As a professional, I identify as a Technical Artificer…

Master of the arcane arts of technology, blending knowledge of coding, systems, and networks to create technological wonders! I have many skills under my belt, and a few pieces of equipment which aid my processes and knowledge banks. Traits like Analytical Vision give me a heightened ability to analyze challenges to see hidden patterns or identify root causes.

Learn to Leverage Your Party’s Abilities

As a manager I believe in playing to peoples’ strengths in their roles and enabling opportunities for those strengths to shine. In order to leverage these skills we have to first identify and understand them, for which there is no perfect methodology.

If you’ve never played D&D, nor seen anyone play the game, I want to clarify a few things for you before we continue.

When building character, one must create and consider a few details before the game begins. This includes race (elf, dragon-born, gnome, etc.), personality traits, skills, abilities, and background. You also select a class (bard, warlock, barbarian, paladin, rouge, etc.) and specific spells. Each character has its own source of personal motivation and ultimate belief in the world, backgrounds, and modify their stats based on those selections. These traits ultimately guide the rules of engagement and positive attributes or detriments as the party participates with the world and others.

This consistency of rules for how the world works makes my brain happy. Unfortunately, these rules only apply to D&D, but the concept isn’t lost.

Initiative is important when it comes to encountering trouble. The more initiative one has, the quicker they take action compared to others. Actions are limited, and you only have so many ‘slots’ for how many times you can perform the grandiose stuff before you have to take a break and recover. Running out of spell slots is equivalent to using all your resources…. You may still be able to melee attack or inspect things, but most of your magic is used up.

Any casting abilities are depleted until a long rest occurs. Leveling up requires a balance of experience, stamina and health. Progress requires skill, failure and success. I mention these traits specifically, because it helps me better understand and frame how the world works by applying similar mechanics.

Never send an athletic barbarian where charisma and wisdom are required. Never send a chaotic Bard where a lawful Cleric is needed. I would also never send anyone with empty slots to an event where they may need them all...

Challenging employees to go beyond and improve their skills and traits is absolutely a worthy endeavor, but sending the wrong member of the party into an event or engagement has its own impacts, both positive and negative.

In a real-world example; I wouldn’t send a shy intern alone to a critical meeting where an empowered charismatic salesperson is needed. I would never send a financial analyst where a graphics artist is needed… I might send them both if the opportunity to learn and gain experience was worth their time.

Manage people individually. Encourage people uniquely. Leverage strengths equitably.

Playing to people’s strengths isn’t a bad thing. Pushing people beyond what they’re capable of can be, unless done so with care.

Individuals only have so many spell slots, and certain skills or traits are derived by their background, class, and levels. Certain characters will simply /never/ be able to cast spells without equipment to assist. More initiative isn’t something which can be granted; it has to be earned. A human will never be naturally as strong as a dragon-born…

In essence, it's important to understand the strengths within your team in order to best utilize them. Managers who utilize their team poorly is what leads to performance issues. As a leader, it is my responsibility to know how to best support my team and set them up for success or developments, and I can do that better through understanding them as individuals. This character sheet is one more tool for doing just that.

What are your character traits, skills and abilities?

What are your teams’ traits? Consider mixing up your approach with a bit of fantasy flair for a new working dynamic.

I hope you found this article interesting and insightful. Consider your team and the traits and skills they might have, uniquely, and encourage growth and skill development where it is logical to the player, not just the game.