Building a Team With Overachievers

Overachievers.

Also known as “Type A “ people.

They have well-known characteristics that seem to be a blessing and curse for themselves, as well as those around them. You know the type - someone that can't leave until the job is done, and done perfectly well; one who makes decisions from judgment and intuition, rather than consensus. They value in themselves intelligence, knowledge, competence, and often have similar high expectations of others.

In teaching and leading at work, I have seen overachieving team members grab leadership and wreak havoc on a team. They do this while trying to whip the other members into shape and focus on the task at hand, forgetting to pay attention to the team dynamics, personalities, and skills that can be melded together for a long-term high-performing team.

However, I have also found that these personalities are generally eager to improve their performance and change, because they are able to objectively look at situations and are adaptable because they are always scanning for better strategies and techniques for success.

Overachievers can outproduce AND get their teams to outproduce others in the right environments. Primarily, and at the outset, they need to be identified and given extra time and attention from a mentor who can objectively coach their techniques and performance, especially regarding interpersonal relationships and self management. They need a mentor who can also move obstacles to provide these overachievers the autonomy they need to perform well.

As I go through life, and work with family, students and employees, especially in team settings, I find it an interesting challenge to channel these tremendously high performing individuals into team motivators and leaders. Honestly, this is also me, so I have the inside story, and often have to look elsewhere for a an outside perspective.

I found a great tutorial recently that provides a simple tactical approach and pulls together the experience of companies and educators in working with overachievers. Laurie Sullivan writes in How to Manage Overachievers that, “Overachievers have the drive, determination, passion, and energy needed to move huge projects forward. But they’re not like other employees. You need to lead them differently if you want to take advantage of all they have to offer.”

Finally, I find that getting everyone outside their box is the best way to learn – especially for overachievers. I raised my own children with students from all over the world living with us (where learning from new paradigms was a two-way street), and made every opportunity for my family to work and travel abroad. I value highly the things we are learning from each other’s cultures as our business and personal lives take us to other areas of the globe to work and play together.

We can learn a lot from other cultures about leadership and teamwork, whatever personality type we and those for whom we are responsible are. Working with Japanese partners in particular has given me great respect for people that can lead from behind or among the team, and taught me about the effectiveness of obtaining commitment and loyalty. I have worked with leaders who had great knowledge and experience, who chose to remain in the background until the right time, when those they were leading knew their leadership was from a position of mutual commitment, respect, and common interest in other members of the team.

I am interested in hearing about your experience with overachievers and what you have done to improve team performance.