Talent Dynamics: Understanding Each Profile’s Flow State

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”

We each have an innate talent that I refer to as our leadership genius. This is not a reference to IQ points but to how we build trust through leverage and flow.

For example, think of someone you have worked with who seems to know their role better than anyone. Even though the role is complex by any standard, it appears effortless, joyful, and, most importantly, competent when they work.

Now, picture someone you know with what you regard as a mundane job, but they seem to LOVE it. When you see this person, they have a big smile, are enthusiastic, and deliver with distinction, yet others might grumble that it’s boring. 

The two examples above are people who approach their roles from their unique leadership genius. They inherently understand where they find flow and how to apply it to their role.

It’s a misconception that a particular leadership genius (Talent Dynamics Profile) will succeed in a particular role or, conversely, a leadership genius will fail based on their native ability. Instead, every person must understand how to make the most of their talents.

What Does it Mean to be “In-Flow”

If I describe it this way, you know exactly what being in flow is like. Imagine the type of work where you lose track of time because you’re focused, interested, excited, and calm. How can you be both excited and calm? It’s the thrill of doing something magnified by our ability.

In Talent Dynamics, we call this the trust formula. We earn trust by multiplying the leverage of innate ability by the value of having that work done to an elite standard.

Trust comes from delivering consistently, leveraging our self-confidence from producing these results, and inspiring others with confidence. 

Using the information from your Talent Dynamics report, you can design your approach to work by reflecting on the analysis of your strengths, challenges, successes, struggles, best/worst roles on the team, and best/worst roles in life

Understanding Each Profile’s Flow State

As a leader focused on delivering results, maintaining culture, retaining top talent, and attracting talent, maximizing every person’s genius by guiding them to their flow state is essential. 

Creators

Creators are the best at getting things started. Although they can quickly create chaos, they can also be surprisingly creative at finding ways out of chaos.

Always put them in charge of new projects, but once their job is done, move them on to the next creation.

Creators are best when their heads are in the clouds. At altitude, they can see the big picture and rely on their intuition more than any market research to guide them. Their over-optimism is their greatest strength when it comes to their vision and their greatest weakness when it comes to what they believe others can achieve. As a result, many Creators succeed in their creation, only to fail in their execution, taking on too much and expecting too much of others.

Stars

Stars are the best promoters and need to lead from the front. Give them a chance to shine and the space to deliver results without trying them down. Provide support and encouragement, and they will be the best spokespersons for the group. Discourage them, and they will be the harshest critics.

Stars, naturally, are the easiest of the profiles to spot. After all, the value is in the person. Prominent Stars are in the sports, music, film, and entertainment industries. The highest profile CEOs, salespeople, and trainers also succeeded by following their natural path as a Star. Naturally extroverted, Stars are happy around others and are comfortable being the center of attention. Their creativity comes faster in conversation than when sitting alone.

Supporters

Supporters are the best leaders but do not expect them to develop the plan themselves. Build a plan and set the goals with a supporter, and then let them lead the team towards the plan.

Let them apply their management style and their agenda. Always give them an environment of fun, variety, and celebration. Supporters are outgoing, loyal, and fantastic networkers.

Their value is in the heat of the moment – the relationships they create and the enthusiasm they can offer. Left to themselves, they often get indecisive and lost – like fire without wood. When allowed to build their team, they can outpace, outsmart, and outperform the most quick-witted competitor.

Deal Makers

Deal Makers are the best peacemakers and will leave everyone feeling good. Do not expect them to go out cold-calling; they thrive on building relationships.

Work with Deal Makers to nurture the relationships within the team, and when things get too hot in the team, Deal Makers will cool it down. Deal Makers are natural communicators, influencers, and negotiators. They have a great sense of timing.

As a result, they can quickly become intoxicated by their success, looking for each deal to be bigger than the one before. This trend, however, is often the undoing of a good Deal Maker, who will go one deal too far and get burnt badly before they learn their limits.

Traders

Traders are your best negotiators. They are looking for balance and fairness. They will always get you the best price on what you buy and sell. Traders will have their ear to the ground in your market and your team, and they will always look for harmony and equality in the team.

As Traders are sensory, they are also the best at customer service and market research, finding balance by seeing both sides. They are also great at managing ongoing projects by bringing people and systems together to deliver results.

They are sensory, reacting to events as they occur. They are also likely to take the next step based on how everyone around them feels and thinks and what is most needed rather than simply following the steps in a plan.

Accumulators

Accumulators are your best ambassadors. They are reliable, do things on time, and do not make rash decisions. Accumulators make the best project managers when a task or a project needs to be delivered reliably on time and within budget.

They are the dependable organizers on the team. Accumulators always prepare, and the most successful ones can be found doing their homework. The natural Accumulator becomes successful by patiently sticking with what works and taking the steps better than others.

They often fail because they keep too much to themselves rather than build a team to network and speak on their behalf.

Lords

Lords are your best analysts. Give them the space to study the details and deliver the data. Do not ask them to network; they are most potent when focused behind the scenes.

When you need to keep count or score, give the job to a Lord; they will always be the most reliable to keep track. Lords love the detail and are renowned for their thrift.

They don’t have time for politics or niceties and would rather deal with simple legwork than fancy footwork. Lords love certainty and hate risk. They also prefer to keep to themselves and carefully study all the details, with their analytical skills, risk aversion, and need for control as their greatest strengths.

Mechanics

Mechanics are your best completers. They will wrap up the process and find intelligent ways to improve it next time. Do not ask a mechanic to start from scratch; give them an existing process or product to improve.

They work fine on their own and often find social situations uncomfortable. What they build tends to be built to last. Endless perfectionists, the Mechanics will keep finding ways to improve their system or process, making things simple and intelligent.

They get hands-on experience with their systems and prefer to study how to improve things when their hands are dirty. They find their flow as they pass over people management and focus on efficient operations.

How to Support Each Profile’s Flow State 

From the prior section, you likely notice that every role contributes to successfully operating a thriving business with a solid cultural identity. But how do you ensure you get the most from your team’s native genius?

How do you get the most from your team’s native genius?

Here are some tips:

To get the most out of your team’s Creators, put them in positions where they build trust most: in their innovation.

Support them in other areas, including communication, service, and detail level. Allow them the space to grow flow through their initiative, with the freedom to give feedback on the big picture and creative detail.

Creators are task-driven leaders and visual communicators with short attention spans, so they present all communications with brevity and impact.

To get into a flow, Creators need to stay focused on creating and surrounding themselves with a team or partners who can execute better than they can. In this way, they make far more value for everyone.

To get the most out of your team’s Stars, put them in positions where they build trust through innovation and communication.

Support them in other areas, including their level of service and detail. Allow them the space to grow flow through connecting with respect, with the freedom to take the stage and connect with the market.

Stars strive for high standards and often switch things at the last moment to suit the occasion. Their leadership is by inspiration and leading from the front. Help them get in flow, not by cutting their light but by helping them shine it on others.

Stars get in flow when they have a great idea or project to focus on and grow, so get them directed and then give them the space to shine.

To get the most out of your team’s Supporters, put them in positions where they build trust most: in their communication.

Support them in other areas, including creative strategy, service, and detail. Allow them the space to grow and flow through connecting with respect, with the freedom to grow the team, and nurture partnerships.

Supporters are hands-on, people-based leaders who inspire loyalty and motivation. They lead by inspiration and from the front. They communicate best through casual conversation and concepts brought to life through stories and participation.

Help them get in their flow through appreciation and giving them a chance to appreciate and value others.

To get the most out of Deal Makers in your team, put them in positions where they build trust: their communication and service. Support them in other areas, including their long-term strategy and detail level.

Allow them the space to grow and flow through their sense of respect and presence, with the freedom to be in the moment and react accordingly.

Deal Makers lead best when they can be in constant conversation with their ear to the ground, not isolated from the crowd or stuck in the back office. They need to hear all sides, so communication is always in stereo.

To get into flow, let Deal Makers shine when they have a project or task to gain support or enrolment for when they can speak on behalf of the team.

To get the most out of Traders on your team, put them in positions where they build trust, using their sensory skills and service.

Support them in other areas, including their level of detail, innovation, and communication. Allow them the space to grow flow through their sense of presence, with the freedom to listen, get a feel for the situation, and act accordingly.

Traders lead far better through daily activity than long-term milestones, and where they have ongoing input to inform their decision-making. They need time to communicate and are happier when what they say is backed up with research and examples.

To get into flow, let Traders be hands-on, in the center of the action, with everyone doing what is needed, as it’s needed.

To get the most out of Accumulators in your team, put them in positions where they build trust: in their service and focus on measurement. Support them in other areas, including their level of innovation and communication.

Allow them the space to grow flow through their sense of presence and discipline, with the freedom to measure the present and act accordingly.

Their analytical skills and understanding of timing make Accumulators excellent project managers who will find a way to deliver what is needed on time. They communicate best when writing down and presenting clear concepts, data, and numbers.

To get into flow, don’t put Accumulators on the spot, but give them the space first to study the details and get everything in order. Then, they will be judged by their results rather than their presentation.

To get the most out of Lords in your team, put them in positions where they build trust: their measurement of the details. Support them in other areas, including their level of innovation, communication, and service. Allow them the space to grow flow through their natural control and discipline, with the freedom to analyze the details and fine-tune their findings.

Lords are great at finding inefficiencies because they analyze the details and stay in fanatical control. In communication, Lords want to see all the details and instructions in writing and will be the first to write things themselves.

To get into flow, give Lords certainty and a set routine, where they know what comes next and can check the results to see if they came out as predicted. Give them clear feedback and scores that they can improve on.

To get the most out of Mechanics on your team, put them in positions where they build trust: their detail focus and creativity. Support them in other areas, including their level of long-term communication and service. Allow them the space to grow through their sense of measurement and initiative, with the freedom to fine-tune the systems and processes continually.

Mechanics lead best by staying out of the fray, seeking ways to perfect a process or system, and then having a team implement with thorough training. They communicate best when they have the information they can show in new and exciting ways and when they have the time to prepare properly for their presentation.

To get into flow, give Mechanics a series of smaller projects than one big project that never gets done, and acknowledge the small wins as they occur.

Gain a Competitive Advantage by Maximizing Your Team’s Natural Genius

Maximizing the genius of your team members improves results, drives culture, and becomes a competitive advantage. Hiring and training are critical elements of running a successful business; however, your leadership effort does not end there. Investing time in profiling, understanding, and applying Talent Dynamics furthers your journey to build an elite business. 

If you want to know how a Talent Dynamics session can benefit your team, contact Ken Kilday at Leader’s Cut and schedule a complimentary team profiling session with Ken. Each team member will receive their individual report, you will receive a composite profile, and Ken will debrief the result during a group video call. 

If you’d like to chat first, book a meet & greet to see if we click. We are here to help you be the best leader you can be with tools, resources, and support that fits.