In order for your Dream Team to work in creative harmony, you need 4 types of workers.
Step 1: Project Categories
In the One Minute Millionaire, Hansen and Allen describe how Allen Fahden and Marie West break project-oriented work into four main categories. These are:
- Solutions: This is all about identifying ideas and options to solve problems and take advantage of opportunities
- Strategies: This is about taking your highest-priority idea and deciding on a plan of action
- Analysis: This is the ‘Devil’s Advocate’ bit! Brainstorm what could go wrong with your solution
- Results: This is where you create a system to carry out your plan of action and then you do it!
Step 2: Match The Worker To The Category
Hansen and Allen describe four types of workers that correlate with the four categories above.
These are:
Hares: These are the creative, ideas types. They often prefer to leave the ‘follow-through’ to others.
Owls: These are the “Give me an idea and I’ll show you the plan and strategy’ types. They love making connections too.
Turtles: These are the traditionalists. They don’t like taking risks and have a talent for anticipating problems, hence saving the team time and money by addressing the issues early on.
Squirrels: These are the organizational types who love the detailed, step-by-step work.
In order to build a dream team, you must have people of each type to perform the duties and tasks within each of the four categories.
Hansen and Allen state that if your team lacks one type you will be in danger. If your team lacks two of the types, you ‘face disaster’!
You will also find that most people, including yourself, have one primary work style, for example the Hare, and one secondary one, for example the Owl.
If your team consists of two people, you and one other, you should ideally have a combination of all four types between you; for example, Hare/Owl plus Turtle/Squirrel or the combination of Hare/Turtle and Owl/Squirrel.
So this is what HOTS stands for…Hares, Owls, Turtles and Squirrels!
Step 3: Take The HOTS Test!
The way you match yourself and each team member to the type that fits with one of the four categories is by identifying the strengths that match each one.
This is easy because Hansen and Allen have designed a free diagnostic instrument, available on their website, that reveals people’s strengths.
Koool!
So go to the website of the One Minute Millionaire, click on Tools and then select the HOTS Survey and identify your strengths. Then make sure each of your team members do it too!
I’m a Hare. What are you? What difference will it make to you now, knowing what other types of people you need to look for to build your dream team?
