Thanks so much to my new friends at Mattel for a gracious and stimulating time yesterday. After the talk, riCardo Crespo gave me a tour of their design center and I was blown away by the number of young, energetic, bright, collaborative people I encountered. Amazing.
Along those lines, I've been thinking lately about what separates people I WANT to work with from people I (kind of) dread working with. It seems there are certain characteristics that mark someone who is a "magnet" for collaboration in a team setting. The best people want to work with them. The smart people want to work FOR them. Everyone wants them on their side. As far as I can tell, there are three things about these kinds of people that seem to attract others to them.
1. Competence. I don't care who you are and how nice you are, if you can't get the job done I don't want to work with you. I might hang out with you after work and I might buy you a birthday card, but I won't necessarily gravitate toward you when it's time to get things done.
2. Passion. I want you to CARE about what we're doing. I want to know that you have a personal stake in getting things right. I want to know that you will pour yourself into the project we're working on.
3. Grace. I want to know that we will speak truth to one another and do it in a way that is out of concern for each other, not in a way that belittles. I want you to assume the best of me and I will assume the best of you.
Many (MANY!) people have two of these three things.
Passion + Grace - Competence = Nice person, but can't keep up with the team.
Passion + Competence - Grace = Extreme performer that no one wants to be around.
Competence + Grace - Passion = Really good performer, but no backbone. I don't trust that they have "skin" in the game or that they're giving their best.
My challenge to you (and to myself) is to think about how you're cultivating and exhibiting passion, competence and grace on your teams. If you do, you'll be the kind of person people want to work with (including me!)
