I've kept production runningfor nearly thirty years.I hold agentsto the same standard.

“You take psychological ownership of your commitments. You are dependable and embrace values such as honesty and loyalty.”

Gallup’s definition of Responsibility

The part of my report I recognize most isn't the dependability, it's the thoroughness that sits in front of it. I explore a lot of angles before I act, which is probably why people hand me the plan, the schedule and the thing that has to land.

The other half is less comfortable. I genuinely regret producing a poor result, and that feeling does a lot of the driving. I learn from my first mistake, not my third one, and I'd rather tell you the day it happens than manage it quietly.

“You are fascinated by ideas. You see connections that others don't and can view the world from different perspectives.”

Gallup’s definition of Ideation

I've worked in enough places to have seen most problems solved a different way, so I draw links between facts, people and solutions that don't look related at first. What that produces is options, several of them, each with what it actually costs.

I hold them loosely. You'll get my recommendation, and if the decision goes the other way I'll back it and help make it work. I only get loud about a technology when it elegantly solves a real problem.

“You enjoy close relationships. You find deep satisfaction in working hard with friends to achieve a goal.”

Gallup’s definition of Relator

The short definition is about close relationships, but my own report is closer to what I actually do: I fill my head by asking questions, listening, and picking up the background from whoever I'm working with.

What I'm after is what someone is trying to accomplish over the next few weeks or the next few years. That explains why they behave the way they do in a room, and it's usually the fastest route to the real problem. It's also where the coaching starts, because once I know something I want to hand it on.

“You consistently ask, ‘How can we make this better?’ You don't settle for ‘good enough,’ but push for excellence.”

Gallup’s definition of Maximizer

I know what I'm good at and I'd rather spend my effort there than patch every limitation, and I manage the same way. Notice what someone is doing well, tell them specifically instead of generally, then hand them more of the work they're best at. That compounds. Grinding on weaknesses mostly doesn't.

It's the same instinct behind caring about the last ten percent, the documentation and the operational readiness, because that's where good work either sticks or quietly falls over.

“You vividly imagine the future. You inspire and energize others with your vision of what could be.”

Gallup’s definition of Futuristic

I think in vivid pictures about where something is going, months or years out, and a lot of my career has been being the person asked to paint that picture for everyone else. The honest cost is that today can feel ordinary next to it.

Once I can see what's possible I want to start, and I'll work hard to breathe life into it. Right now that picture is AI, which is why I'm not content to read about it.