Expert Team Role Explained

Belonging to the group according to the team role theory: Earth group

Representatives of this group do not have their heads "in the clouds", but, on the contrary, stand firmly on the ground. They are conservative and have a hard time accepting workflow changes. These types of employees are confident that a clearly completed task is exactly the result for which they come to work.

Even if they are not chock-full of new ideas, and they don't seek to take responsibility for the overall result, but it is the people from the group of the earth who mostly perform the team's workload. A successful team without responsible performers from the earth group is a rarity.

Experts are people with a broad outlook and extensive knowledge, who also have a detailed understanding of the processes carried out by all executors in the team. It is exactly them who are responsible for achieving specific work goals, solving current practical issues, for managing and monitoring the work of executors - Blacksmiths and Farmers.

Experts have the gift of persuasion, sometimes they can even manipulate their subordinates to achieve their goals. An Expert is a classic department head, a leader of an executors' team who spares no effort for the good of the company. At the same time, the Expert does not like to work too hard, they know their worth and always require a decent payment for their time.

As a rule, Experts have broad experience and are respected by their subordinates and top management. They are often engaged in discussions of various innovative concepts' practical side. It is these people who know exactly the capabilities of each executor, are able to draw up a step-by-step plan consisting of clear tasks for themselves and each subordinate.

• They have extensive experience and expertise in their field.
• They are interested in all aspects of the team's work, and not only in their narrow specialization.
• They know how to find an approach and motivate each executor.
• They willingly share their knowledge with their co-workers and subordinates.
• They're ambitious and persistent.

• They may stop developing and learning since they rely only on their previously acquired knowledge and experience.
• They tend to shift their tasks to their subordinates.
• They're confident in the exclusivity and importance of their role in the team.
• They are prone to an uncritical assessment of their own work.
• They can be too self-confident, it's hard for them to accept even well-justified criticism towards them.

Due to their team role, Experts most often interact with the executors who are subordinate to them. Such work requires the Experts to constantly develop empathy, motivational and management skills. Experts like to emphasize their professional excellence, which often leads to conflicts with the main executors - Farmers and Blacksmiths.

Due to excessive self-confidence, Experts may experience difficulties in communicating with Analysts. They also tend to emphasize their excellence in work experience and to be condescending towards people from the air group - Idea Generators, Dreamers, and Geniuses.

Depending on the profile of the team, the Experts can take on many functions, but the main one is to ensure the practical implementation of assigned tasks.

Such people immediately stand out in the team thanks to their versatility and multitasking. They are not afraid to take responsibility for the result; they can carry out negotiations with the client professionally and at the same time solve complex technical problems.

Not all teams have Experts, their functions can be quite successfully distributed among Analysts, Warriors, and direct executors.

To grow professionally, Experts need to learn to listen to constructive criticism and moderate their dangerous overconfidence.

Experts who have learned not to show their professional excellence at every opportunity, quickly find common ground with their colleagues. Just like Experts who deal with heavy workloads themselves, motivate people better, and enjoy more authority among their subordinates.