coworkers Archives - WHY Institute

So You Work With a Make Sense…

If you work with someone with the WHY of Make Sense you know that they are quick as all heck to getting issues solved. They are so quick at problem solving that sometimes they can leave the rest of us in the dust with little explanation as to their quickly systematized plan. Someone with the WHY of Make Sense is great to have on a team because even if they don’t know how to use your new platform, design a website, use photoshop, or anything, they WILL figure it out and they will have it mastered in the blink of an eye.

They’re Quick

If you find yourself working in close quarters with someone with the WHY of Make Sense, as either a coworker or a boss, make sure you let them know that you may need a little bit more information (especially if your WHY.os does not include Make Sense) than they may originally tend to give. I have often found they are so quick to understand situations or a task that they end up giving minimal instructions. Sometimes they may send you a task that make complete sense to them but upon not having the WHY of Make Sense, you may find yourself thinking “I have no idea what this means”. If you find yourself in one of those situations, let them know that you require a bit more of an explanation for a task and that although they’ve made sense of it in their mind, you may not work that way.

Use Their Strengths To Your Advantage

Those with the WHY of Make Sense make both a great coworker and leader. If you are having trouble coming up with a plan of action, you can take your ideas or thoughts to them and they can immediately tell you what you need to do. Often I find if I am struggling with the order of operations for a project they can easily and quickly see it from a bird’s eye view and come up with a step by step process. If they are a leader within your organization they are great at seeing the overarching picture, how to execute the fastest, and can easily spot gaps. They are excellent problem solvers and you can always count on them.

Summary

When working with someone with the WHY of Make Sense you have to understand that they are extremely quick witted and may be 20 steps ahead. Use this strength of theirs to your advantage. Go to them for help, go to them for direction, and go to them for their ability to make sense. They are great achievers, doers, and problem solvers. You are sure to succeed with those with the WHY of Make Sense on your team.

So You Work With a Trust…

If you’ve been following the WHY blog for a while you know that my WHY is Trust. This could be why my Trust related blogs seem to gain the most traction, but I digress. If you work with someone with the WHY of Trust, there are a few things that I want to make you aware of…

Firstly, let’s talk about the elephant in the room, we have the WHY of Trust because we have thick skin but deep down can be hurt easily. If you are critiquing their work, make sure you let them know that this is just to help them and not because you can’t count on them to do it. If someone with the WHY of Trust feels that you don’t believe they can do the task at hand or the project – they will either be extremely offended or hurt which in turn can damage that working relationship in the future.

Secondly, due dates, now I do most of my best work under the pressure clock, others may not work this way, but if a coworker were to ask a Trust over and over again if something will get done by a certain date it can make them feel as if they don’t trust them to get it done. If you have a coworker with the WHY of Trust, just know, they WILL get it done and you do not have to worry. We can’t bare the thought of letting someone down.

On that note, if you are their coworker and do not have the WHY of Trust, they are counting on you to be there and do what you say you are going to do also, to pull your own weight. They believe it is about the relationship, the give and the take, and the combined effort. Do not be wishy washy with them or that Trust will continuously diminish until it is gone.

On a different note, something that can be important to note, is those with the WHY of Trust do believe that relationships are some of the most important things in the world to them, including in the work place. They will take the time to be your friend, to ask you questions about your life, and to grab coffee outside of work. For others they prefer to keep work relationships strictly about work, but this can be hard for those with the WHY of Trust to separate. They truly care about people and who they see/talk to on a day to day basis. And when a team member leaves the workplace suddenly, without talking to them about it first, it can feel blindsiding to them.

All in all, if you work with a Trust, you have someone you can rely on, someone who is loyal to the company, and someone you can call a friend.