[This article is part of a SERIES – Managing A Tech Team: How to Succeed When Everyone is Overextended ] 

Do you have a “people focused” person on your team?  You know, the one who is always agreeable, accommodating, and doesn’t like to give negative feedback.  

This article is part of a series about managing teams and exploring different personality aspects and how they appear when overextended.  Overextension happens when there is stress, change, and pressure – in fact, the world is overextended right now.  

How are you managing yourself, and your team? 

The “People Focused” quality is one of 24 core qualities of behaviour identified by the Lumina Spark assessment. Psychometric assessments are one of the cornerstone pieces when teaching coaching as a leadership style to high tech teams.  These personality tests provide a unique portrait and describe various aspects of a personality so that leaders can help their teams improve working relationships and productivity.

So what does it mean if your assessment indicates you are ‘People Focused’?

Those who embody the energy of this aspect are ready and willing to adapt their stance to accommodate others. They are not overly demonstrative and they tend to avoid giving negative feedback. They are quite well known for being trustworthy and they are the ones who like to trust others. 

People focused people want harmony and approval and are usually the peacemakers of the group. They can acknowledge others in a group and genuinely appreciate their contributions. While they value the input and ideas of others and are capable of saying so, they tend to be uncomfortable with receiving praise for themselves. 

Because they can see the point of view of others easily, they are perceived as being considerate and courteous. The key words to describe the qualities of the people focused aspect are accommodating, collaborative and empathetic.

When A People Focused Team Member is Overextended

Like all of the human qualities, when person is coming from their underlying or everyday persona, the aspect will show up as a wonderful quality

However, when the people focused aspect is in over extension, the qualities will reveal their shadow sides.

In this case, you will spot it when they are having difficulty pointing out the shortcomings of others or letting others know when they feel let down. If this is you, you may very well hesitate to raise issues because you want to avoid disputes. Maybe you also go along with ideas that you don’t agree with just to avoid conflict? 

In over extension an unwillingness to compete and accept admiration means that your contributions can be overlooked.

Another shadow issue is the inability to say no when someone needs a helping hand causing them to lose sight of what is important in their own work.

How Can A Leader Help The People Focused Team Member?

As a leader, you have got to keep your eyes and ears open to be able to spot these signs and then intervene. If you are over extended, be honest with yourself and take a good hard look at how your energy is affecting, and maybe even debilitating your workforce.

If you spot it in a direct report you have got to talk to this person and together, figure out what is causing the over extension and what can be done to resolve it. In the state of over extension the ability to deliver results and contribute to the success of organizational goals will naturally be extremely limited.

How Can Psychometric Assessments Help Tech Teams?

Raising your emotional intelligence by improving your self-awareness and your awareness of the people around you can be both fun and extremely effective in creating an organizational culture that drives performance.

A Lumina Spark assessment can be taken virtually for both you and your team, and a debrief can be given online. I use these assessments as a cornerstone first piece when developing an organizational culture change strategy, with great success. 

Do you think you or one of your team members has the “People Focused” aspect?  How does it affect your working relationship? Let me know in the comments below!

Interested in Learning More?  This article is part of a series on managing personality aspects in a tech team when everyone is overextended.

SERIES – Managing A Tech Team – How To Succeed When Everyone Is Overextended

Is Your Team Overextended – How To Recognize The Signs
Managing A Tech Team – Your “Down To Earth” Team Member
Managing A Tech Team – Your “People Focused” Team Member
Managing A Tech Team – Your “Outcome Focused” Team Member