Chief

Natural, energetic and a drive to turn theories into plans

Thinker GROUP

Chief is one of a group of Character Types that we call Thinker. The Thinker, in turn, form a group within our overall Character Family as shown right:

CHARACTER SUMMARY

The Chief is the natural leader - just ask them! They are confident, authoritative and will take the lead in situations - especially one which calls for organisation and marshalling of the troops. They don’t hesitate and their directness can often leave others reeling in their wake as the Chief will have little time for anything they’d see as woolly or obtrusive. As they are not naturally sensitive they may not really understand the impact their behaviour has on others, often coming across as overly task driven, and goal-oriented. (The Chief would take these as compliments!)

This is of course not intentional but they can display a lack of patience with those who don’t grasp things as quickly as they do, or who appear to be blocking the plan, and can be seen as intimidating, overbearing and ‘know-it-all.’ Their desire to get the job done, moving from A-Z in the shortest possible time-frames, and using the quickest possible route may mean that the Chief will neglect the niceties of thanking people and showing them that they are in fact appreciated, again not intentionally - it is just another part of the Chief robustness.

The masters of change, Chiefs see what needs to be done and have the wherewithal to get on and do it, often taking harsh or courageous decisions even against the grain - the Chief has no problems bucking authority, indeed they’d secretly (or perhaps not so secretly), relish it! Rarely intimidated or feeling out of their depth, the Chief is always looking at ways of doing it better and in so doing increasing their own store of knowledge and experience.

The Chief is actually very friendly, outgoing and has bags of energy and enthusiasm. They like (indeed need), to be in the thick of it - although not in a subordinate role but leading the charge. They tend to be expressive and not shy about articulating how they are feeling although to be fair they expect this in return as they thrive on ‘robust debate and argument,’ (which you or I might call ‘confrontation!’) Organised, productive with high willpower, determination and an intense need to be constantly ‘on the go,’ the Chief will not sit back and see what life brings but will proactively go and make it happen.

WHAT YOU WILL SEE

Chiefs draw their energies from high impact interactions, challenging the status quo and getting things done. A Chief will have strong opinions, and has the confidence to express them openly. They do, however, expect others to do the same and may at times steam-roller other people as they may assume that everyone enjoys stimulating debate and is happy to engage in sparring. They enjoy taking the lead and are often seen by others as the natural leader.

• Natural, energetic and a drive to turn theories into plans
• The natural leader who will take charge in situations
• An impatience with inefficiency and incompetence
• Direct and outspoken - the Chief will enjoy robust debate
• A strong need for freedom to act - they don’t like to be controlled
• A desire for structure and order
• A dislike for routine, or detail-oriented tasks
• Self-confident and decisiveness
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WHAT COMES EASY

The Chief is the action-oriented, conceptualist - almost a contradiction in terms. They love theories and ideas, abstract and concepts, and then want to move quickly to implement them. Chiefs are often seen as the leaders as they can articulate the vision of the future but have that desire to plan and get to closure quickly to make sure it is implemented and carried through to conclusion.

• A natural enthusiasm and energy
• Taking their commitments very seriously
• A fair-minded approach, will always be interested in doing the right thing
• Being extremely direct and straightforward
• A desire to move quickly and remove obstacles
• An ability to turn conflict situations into positive lessons
• An ability to take constructive criticism well
• Extremely high standards and expectations (both strength and a weakness)

WHAT NEEDS DEVELOPING

The Chief has an intensely intellectual way of seeing the world, where values such as right and wrong, good and bad, useful and useless are judged only by their applicability to an almost mathematically exact - and to the Chief - always rational, attitude to life. They may not therefore always consider how people are feeling but when it comes to getting things done, galvanising the troops, calling them to action and determining the way forward, this is Chief territory.

• Taking a back seat, questioning openly rather than challenge or confront
• Allowing more time for others to share their views and opinions
• Being objective and open minded about suggestions and ideas from others
• Listening objectively to other people’s concerns and feelings
• Sharing responsibility for tasks or projects
• Giving regular feedback and praise, recognising others needs for such
• Taking additional time out before making a decision or commitment