In their book, Rocket Fuel, Gino Wickman and Mark C. Winters discuss a few ways for a Visionary to find her perfect Integrator. First, if you have any co-founders or partners, one may naturally be an Integrator to complement your Visionary nature. Second, you may have an internal or virtual team member who stands out as a natural Integrator. Third, you may go outside the company and hire a new person, someone with a fresh set of eyes.
Today, we’ll discuss the second way to find your perfect Integrator: recognizing a current team member who has Integrator traits. Often, you’ll see this person on your leadership team. Conversely, you may see this person as an outstanding employee who simply hasn’t moved into leadership yet. This person could also be new and not well known. Tenure or current role aren’t deciding factors, but skills, aptitudes, and attitudes are.
The Perfect Integrator's Job Description to Guide Your Search
Rocket Fuel offers a potential job description that serves as a good guide to gauge current team members as Integrators. Let’s look at a few items on the list along with some examples. Later, we’ll explore several traits of effective Integrators you can watch for on your team.
Same Page, Excellent Results - Plus Problem Solving at the Highest Level
First, your perfect Integrator must be able to ensure all team members are on the same page, and the book describes this as everyone “rowing together in the same direction”. To find this in your team, look for someone who takes more than his or her fair share of responsibility for communication and performance.
For example, do you have a salesperson or marketing professional who motivates the rest of the team or leads by doing? Do you have a leadership team member who goes above and beyond to clarify the vision and expectations?
Second, your Integrator needs to take care of problems and issues quickly and effectively. To determine this, think about who people go to when things don’t go well. Who is the company “fixer”? Most businesses have someone who takes on the role of being the go-to people for the rest of the organization. Who is that person in your company?
Your Vision, Personified
Lastly, the perfect Integrator ensures the company is following the processes and procedures that align with your vision. Who’s the policeman on the team? For example, do you have an HR team member who’s a stickler for the rules? Or perhaps someone on your leadership team has taken the responsibility for dealing with regulatory agencies. Maybe someone understands your vision as well as you do, and he or she influences others to see and live it.
Integrator = Problem Solver
As you think about finding your Integrator, you’ll want to keep the following traits in mind, and you’ll think of specific people who possess them.
Without a doubt, your perfect Integrator must be a problem solver. He or she must be able to collect data on issues, think them through, and determine the best course of action that aligns with your company values and vision.
Accountability is Key, Along with Strength and Thick Skin
Of course, anyone who works with you at a high level must be responsible and hold themselves accountable. For example, the “buck must stop” with them, and they must be comfortable in that role. Also, they must be willing to assume the large responsibility that comes with being an Integrator.
Next, your Integrator must be strong, thick-skinned, and decisive. He or she will be the bearer of bad news to the leadership team or to the team at large, and this person must not allow others’ opinions or emotions to affect what happens. (That may include you.)
You Want Flexible and Resilient
In addition, an Integrator must be flexible and resilient, not only to be an effective leader, but also to work well with you during ups and downs. Certainly, he or she must be able to adapt to change quickly, as must you.
Finally, your perfect Integrator must be able to train or successfully oversee other team members who do the training. He or she must understand what team training involves, and this person must have an intimate understanding of the metrics leadership uses. Ideally, the Integrator will be part of the team that creates and analyzes those metrics.
How about Ham and Eggs?
In their book, Wickman and Winters use a concept called “ham and egging it” to describe the complementary flow, fit, and function of an effective Visionary – Integrator team. Where one is weak, the other is strong. When one makes a mistake, the other picks up the ball and runs. In a nutshell, they complement each other perfectly, just like ham and eggs. When you’ve found this person, hold on tight. You have a rare gem who will help you grow your business and weather any storms, as well as help to create and celebrate many victories over the years.
So, are you ready to find the egg to your ham? If the answer is yes, let’s talk and see if we’re a good fit. Click here, to schedule a 30-min discovery call.
Please...do me a favor. I would love to hear your feedback on this article.
Download FREE report...
5 Key Areas in Your Business That May Be Choking Out Your Time, Money and Growth!
Your privacy is important to us and we will never rent or sell your information.
