Rock-tober 18, 2023

Years ago, during a team-building exercise at a prior job, a personality profile test was administered. It pegged me as a very solid "C" in the DiSC personality types, and I've found this knowledge useful in the past. A primary characteristic of Type Cs can be summed up with "Get it done right". This can cause friction if a number of your team members are more aligned with "Get it done". The difference in verbiage is subtle, but the ramifications in team dynamics can be huge.

Because of their cautious nature, Type Cs can often be viewed as roadblocks to a project on a team full of Type D "Get it done" individuals. There have been many times I've had to point out that our current course of action will certainly "fix" the issue and get it quickly out the door, but we're going to circle back to it in about 6 months because the stopgap measures didn't address the root cause of a problem.

I'm unsure how this personality profile comes into play in Type Cs receiving uninvited recommendations. I think I would be OK if the proposition clarified an ambiguity or improved our process allowing us to avoid potential (expensive) trouble down the road. There have been times, however, when I did not take a suggestion well because it was just a really bad idea.

The "badness" can stem from technical issues like spec'ing out underpowered hardware to save on upfront costs. Sometimes, though, it's more personal.

There's a story I love about an architect who comes across as a solid Type C. Tasked with designing a new building, he incorporated a massive, full cantilever feature that created a bold statement for the building's front facade. When mock-ups and models were presented, whoever had ultimate decision-making authority didn't like the cantilever structure. He didn't trust its structural integrity and unilaterally added support columns to the design.

Predictably, this unsolicited edit annoyed the architect as the columns destroyed the aesthetic he was trying to capture. Even when presented with the calculations and analyses validating the construction, the higher-ups were unmoved.

Resigned, the architect executed the modified design incorporating the support columns.

That was seemingly the end of the story. Revealed much later, however, was a masterful act of malicious compliance. While compelled to include support columns, it wasn't mandated that they be functional. When measured, they were found to be several millimeters too short. The architect successfully produced his desired vision.

"Stick to Your Guns" - Stormbringer