What happens when certain “Voices” in your organization are not represented properly? Let’s take a closer look at what happens when the Connector voice is over or under-represented. The Connector Under-Represented When a Connector is under-represented on a team, it usually comes as a result of their feeling like their connections won’t be seen as valuable to the project. When Connectors aren’t sharing their ideas, the team risks losing opportunities for collaboration and external support. Losing these opportunities limits the team’s reach and resources to accomplish their goal. For example, the Connector’s suggestion for who or what team might be good at performing a certain aspect of a project can go unsaid, which could lead to the team missing out on performing at their best possible level. The Connector Over-Represented When Connectors are over-represented on your team, though, there are a different set of risks involved. As you might expect, all of those connections can end up as distractions instead of useful to the team. Also, a Connector’s excitement about certain ideas can cause them to come across as “salesy”. This can lead to a lack of trust from certain team members, causing them to not voice their opinions and, potentially causing their Voice to be under-represented. When this happens, the Connectors might be energized by all the potential connections they can use to help the team, but the rest of the team is confused and losing sight of the main mission. Optimal Representation But what about when the representation is just right? As Connectors grow into their Voice and the unique role they play on the team, they bring tremendous value to it. When the team culture encourages Connectors to constructively share their connections that might be helpful to the team, while not letting them get carried away, the team thrives. In this situation, a Connector’s ability to help people understand each other can be a true asset to the team. When Connectors contribute to that healthy balance between other Voices on the team, a team’s effectiveness increases dramatically. As with every Voice, Connectors are vital to their team’s success. Each Voice is necessary for a well-functioning team. Understanding these insights will help you empower those Connectors on your team to contribute their best and receive fulfillment in their role on the team. If you’re interested in learning more, check out the 5 Voices assessment in our bio.
