We have all come across them in our professional interactions: coworkers who are able to disrupt and poison meetings with their toxic presence, undermining otherwise fruitful discussions. However, if you have a thorough understanding of these personalities and know how to deal with them, you can make sure that your meetings stay concentrated, collaborative, and productive.
It is common to believe that people have the best interests of their organizations, peers, and, most importantly, themselves. This assumption is generally correct, but people occasionally disappoint by deviating from it, injecting negativity into processes that are supposed to promote progress and growth.
The Zebra, the Hippo, the Wolf, and the Rhino are four distinct personas that were originally dubbed “the dangerous animals of product management.” Each of these people represents a different difficulty that might reduce the effectiveness of your meetings. Maintaining the momentum of your discussions depends on your ability to identify them and navigate their presence.
The Zebra: Zero Evidence But Really Arrogant persona: These are known for their unwavering confidence in their own opinions and frequent disregard for empirical data. Avoid this by basing your choices on knowledge supported by data. Utilize quick experiments to verify hypotheses and gather reliable data, effectively neutralizing the ZEBRAs’ influence on your team. Any ZEBRA you know in your team? send them this article with a comment ZEBRA.
The Hippo: HIghest Paid Person’s Opinion: HIPPOs often hold positions of leadership or are the organization’s founders. It is crucial to make sure that their contributions are in line with the organizations vision and goals. Gently guide conversations back to these fundamental ideas; otherwise, your meetings might be sailing into trouble if the HIPPO’s viewpoints diverge. Any HIPPO in your midst?
The Wolf: Working On Latest Fire: WOLFs are known for their short attention spans and propensity to jump from one issue to another. This behavior can disrupt your team’s focus, making you more susceptible to rivalry. To combat this, create a structured feedback collection process in which requests are compared to problem discussions. Mmmm, any one that comes to mind?
The Rhino: Really Here In Name Only: The RHINO is hardly present and does little and is there for allowances or because they have no option. Even though they might not actively interfere with decision-making, their inactive participation can harm team cohesion. A clearly defined prioritization process can help all team members understand and actively participate in decision-making processes. Any Rhino in your team?
Think back on your most recent meeting or interactions with coworkers. Which of these toxic personas most closely resembles you?
The first step to effective management is to recognize these personalities. The good news is that awareness enables better handling if you can’t avoid them. By utilizing these techniques, you can guide your team through the complex dynamics of these personalities and promote an atmosphere of advancement and collaboration.
( Credit: Adapted from insights by Joreon Kraaijenbrink and Timothy Tiryaki)
