5 Groups of leaders
There are 5 groups of people.
Sponges: Sponges in this text are negative. I mean these type of people are sponges, they are takers. They probably don’t have a job and are relying on the government or family members for support. They are hitchhikers in life, freeloaders. They might come across as very friendly but this is their way to manipulate people.
If they do have a job, they are constantly shirking their responsibilities. They are victims, nothing is their fault, they are “unlucky†and they blame others for their misfortune. They make terrible team members and even worse bosses. If you have had the misfortune of working for one you know what I mean.
If they are a boss, they didn’t earn it. They inherited it through family or friends or someone made a big mistake. They will not do the mere minimum that their leadership position requires of them. Their whole team will be soured by them. When it comes to the vision or the mission of the team they only see what’s in it for them.
When it comes to giving they are like an old mildewing sponge dripping foul spoiled water that they have soaked up from other’s hard work. You don’t want to be in this group. We should strive to be rivers not reservoirs!
Sap Suckers: Sap Suckers are just as the name implies. They are joy killers, Debbie Downers, negative Nellies. They might have a job and they might even be a good worker but they destroy more than they create. They will cost you more than they produce. They will run off great employees or team members and they will cost you customers.
They sow dissention and create negative drama on the team. If they are in leadership everyone will hate to be around them. They will have earned their leadership role because their superiors saw that they were good at their job. What they didn’t see was how bad they were with people. Turnover will be high. They will drain the very life and energy from the team. They will take all the credit and cast all the blame.
They will find fault with everything you do for them and the team. They will offer little or no training. When it comes to the team’s vision and mission all they will see is problems. Everything is impossible. They see a sand trap at every hole. They will tell you everything that is wrong with the company or team. If fault finding were an Olympic sport they would earn a gold medal.
Survivalist: A survivalist sounds great but it really is not the group you want to be in. They do just enough to survive. They are selfish. It’s all about them and what they can get. They are hand to mouth and very short sided.
They are driven by fear and if they are in a leadership role they lead with fear. They have a scarcity and poverty mind set. They tend to be good at their job, they will do whatever it takes to win.
There is only one person on their team and it’s them. If they are the boss and in a leadership role they are task masters, they will drive with a hard hand. When it comes to the vision or mission of the team they only focus on what the can do and what will bring them the most reward.
Their name should be sole survivor, for they are only interested in themselves. They offer no training and they can only see what is in front of them. To them “seeing is believingâ€. They spend most of their energy on doing the bare minimum to survive. They take short cuts and really don’t care about the team or the team members. Honestly, their only agenda is their own. They don’t give a second thought about you or the company or the organization.
Successful: I know you’re thinking, wow, successful finally a positive group. Not so fast. This group puts success over people. They are short sided and will do anything to succeed. To them “the sale†is more important than the employee, company and even the customer. They strive for immediate gratification.
They are good with others. Good at manipulating them to do what is needed to succeed. They put their agenda a head of the team’s. They see people as objects and replaceable.
They often get promotions and are usually very good at what they do so they are in leadership roles. They see the talent in others and exploit them. They cannot see the untapped talent in others. When it comes to the vision and mission of the team they only see what is probable not what is possible.
They will never take risk and bet on others. Their motto is “if you want the job done right do it yourselfâ€. Their success, as great as it may appear is short lived and never rises to their full potential. The team is always handicapped because of them. They offer little or no training and they think the word loyalty is a word for weak people.
Low achievers will thrive around them because they will stroke their ego but high achievers will either leave or be fired. They get frustrated when others don’t work as hard as they do. They don’t realize that, people won’t do things for the reason you want them to do it, people do things for the reason they want to do it.
Significance: Yes, this is the group you want to be in. Even if you are a new leader, you can start in this group. All the groups are all about attitudes! You have control over your attitude. You can choose to be a sponge or a freeloader. You can choose to be a Sap Sucker or a hitch hiker in life, a free loader. You can choose to be a survivalist or a success and use and manipulate people for your benefit.
Or you can choose significance. Significance driven people put others ahead of themselves. They want to be a part of something bigger than themselves. They are givers. They believe that their talents were given to them by God and what they do with them is their gift to God.
They believe they are here to serve, not be served. They believe it is better to give than receive. They want to be rivers not reservoirs. They put the team’s agenda ahead of their own. They make excellent leaders. Retention is high, moral is high and people want to work with them.
They build a bridge between the team member and the team’s vision and mission. In other words they find out what the team member wants and desires and connect it to the team’s mission. When it comes to the team’s vision and mission, they see what’s possible.
They see untapped talent in their team members and they want to draw it out. They don’t want to hold their team members back, they want to help them grow into their full potential. They set the example for all to follow. People work for them because they want to not because they have to.
They get “their significance†through helping others. They value the customer over the sale. They value the finished product over the return. They value people over anything else. They feel good about themselves when they help others feel good about themselves.
Training is a high priority to them. They are a little slower at attaining success but it is ever lasting. Their motto is “if you want the job done right hire someone better than you to do itâ€! And another moto is “believing is seeingâ€. They see the vision. They see what is impossible today is possible tomorrow.