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Everything you need to know about a Maverick

The Maverick leader

Mavericks are very much team players. So how exactly do they lead their teams to victory?

As a leader, Mavericks will generally be focused on team cohesion and goal attainment, rather than on the specifics or details of the plan. They achieve goals through and with the team; consistently encouraging staff to do more, better, and faster. Mavericks are often comfortable delegating authority and particularly details. They are typically trusting of others, expecting that they’ll finish any work assigned to them and take a much more casual approach when it comes to checking in with the team.

Below is a list of strengths and cautions when a Maverick is in a management role.

Leading strengths
  • Serve as the voice for change
  • Expand/Improve existing products
  • Eager to delegate details
  • Focus on the “big picture”
Leading cautions
  • Takes uncalculated risks
  • Acts impulsively
  • May appear tough-minded
  • May not provide enough structure

But it’s not just about knowing how you lead; you also should be aware of the individuals you manage and the Team Type they form. This allows you to tailor your leadership strategies based on the people you’re actually managing—and use your strengths as a Maverick to your advantage.

Let’s say you’re a Maverick who’s managing a Stabilizing Team. This Team Type is on the quadrant directly opposite yours, which means you’ll generally have competing values. Don’t panic! Different personalities don’t innately lead to failure. Understanding this difference in opinions, however, is a crucial step.

Take a look below at some points of friction to be aware of. Use these to learn how you can use your strengths to lead a team that doesn’t directly align with your Reference Profile.

Leading a Stabilizing Team as a Maverick

When a Maverick is leading a Stabilizing Team, they may be uncomfortable due to their desire to take innovative risks. You may encounter areas of friction, but there are ways you can help your people stretch their behavioral drives and make the team feel like magic.

Friction

Benefits

The Stabilizing Team’s cautious and structured ways may clash with a Maverick’s need to take risks and their leniency with rules. The leader may become frustrated that the team is not willing to take the risks they think will help them meet their goals.

A Maverick’s desire for variety and openness to change may clash with the Stabilizing Team’s appreciation for predictability and consistent priorities.

Mavericks are eager to jump to the next exciting idea and can sometimes make hasty decisions. A Stabilizing Team is highly disciplined in their approach to work. A Stabilizing Team can help Mavericks add necessary structure and rigor to execution and planning to define when some risk might be ill-advised. 

A Stabilizing Team tends to be cautious with risk and driven to go by the book. Mavericks view risk as necessary to achieve goals and can help the team push boundaries when appropriate.

Based on the benefits and areas of friction that can arise when having a differently aligned team, come up with strategies that will help you lean into your strengths. For example, you could identify opportunities for new ideas and creative suggestions and delegate the details to the team. Focus on the big picture and work with members to define how you actually get there.

So, we understand who we are, where we fit into a team, and how we can lead other teams as an Maverick. When it comes to leading, though, there is much more to consider. You also need to think about what Strategy Type your team needs to accomplish their goals.

Do you feel prepared to make sure your team feels like magic rather than causing constant friction? Want to learn more? Check out our two workshops around building and cultivating teams that work like a dream.

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