and execution mode holds you back. Give yourself space and time to tap into your gifts.
The Generator is all about waiting. To work in response instead of proactively. Waiting for their intuition to tell them to respond. The gift of executing on those items that truly need their help bringing them into reality and not being distracted by so many ideas and solutions, but instead waiting for the ones they take on and own.
Generators are the life force and energizers of the world. They are the doers, yet they aren’t here to do everything. They immerse themselves in their own process. When they are engaged in what is correct for them, they create incredible results that benefit everything and everyone around them. They continue to build on their mastery over time. The glory and power of the Generator is in their ability to respond to life. Not to be chasing after things, but to wait to respond to life as it comes to them, to honor what their intuition responds to.
You are a Generator because you trust your intuition and use it to determine what it is you need to respond to and focus on.
You are a Generator because you trust your inner guidance on knowing what is correct for you. You use your own process to create and have the inner authority to focus on what aligns best. You have a strategy to how you work and constantly fine-tune your process. You trust your intuition and use it to determine what it is you need to respond to and focus on. You know how to get it done and others trust you to do so. You communicate updates and are not afraid to escalate when you hit barriers.
This gift is so underestimated in the workplace. I think there is this “new” expectation that everyone needs to bring all ideas forward, be strategic, and execute. Unfortunately, that isn’t realistic. What is, however, is appreciating the Generator for what they make happen. They take the Creator’s ideas and execute on them to bring them into reality. I’ve found this gift to be very helpful to ensure consistency and realization of an idea or solution. They may have some project management skills which give them structure and process.
One challenge of Generators is when they don’t have realistic timelines to work from, it hinders their ability to get the job done. They may become frustrated and quit altogether. They need the time to work their own process. They may also be rash in making decisions, and mostly they need to take their time. Another challenge is getting stuck in expectations and focusing on something that is not correct for them. Giving yourself permission not to work on something that is not right for you and in the timeline, you need is the best way to break out of this challenge. Old conditioning can hold you back from your full Generator gift.
The Challenger gift not only challenges current state or decisions that may not have a big picture viewpoint, but they challenge others to “think bigger.” They challenge status quo. I love this gift because “they” are the ones who get us to think about things more deeply, more broadly, and more intensely in ways we were not even considering. I also view this gift as a way to help others develop critical thinking, big-picture business assessment, creative intelligence, and problem-finding/solving—it sparks curiosity in others!
You are a Challenger. A challenger seeds visions that challenge limitations. Your gifts as a Challenger brings clarity, precision, and direction to vision. The Challenger is the clarifier of aligned and grounded higher vision and purpose on behalf of the whole.
You are a Challenger because you intentionally challenge current decisions, processes, and deliverables through different methods. This includes value questioning, offering solutions, and other straightforward approaches. You not only challenge, but offer suggestions, solutions, and help to make changes happen. You empower those around you by bringing out their abilities and gifts. You’re direct, yet respectful, and bring a sense of resonance to engagements through compassion. You don’t beat around the bush with fifty questions to get to the statement. You get to clarity quickly.
Just because you may make others feel uncomfortable by “asking so many questions” does not mean it’s the wrong approach. It’s an inclusive approach versus just telling them the answer! This gift brings an impact to not only decisions, approaches, and solutions, but it has a direct impact on others by empowering them to tap into their gifts too.
The Challenger challenges can be similar to the Liberator. Being afraid to share your ideas is the most common, which translates to not speaking up. I’ve heard this personally, “You are too strong in your opinions.” Have you heard that one before? Yep. Just because you may be challenging something passionately does not mean you should not be allowed to pursue the opportunity. The negative impact of not allowing your gift to shine is that you dim your light. Over time this has a negative impact on your self-esteem and your contributions to your job and community. The other way the Challenger gift challenge is experienced is by excluding others you feel won’t have the same viewpoints or won’t accept your ideas. The issue here is that others can’t help bring change to the situation and then dim their own light.
The Storyteller shares how a team is performing, producing, and creating value for their customers and the company, not about the tasks, roles/responsibilities, and results separately. They create the story that makes the team shine. They paint a picture, including the pain points. Why they decided to take ownership and how they did is what brings the entire story together. They give the actual effort life, light, and appreciation way more than just acknowledging the parts. I’ve had the pleasure of working with some great storytellers, metaphor creators, and business people who can simplify the complex, making it practical and real. They hold others’ attention and make connections to worlds outside of their industry to helps other relate.
As a Storyteller, you make connections with the mind and the heart.
As a Storyteller, you emotionally connect with your audience or team in a relatable way. Helping others to use their internal representations to connect to the big picture is a massive benefit of storytelling. You include visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and even auditory digital. You don’t just present a business plan, you make the audience a part of the vision and story. You make connections with the mind and the heart. You also tap into imagination, which is one of those creative tools we don’t use enough.
I’ve found this gift very useful myself in presenting new business plans to gain investment, support, and approval to take forward. Just sharing components of a plan is not what will get the buy-in of others. Owning it with passion and excitement for the bigger picture impact is what builds trust. Taking the action and getting the results is what builds credibility. Knowing the fringe areas of information helps to reduce questioning and hesitation.
The challenged side of the Storyteller may be exaggeration or going a bit too far. I love this though, as this gets people really thinking of “what’s possible.” Misusing the skill can be extreme, such as an exaggerator or maybe even a bit of a liar. The challenge manifests when the Storyteller can’t resist making up a story to conceal something. Sometimes this is in an effort to impose order on what sometimes seems like a chaotic and random world. A possible solution is giving oneself boundaries. Read the audience so when you go off the rails, you get the cue to reel back in.
The gift of integrity is one that is visible and predictable. It’s what we can trust. It’s always improving. In the simplest terms, integrity is a governance of your values. Your gift of integrity sings in the hearts of those you engage, transact, or collaborate with. Why? Because they trust you, you reduce stress for them, and bring the predictability of fairness and openness. You are deeply true to yourself. Your ability to be ambitious and autonomous gives you vision to expanded possibilities. The Seeker is all about seeking truth and not conformity. Think about how you have been in situations with those who have integrity and those who do not. You FEEL it.
You are a Seeker because your gift of integrity brings predictability, trust, and a safe space to those you engage.
In reality, not everyone you work or live with has the same values or integrity you do. Now, if it’s a significant problem across the organization or group, then YES, get out! The most important thing to note is that in the challenge of staying engaged, you can become easily trapped by ego identity, yet resent the company and/or people because it’s not what your heart believes or wants you to do. It will eat away at your soul.
Integrity is something many talk about, but what can be challenging is when you try to live by integrity in a space where others don’t want you to. This may include certain decisions you are being asked to make or in treating others (exclusion). It’s up to you to determine the trade-off (mostly for your own conscience). In a controlling, authoritative culture, this could actually be an issue. If individuals cannot work according to their own integrity and are being asked to do things they don’t believe in, it can cost them their job if they don’t do it. The opportunity here is for leaders to do a double-check on their integrity and the culture they are influencing. Everyone can make the change to truly adopt their gift of integrity.
I view the Transmitter gift as something that was “turned on.” It’s about being open to those messages, genius ideas, and solutions that just pop into your head or come out of your mouth. The gift is tuning in and turning it on. We all have it! We all have inner knowing, intuition, and inner wisdom. It’s all how we open up to it, listen to it, and embrace it. The Transmitter trusts what comes through and shares it in a way that aligns with the message they are sharing.
You are a Transmitter … you are a Transmitter because you are a big picture thinker who channels genius.
As a Transmitter, you have a very specific view of insights that comes from deep intuition. You are a natural synthesizer of disparate ideas and systems, which in this day and age leads to transformation. One of my favorite methods of this gift is storytelling. A Transmitter is a visionary storyteller good at structuring stories, ideas, and visions. They are open to the ideas that want to make their way here and channel the genius into a big picture. They are open to solutions that come through, and they open their channel to bring in the information that inspires others. This may even be inspirational words or direction.
Many times, the Transmitter brings in ideas or solutions too soon. Sometimes this can be frustrating for the Transmitter, as timing and audience either accept or brush off the vision the transmitter shares. I personally have felt this frustration in giving opinions of potential future outcomes we should watch out for or expanding the vision of the big picture, only to have folks blow off the ideas in an effort to keep things more near-term or if they view them as unimportant. Guess what? Yep, those future indicators typically came to fruition. Sigh!
Sometimes ideas are just too early to feel “real,” and sometimes the audience you share visionary ideas with is just not the right audience! I mentor a few men and women who struggle with being a Transmitter in a world where thinking is short-term: daily/monthly/quarterly and/or tactical. I share my story of experimentation in changing up the audience, or one-on-one campaigning, or better timing, or multiple repositioning. I end up telling them it’s not worth being frustrated over. Not everyone receives information the same way or can shift it to big picture, fully entangled with multi-sequencing outcomes, and it’s OK. It’s not a reflection on you, and it doesn’t mean the message is wrong.
The challenge part is not trying for the sake of “being right”! That ends up becoming the ego self versus your intuitive self, where the vision was born and loses intention. Also, the reason I try to address the frustration part of the Transmitter gift not being received is because it can cause us to reduce trust in our intuitive gift (remember that darn ego is ALWAYS trying to be in control). One of the ways I do a check on my intuition is by checking into my physical body when I make decisions, good and bad. I feel the ones that end up being good decisions in my heart space (pressure, expansion, excitement). I feel the ones that end up being not so good decisions in my sacral chakra (deep dullness in my lower belly).
This is the gift of Risk Intelligence practiced by the Logician. Sternberg's theory identifies three types of intelligence: practical, creative, and analytical. For the sake of this gift, I view ALL three of these types as relevant, not just analytical, which is what people tend to lean toward when taking risks in business.
This gift is one that can help to shape the future of each of us, our communities, businesses, and the world.
You are a Logician because you use your practical, creative, and analytical intelligence to determine risks.
You are a Logician because you know how to bring all aspects of a situation or opportunity into a big picture frame. You leverage all of your intelligence to make decisions. You consider data, but are not dictated only by data in making decisions. You don’t shy away from risks. You like to challenge the status quo and bring ideas to the table that expand thinking. You are prepared and do your homework on all components of an idea or opportunity. You leverage all of your intelligence: analytical, creative, and practical.
The challenge of the Logician can be overconfidence when the ego takes over. Check on the truth of this against your intuition. The challenge can also be swaying too far toward one of the intelligence components like analysis. Some of the intelligence is lost, as it’s not a complete evaluation or perspective. There can be a feeling of rejection, since you will be battling against many patriarchal ways of doing things that are more in the analytical. Hang in there and focus on the risks that you are truly passionate about. Eventually, your credibility will grow (as a result of other believed risks resulting in what you predicted) and others will get on board with your risks.
Being decisive is an elevated gift. It’s challenging to allow the influencer gift to flourish in a time when we are so bombarded with information and decisions. Being decisive takes “decision-making” to a totally different level—from a task to a way of being. What really makes it stand out is knowing what you want, understanding your core values, being true to your integrity, confidence, and practice. I’ve found being an influencer through decisiveness is pretty rare out there, which is why I’ve included it in the elevated gifts. It’s in us, we have the tools, we just need to unlock the gift.
Being decisive saves time and emotional churn, and creates clarity for others. Knowing what you want, showing what you want, and being who you are all play a role in bringing this gift out.
You are a decisive influencer because you don’t hem and haw about making decisions. You look forward to making decisions and getting things going.
You are a decisive influencer because you know what you want. You are clear in setting expectations. You have done your research and collected information to make informed decisions. You know your core values and prioritize and live by them daily. You believe in your self-worth. You hold yourself accountable for your decisions and live in cause (versus effect) as often as you can. You don’t hem and haw about making decisions. You look forward to them and put energy into them. You don’t shy away or view decisions as a burden. You are quick. You use your intuition along with information you have. You ask the questions you need to get to the point and make the decision.
There are a couple of different ways I see the decisive influencer gift playing out in the workplace. Minimizing chaos and fear happens when a leader is decisive and empowers their teams to be so as well. Fear creates hesitation. The unknown creates fear. This is the hurdle to overcome. The most decisive people I’ve seen in business make quick, informed decisions and stick to their decisions, so others find confidence or comfort. They may, however, adjust the “how” something may happen. They may also determine additional decisions that need to happen and act on those too.
I love seeing people be decisive in the workplace. Especially when the tendency is waddling around and hemming and hawing until someone else makes a decision. This gift can truly help improve effectiveness and productivity. It can also increase momentum, gain buy-in faster, and get to result much sooner. Typically, those who challenge status quo are pretty decisive. They bring solutions to the table while challenging old ways and step up to help make it happen (self or resources). Letting go of fear of failure and being in cause, holding yourself accountable, and doing the preparation is how to unlock this elevated gift.
One of the challenges of the Influencer gift is when you hold too firmly to a decision that isn’t working out, although you have an opportunity to make an adjustment. This may be ego jumping in, so it’s best to take a step back and do a double-check on your intuition. Another challenge of this gift is being impatient with others who are not decisive. You then want to make the decision for them. This is one of my challenges I have to check in with all the time. My control comes out and I just want to make the damn decision for the other person or team. Check.
I view this gift as a proactive one. It takes action to show others that they, too, can take action. This is a very personal gift because, first and foremost, it’s about liberating oneself. Awareness and acknowledging the outmoded beliefs is the first step. Being open to finding new solutions and change is what creates spark. Empowering others to do the same is what creates momentum. I’m not using the word in terms of historical reference, but rather that this is the word that comes to mind when I see this gift playing out in others. And especially the impact it has on them.
You are a Liberator because you empower others to challenge outmoded beliefs and find freedom in their passion for innovation.
You are a Liberator because you challenge the status quo of old, outmoded beliefs around process, structure, values, programs, plans, culture, etc. You get out of your comfort zone to ensure you commit to the change needed. You can shift your beliefs to support a better way. You empower others through your authenticity. You show up in a vulnerable way that gives others confidence they can too. You clearly see what and when something needs to be challenged. You bring solutions to the table to help shift the beliefs. You do not go to “that didn’t work in the past.” Everything has it’s cycle and best timing.
In business I see this gift play out in challenging status quo and the commitment to get the self out of its comfort zone. Wanting to change the comfortable world someone may live in at work shows they are committed to following through with change. When leaders put themselves in this position, they empower others to do the same. When they show how easy it is to shift, others drop their resistance and do their thing as well. This could even be in suggesting to restructure without territory-grabbing or shielding your team from change. The Liberator gift is one that can take some heat from old believers, but it’s worth the effort.
The challenges of the Liberator can lead to being forceful in challenging, the ego interfering with the authentic engagement with others, taking on everything at once and not impacting anything, not genuinely believing in what they are challenging, and challenging for the sake of challenging. The Liberator can check in with themselves to see if what they are challenging is truly the most important or desired thing to challenge at that time and the timing is the best.
This gift is not new, nor is it only relative to “work.” Nowadays networking has expanded so significantly with the use of technology, social networks, and instant messaging. Making connections has become exponential. What does that really mean though? In ancient times there was effort and time invested in others. Today it’s more about ourselves. Getting something we want and getting it instantly.
The Networker gift today goes further. Those with it connect personally, authentically, and not just through technology. They exchange energy, love, and gratitude. The Networker has social flexibility and empathy that enables them to find commonality with others who might not at first seem to be potential friends or allies. The Networker has the skills to bring information or power and inspiration to disparate groups of people. They choose their words wisely. They exchange only when it’s worth the exchange, not just because they feel it’s expected.
You are a Networker because you remove barriers to bring alignment and agreement amongst groups and people.
You are a Networker because you approach relationships from a humble and vulnerable authenticity. You are open about your intentions. You listen and genuinely engage. You show trust and build trust with those you engage. You are not demanding. You are approachable and inclusive. You are a connector to help others achieve their goals. You inquire about others instead of focusing on yourself. You remove barriers to bring alignment between groups. You leverage relationships to create solutions. You proactively exchange energy through your investment of time and conscious thought.
One of my favorite ways to see this gift shine is when I see a Networker engage another department because something needs to be solved or there is an opportunity to expand their value exchange. Instead of allowing friction, tension, or unknowns to continue, they reach out and build an understanding of how their team or organization can partner better. It’s not for personal gain, but for the team, organization, customer, or company. I’ve also seen this between companies, when a Networker reaches out to build an understanding of how they can work better together. Again, not for personal gain, but to improve experiences and value.
The challenge of the Networker is merely using others for personal gain. This could mean creating a relationship because of needing a job or working to get promoted. There is nothing wrong with this, but this is not the elevated gift I’m referring to here. The Networker may also be taken advantage of if the other person/group is engaging only for personal gain, so the Networker should be cautious.
This gift is not always easy for those who truly are Servant Leaders. They are consistent with their words, intentions, and actions. They listen (hard for all of us!) and they are compassionate (this still has a long way to go to be accepted in the business world) to the needs of their colleagues and community members. They strive for excellence and try to learn as much as possible to be the most supportive of their colleagues, company, and community. They don’t bullshit! They admit when they don’t know something versus spewing anecdotal or incorrect/unvalidated information. They don’t lay down judgments of others who don’t follow their same thinking. They don’t have personal agendas and don’t manipulate situations or people. Are you starting to see why I make the statement servant leadership is rare? We see this every day.
You are a Servant Leader because you authentically value those around you and your actions meet the expectations of integrity you speak of.
You are a Servant Leader because you listen to the needs of others. You don’t wait for the ball to drop before taking action, and you ask instead of waiting to be told what is going on with your teams. You foresee roadblocks and potential barriers and start working on removing them even before you ask your team to charge full steam ahead. You are the one who speaks up when it’s not popular to do so. You ask the questions that are meaningful and important and not because you want to showcase your expertise. You speak on behalf of the team’s needs and ensure their voice is heard. You trust and are trusted. You make decisions with ease and without glory, ego, or expectation of acknowledgment. You’ll be the first to admit you don’t know something and give your team member who is the expert the floor. You motivate your team to own results and outcomes through showing them the value they bring. You filter the crazy and chaos to keep your team focused and committed. You’re always learning. You’ll do the battles behind the scenes and not talk about it to others. You are who we need in business and in the world.
Back to my comment about not being authentic: one of the challenges of servant leadership is when there is a push to “become” Servant Leaders, yet it’s done in an inauthentic way. If there wasn’t empathy toward others previously, it’s kind of hard to make that magically appear. Connection, trust, and openness happens when there are two people who create this for each other. Doing good for others (take an action, offer to help, make a donation) because you want to be a Servant Leader, yet your heart isn’t into it can negate the energy of exchange. It neutralizes the “good.” Be the leader who embodies nonjudgment and acts as a holder of presence, warmth, and support by creating space for others.
Experimentation is a true gift, as it goes against all of the conditioning we were raised with and especially pushes through that ole fear of failure we all seem to hold onto very tightly. The gift of experimenting is how new ideas become new programs, new offerings, new messaging, new products, new services, and new training. It’s important that we shift our support to that of “experimenting is good” for business. This is where the Experimenter gift comes in!
Be a moving experiment of embracing failure and having a willingness to go for your ideas. No fear.
You are an Experimenter because you like to try new ideas. You are not afraid to experiment. You know how to experiment and how to deliver. You intuitively know when to call it quits or when to swiftly move forward. You know when to shelve experiments for a better time. You are curious about how something will come to fruition. You test many ways something could work. You are curious about the impact or results new solutions or ideas will have on the team, customer, and business. You are inclusive to ensure different perspectives are considered. You look for upstream and downstream impacts the solution or idea will have on the organization and business.
Experimentation is a gift I love to see teams use as they find innovative solutions. Those who drive this behavior and approach have the gift! They can influence others simply through the process of gathering tons of ideas, vetting them, and testing them. Then, when something doesn’t come to fruition, they help the team move quickly through it with tweaks or decide to can it all together without dwelling on it. The gift brings awareness to the process of experimenting and when to call it quits, adjust, or move forward swiftly. I have found that experimentation can be a step toward a bigger change. Calling out doing a proof of concept with a subset of customers or employees before a full implementation can get more buy-in from leadership. You also have the opportunity to gather testimonials and feedback to share as part of the bigger rollout, which helps with change management.
The challenge of the Experimenter can be not delivering at all or to a timeline of expectation. One way to overcome this is to ensure you have a solid project manager or agile scrum master on a team to hold accountability for delivery. Also, communicate, communicate, communicate updates! Keep key stakeholders involved with how things are going.
Encouraging experimentation in business, education, and other industries will continue to innovate the traditional ways of solving problems, elevating society, and bringing new perspective to old conditioning.
As a Collaborator you are inclusive. Your mind scatters to "who" should be included in a project, decision or approach. You cast a net to grab a broader spectrum of experiences and backgrounds to ensure the most optimal outcome. You don't only ask those who are "like you" in thinking, experience, etc. You create a safe space for others to come together and share their ideas and concerns.
Be the leader who embodies nonjudgment and acts as a holder of presence, warmth, and support by creating space for others.
You are a Collaborator because you think about upstream and downstream impacts to decisions, process changes, and messaging. You seek input from different perspectives. You ask the questions that challenge others to expand the viewpoint. You expand the viewpoint yourself. You invite those that get left out of the conversations to offer fresh input. You are big picture and systems thinking enough to realize future impacts now. You rally folks to be part of and not just recipients of change. You offer support in an authentic and purposeful way. You challenge status quo. Your intentions are for the impact of the solution or outcome and not for personal recognition.
Go find the curious ones, the passionate ones, those who have experience outside of their current role, company, or even industry! Tap into those folks less than two to three years at the company for their ideas and drive to innovate.
Dependency of recognition, validation, and the need to prove oneself can be challenging conditioning when building your gifts of Experimenter. Overcome challenges by moving past an ego-centric mindset. Here are some key ways to overcome and flow freely.
This is the paradigm shift of:
Your favorite toy or activity as a kid