So only the person who gave it to me and I know the origin of this mug. I like to tease my teammates if they ask who gave it to me, by responding, “Oh I thought it was you” in a surprised voice. Some laugh at my tongue-in-cheek response. But really having a favorite employee is a bit like having a favorite child that you can never really admit and at the same, recognizing that each person is a favorite in their own special way. As IT Radix has evolved over the years, different people have come and gone. While technically they were employees, to me, they were colleagues, teammates and friends.
Diverse Team Members Leads to Success
I believe you need a variety of personalities and characteristics to create a successful team. Many of you have probably heard of DISC assessments, the popular behavioral profiling tool that measures an individual’s behavioral preferences and tendencies. I always have trouble remembering the exact words for the acronym and their corresponding behaviors, so I always preferred the DISC comparison to birds which was significantly easier for me to recall. I strived to have at the core each aspect of DISC represented in our leadership team.
I and others were the eagle—dominant, assertive, direct and in my case, likely too controlling. Some teammates were more social and enthusiastic, wonderful songbirds who had such a positive influence on the organization and me personally and professionally. Others were steady, calm, reliable, patient and peaceful like a dove and absorbing the bumps and turns along the way in their own stride. I wouldn’t have strived some of the stressful situations without them. Finally, there were the conscientious and wise owls who were thorough, paid attention to detail and focused on accuracy.
While no one is exclusively any one of these characteristics, happily for me, IT Radix is is a lively mix of feathered friends. And the coffee mug? It’s a symbol of my gratitude to them all—celebrating exceptional team members and the value each of them bring to the organization.
Partner with others to become even better
Side note: I’m pleased to partner with Crothers Consulting for leadership and culture development at IT Radix. With their guidance, I’m learning how to work better with my team and drive successful outcomes for all. Using the DISC assessment among other tools combined with micro learning and coaching has been huge for us all. A special shout out to Natalie who’s been an amazing coach and sounding board.
