*Author’s Note: When assessing teams and individual talents, one of the profiling tools we used is **The Inventory for Work Attitude & Motivation**, or better known as **iWAM**. With the tool, we can measure your people across 48 competencies, and over this series of articles, we will be exploring deeper into each of the different sets. And because it's easier to reference them against their behavior, we will create fictional characters for each different competency sets. By fictional, do know that they do not reflect anyone in the real world. After all, the focus is their behavior and the psychology behind it, rather than the person themselves. The aim is so you can understand your team members and leaders better, what makes them do the things they do, and from that understanding, develop better work relationships.*

<br>

![](http://u.cubeupload.com/maverickfoo/4e6IMG04272106.jpg)

### COMPETENCY SET: INTERNAL REFERENCE & EXTERNAL REFERENCE

#### Here’s a quick snapshot of Jack, someone who’s **Internal References** Orientated:

- Jack is able to make decisions on his own, without much input from the team members or management, or anyone for that matter
- Jack may sometimes ask for opinion from others but ultimately, they will make the final call.
- Because Jack makes decision independently, sometimes, he may be seen not open to feedback of others, as if he is singling out himself from the rest of team.

Natural leaders (or appointed ones) usually have a higher Internal Reference approach to their work attitude because they are expected to make decisions. As a matter of fact, if they re not able to make decisions on their own, they may be regarded as weak and incapable manager. That’s what Jack strongly believes. Of course, Jack may not be aware that this is just the expectation of others, and may not be the case all the time. 

![](http://u.cubeupload.com/maverickfoo/IMG77561235.jpg)

Some of the companies we have worked with in the past have “leaders” like Jack who present solutions to the upper management, which In turn will make the final call. The leaders would still have “decide” on what solutions to present to the management, outlining the pros and cons of each.

However, you may notice that someone with a higher internal frame of reference may be slightly more uncoachable. They do not take feedback as easily, nor do they actively seek for it. When coaching or mentoring someone in your team that may fall in this category, guide them on the right path into making the right decision for the team. Give them the options and ask them to make the final call. That will give them a huge motivation boost, and make them feel in charge as well. 

<br>

![](http://u.cubeupload.com/maverickfoo/f78IMG02832095.jpg)

#### Here’s a snapshot of Mary, someone who’s External Reference Orientated:

- Mary will normally go around the room (or in a email chain or even a Whatsapp group) to get everyone’s agreement or consensus on a decision. Only after the majority (if not all) had given the green light, will she proceed with the decision.
- This works as a double-edged sword, because while some may feel that Mary is caring enough to include them in the decision process, others may view it as a sign of weakness. 
- Because Mary is always asking for opinion of others, she is also more open to receive feedback and opinion of others.

We normally recommend clients to hire candidates like Mary who display a high External Reference because then, it will be easier to coach them on the job. However, a few months in and if they are still asking for feedback and opinions on matters they are already familiar with, that may prompt the management and team to be patient with them. Another way of working with them is to give them a timeframe or check list to work on, and empower them to make decisions on their own.

![](http://u.cubeupload.com/maverickfoo/IMG05262107.jpg)

Because these team members or even leaders go around soliciting the feedback of others before making a decision, why may be viewed as indecisive, weak, or even slow. The more agressive staff members may attempt to bypass the Mary all together!

In a world where the ability to make the tough calls is viewed as traits of a strong leader, team members like Mary must be able to adapt to the expectations of others. It's not a sign of conformity, but more like a gesture to gain trust and confidence. 

As you can see, whether you have a Jack or a Mary in your team, there are no pros and cons to this dimension, for there are pros and cons to each of the profile. Identify which are your team members belong to, and work with them in their areas of strengths.

<br>

<br>

------

Hi there! Thanks for stopping by. I mostly blog about Steemit Success Strategies, business, marketing, entrepreneurship, psychology, community and random thoughts. 

Talking about *Steemit Success Strategies*, if you want to 10x your results on this platform, perhaps some of these guides will be able to help you.

1. [How to generate at least 365 post ideas for your Steemit Life (and possibly never run out of ideas again!)](https://steemit.com/tutorial/@maverickfoo/how-to-generate-at-least-365-post-ideas-for-your-steemit-life-and-possibly-never-run-out-of-ideas-again)
2. [The 4 Big Cs of Steemit Success](https://steemit.com/howto/@maverickfoo/the-4-big-cs-of-steemit-success)
3. [8 Content Strategies to Excite & Engage your Steemit Followers](https://steemit.com/howto/@maverickfoo/8-content-strategies-to-excite-and-engage-your-steemit-followers)
4. [29 Steemit Post Types to Attract More Followers & Boost Your Popularity (Part 1)](https://steemit.com/howto/@maverickfoo/29-steemit-post-types-to-attract-more-followers-and-boost-your-popularity-part-1)
5. [29 Steemit Post Types to Attract More Followers & Boost Your Popularity (Part 2)](https://steemit.com/howto/@maverickfoo/29-steemit-post-types-to-attract-more-followers-and-boost-your-popularity-part-2)
6. [Copywriting Magic for Steemit: "How To" Post Titles](https://steemit.com/howto/@maverickfoo/copywriting-magic-for-steemit-how-to-post-titles)
7. [Copywriting Magic for Steemit: "List Type" Post Titles](https://steemit.com/howto/@maverickfoo/copywriting-magic-for-steemit-list-type-post-titles)
8. [Steemit Success Strategies #1 - The Law of Requisite Variety](https://steemit.com/howto/@maverickfoo/steemit-success-strategies-1-the-law-of-requisite-variety)
9. [Steemit Success Strategies #2 - Batching + Parkinson's Law](https://steemit.com/howto/@maverickfoo/steemit-success-strategies-2-batching-parkinson-s-law)
10. [Four + Four Free Tools to get more exposure for your Steemit Projects](https://steemit.com/community/@maverickfoo/four-four-free-tools-to-get-more-exposure-for-your-steemit-projects)
11. [How to apply the 80/20 rule to your Steemit Life](https://steemit.com/howto/@maverickfoo/how-to-apply-the-80-20-rule-to-your-steemit-life)
12. [Steemit Experiment Report: 21 days, 21 minutes, 21 posts later, PLUS an 8-Step Guide on How to Write a Steemit Post every day under 30 minutes](https://steemit.com/howto/@maverickfoo/steemit-experiment-report-21-days-21-minutes-21-posts-later)
13. [Case Study on Bid Botting - A Steemit Bootcamp follow-up module, a cheatsheet and why I probably won't use it](https://steemit.com/education/@maverickfoo/case-study-on-bid-botting-a-steemit-bootcamp-follow-up-module-a-cheatsheet-and-why-i-probably-won-t-use-it)



At least once a month, I run Steemit community events and training workshops with my buddies at #teammalaysia too. Some examples are:

1. [Steemit Bootcamp March 2018 - KICKSTART Your Steemit Success](https://steemit.com/howto/@maverickfoo/steemit-bootcamp-march-2018-kickstart-your-steemit-success)
2. [BoilerRoom 03.03.2018 | Let's Huddle, Hustle & Hack Out Awesome Steemit Contents!](https://steemit.com/meetup/@maverickfoo/boilerroom-03-03-2018-or-let-s-huddle-hustle-and-hack-out-awesome-steemit-contents)



I'm also grateful to be part of **[#steemitbloggers](https://steemit.com/@steemitbloggers)** , **[SmartSteem](https://smartsteem.com?r=maverickfoo)** and the **[sndbox](https://steemit.com/@sndbox)**.



<center>[![SB-Marvel-Family.gif](https://steemitimages.com/DQmfE9vRJUurpsDmaZRTQ2PkLVec7Ktkp4T9mZptZUXXCQs/SB-Marvel-Family.gif)](www.steemit.com/@steemitbloggers)</center>

<center>[![Appreciator](https://steemitimages.com/DQmT23Akd2EGD5njf6BTmjpSKxkXeQVXLoRhzabCm7xwMuz/appreciator_small.png)](www.steemit.com/@appreciator)
<sub>Animated Banner Created By @zord189</sub></center>

<center>[![follow_maverickfoo.gif](https://steemitimages.com/DQmeaXUbSZ2GjPysMJhzKv8Z5EQDxP98RNNFtk2pzdR2cvV/follow_maverickfoo.gif)](https://steemit.com/@maverickfoo)</center>

------

*Wait, why's Mav posting on Steemit nowadays?*

Well, unlike other blogging and social media platform, **Steemit** is the only platform that allows me to earn cryptocurrency when I engage with it. Yup, one Steem is about USD5, and you, too, can earn Steem Dollars every time you:

- Create content (articles, blog posts, podcasts, videos, photos)
- Upvote (like) other people contents
- Comment on other people's posts
- Have discussions, share opinions etc!

Yup, basically it's the very same thing you're doing on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc all along!

*The only difference?* For once you can earn a nice income on the side!

Sign up for a [free Steemit account](https://steemit.com/pick_account), and you can thank me by coming back and upvoting this article. And guess what, you will earn Steem too for doing that! #awesome