Genius Team Role Explained

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

Air personality types have fluid emotional intelligence and often have their heads "in the clouds." At first glance, such people lack organization and discipline, but this doesn't mean that they don't work well. Most often, representatives of the air group are very gifted and talented, and some are even brilliant.

It's just that standard work instructions or conditions are usually not enough to unleash their potential in favor of the team. First, they need to have the right to do everything at their own pace, and second, they have to be interested in it. Then individuals from the air group are comfortable working, and they can show amazing results.

Not every team has a Genius, and not every team feels the need for people of this type. Usually, a Genius is a loner, poorly involved in team life. Such people think on a large scale and are not afraid of bold ideas and experiments. A Genius is not necessarily introverted, but they always stand out because of their passion for the profession and keep their distance when communicating with co-workers.

Such people are not highly motivated by money, however, a big paycheck often remains on their priority list. They work willingly only if they are interested in the idea or task itself. For people of this type, intangible honors, such as recognition and authority, are very important. Geniuses are completely obsessed with their work. As a rule, their entire life, work, and free time are devoted to the study of their chosen topics. Such people have a vocation for their profession.

They are the ones who see work tasks as a challenge to their professionalism. They may not sleep or eat for several days to find the needed solution. Geniuses do not accept constraints and are always looking for their own way of fulfilling the assigned tasks.

Geniuses go through two stages in their development. The first one is the development stage when the Genius already realizes that they are significantly ahead of their colleagues, but at the same time, they work for the team and do not require special treatment. Geniuses in the first stage deliver the greatest benefit to the company. The second stage comes when the Genius realizes the whole depth of the gap between their level and the level of other team members and can no longer restrain their need for recognition. From this moment, the Genius' requirements for the level of tasks performed, resource allocation, and working conditions will only increase.

• Genius can bring to life truly revolutionary ideas in their industry.
• Having people like that on the team stimulates the rest of the employees to continuous development and learning.
• Geniuses never back down when they take on a project or task.
• Such people don't need external motivation; they set their goals and achieve them.
• The thinking of this type of people is unique: if they voice an idea to the team, it's definitely worthwhile.
• Geniuses do not recognize authorities and are ready to defend their point of view.

• Often, a Genius can experience a sense of uselessness or lack of relevance in the team.
• The Genius doesn't differentiate between professional and personal life very well; their chosen profession greatly influences their personality as a whole.
• They might reinvent the wheel, developing a solution from scratch, instead of rationalizing the existing one.
• Their ever-growing sense of professional excellence provokes a condescending attitude towards the capabilities of their colleagues.
• They become less and less team-oriented as their own capabilities grow.

People who have the mindset closest to Geniuses are Analysts, it is from them that they prefer to receive tasks and discuss options for solutions. Warriors can annoy Geniuses with their groundless self-confidence and insufficient level of knowledge, therefore, to avoid conflicts they should bring their communication to a minimum level.

Geniuses are loners by nature, so they prefer to depend on the results of other team members as little as possible. When working on a task, such people easily find alternative solutions, which are subsequently used by the entire team.

Most teams should recruit mature Geniuses only for the duration of a complex project, and not permanently. Exceptions are high-tech industries such as software or drug development, where the whole business could be built on the Genius' ideas and decisions.

Established Geniuses may be overly proud of their past achievements and stop their development. To avoid this, the Genius needs to constantly tackle more and more complex tasks and projects.

If desired, Geniuses can easily become good top managers. Thanks to their knowledge and experience, they have absolute authority over subordinates.

Burnout at work is a significant problem for people of this type. Geniuses desperately need to learn to rest, allocate time for work and personal life correctly.