Photo Credit: P1R @Flickr
The dossier continues…
The Star
Ahhh, Stars are great, aren’t they? They come shining into the office and everyone loves them. They work smart (and hard), are willing to reach out to other co-workers on projects, are innovative and genuinely enjoy their work (and did I say they were nice?). But just like foggy urban cities and clear, rural skies – Stars can only show up in all their glory in certain environments.
A Star thrives where s/he can be seen, but also, Stars need opportunity. These opportunities are usually in the form of a (great) mentor who can monitor the Star’s performance and make extremely helpful suggestions along the way.
Stars can be a lot of things, but they all share an ambition that is shrouded in the mantra, “Help comes from all hands.” They are pretty good networkers because they are excellent team players – but can take the lead when given the (right) chance.
Also, Stars rub off on people – befriend one if you can. They have traits that are nothing but positive (in most cases) and they can only make great contacts when they move on or up. Who doesn’t want to bask in the light of starshine?
The Mentor
Not necessarily an old, wispy sage – but someone with loads of professional experience, great connections, good ideas and is willing to serve as the Yoda-like guide on your career path. Being and having a mentor is an extremely beneficial relationship for both parties involved.
Mentors get to influence the next generation of young leaders, entrpreneurs, mavericks, etc. Those on the receiving end get loads of invaluable career advice, guidance and the attention of someone interested in their professional pursuits.
Having a Mentor (if you can find a good one) is a no-brainer. Mentors set the tone of the relationship by the type of advice they dole on you, but take heed, one can have several different Mentors at once (which all serve several different purposes).
Also, Mentors can groom would-be Stars into actual Stars. Don’t fret if you are not Mr. or Ms. Super Nova of the office, find a great Mentor and you soon will be.
The Techno-Suave
This is not always your IT guy (or gal). Techno-Suave’s are the little known (practically mythical) office secret. These special creatures have a passion for all gadgetry, computers and anything with a beeping, electronic pulse.
The difference between a Techno-Suave and a person who gets the newest iPhone is that a Techno-Suave will actually know how to use all the features. Techno-Suaves are also skilled at computer shortcuts, document formatting and anything having to do with a liquid fiberglass screen.
Got a spreadsheet that is totally screwed up? Can’t figure out how to reformat parts of text without changing the entire document? Need help with pivot tables? What the hell is “Track Changes”? A Techno-Suave will be able to fix it or explain it to you in 5 minutes flat while sipping his/her latte and asking you about tonight’s football game.
They’re really that wonderful – if you find one, hang on to dear life. Be careful, however, not to bug the Techno-Suave for seemingly inane tasks related to your work (and you’ll know what they are). Be willing to ask the Techno-Suave to show you how to do cool computer stuff (and really mean it) – nothing appeals to anyone’s ego more than being seen as the expert.
Warning: Be sure to distinguish yourself from the Office Techno-Phobe or the Techno-Suave will only consider you their intellectual inferior and treat you with hopeless disdain.
The Maverick
All Stars are Mavericks – but not all Mavericks are Stars. Mavericks don’t fit in – they can’t. They’re too busy changing things. They’re not comfortable with the status quo and never will be – and that can be bad or really, really good.
If your office or department needs a much needed face lift – hire a Maverick. They come in right away and want to shake things up.
They look to help workers work more efficiently, have businesses produce more revenue – Mavericks seek to change the world one business at a time. Now, with all this Maverick-ing, such people are not without their “rough” edges. They ruffle feathers, bruise egos and tend to have an irreverance for company culture.
Also, like the Newbie Boss, Mavericks are professional wildcards. When they don’t work out, it can be unpleasant, but when they do – watch out! Your organization will definitely undergo a major overhaul that will be the stuff of legend. Also, Maverick’s tend to have short shelf-life. The poor creatures just can’t stick around for too long.
Once they’ve implemented all those never-seen-before-or-unheard-of changes, they can’t handle it when things eventually mellow into “business as usual.” Mavericks are change seekers and seek to change anything all the time.
Don’t be too offended when you hear that Mr. or Ms. Maverick is flying off from your company – be sure they’ve already found a place to land.
*Please note, Mavericks and Traditionalists are natural wildlife enemies, keep in separate cages.* Also, these individuals like to go under the name of change management consultants – but it doesn’t sound as cool as calling oneself a Maverick.
The Intern
Don’t let these innocent creatures fool you – an Intern can be the best thing to happen to your office (or department)! Fresh out of school (or undergoing a career change), Interns are willing to put all their theoretical learning into practice.
Don’t be put off by their eagerness (which can sometimes be annoying), Interns are the most able people in the world. They are forced to absorb a great deal in 3 to 4 months time. Therefore, their learning curve is much steeper and they are much more invested in learning how to do things quickly, more efficiently or creating an alternative method, period. Basically, an Intern is a mini-Maverick that you get for free.
If smart, an employer will try to hire a high-performing Intern with Star-like potential. In the meanwhile, an Intern can turn out to be your fabled Techno-Suave, if you have been desperate to learn some time-saving and new-fangled computer tricks, an Intern may be your best bet.
Also, for newbie employees, get to know the Intern(s), they are just as green as you are and you might be able to learn a thing or two from them.
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