The Four Building Blocks of Work

There are only four types of jobs. Too often, people get stuck in the wrong one. While all of the four work types are required in each phase of company growth, the mix needs to shift dramatically to successfully move on to the next higher level.  Which one are you?

Thinkers: these people are the idea generators, strategists, and creative types. They’re at the front-end of the growth curve, and their work covers new products, new business ideas, and different ways of doing everyday things. Sometimes they get in the way once the company or projects begin to grow.

Builders: these people take ideas from the Thinker and convert them into reality. Entrepreneurs, inventors, and turn-around executives are typical jobs that emphasize the Builder component. They thrive in rapid change situations, make decisions with incomplete information and can create some level of order out of chaos. They feel strangled in bigger organizations.

Improvers: these are the people who take an existing project, process or team, organize it and make it better. In a fast-growing company they are charged with putting the wings on an airplane in flight. In a mature company they’re the ones that need to implement major and minor change despite heavy resistance. They are typically under-appreciated, yet have an enormous impact on a company’s long-term success.

Producers: these are the people who execute a repeatable process, ensuring quality and delivery. They touch the customer every day in some way, whether it’s designing a great product or manning the help desk. This work type becomes the foundation people use to build their careers as they take on bigger and more challenging assignments.

Read the entire article here: Rethinking Work: Are You in the Right Job?