Traits of a maverick? Execution and Output driven, is the fifth attribute we will look at. There are 6 traits or attributes of a maverick, which is best remembered by the acronym WHINES™. (If you want to browse some information on Mavericks – take a look at our sister site: maverickparadox.com).
Here is a short video that briefly highlights the attributes of a maverick:
We’ve looked at the Wilful Intention, Honest Belief, Being Influential and kNowledgeable. If you want a reminder of the first four articles, click below.
Traits of a Maverick? Execution driven … Here’s an excerpt from The Maverick Paradox: The Secret Power Behind Successful Leaders …
“E is for Execution and Output driven
One of the biggest failings of managers is that they are often not execution and output driven. They may be able to ‘talk a good game’, in such that they have many good cogent ideas on what needs to be achieved, or the effect that a change may have on a situation, but when pushed, they appear clueless on exactly how this change should be achieved. They have planned the communication and implementation of the change but not whether the change will have the desired effect. They are in fact wishing that if the implementation goes well, a good outcome will naturally fall out from it.
It is usually when it is clear to the maverick that the manager is not execution and output driven, that these managers believe that the maverick is deliberately hindering the manager’s ability to affect change. Mavericks will test their own hypothesis (that the change will in fact, not achieve the stated aim) by asking lots of questions. Of course, their favourite question is why! Sometimes channelling the persistent toddler, or a dog with a bone!
Mavericks are not interested in other people’s egos and will not ‘move into action’ if it’s obvious to them that action will not fundamentally change the status quo to an acceptable (to them) level. Mavericks believe in getting things done; they are completely perplexed and annoyed with people that spend a lot of time talking about something without the intention of executing the action. Equally annoying is people that start a task and then let it fizzle out without completion.
All mavericks agree with Stephen Covey’s 2nd Habit from his book, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. This Habit states that you should ‘begin with the end in mind’. It refers to the need to begin with a clear vision of your desired output then planning backwards to achieve it. This ties in with the maverick’s execution and output driven attribute and is therefore readily adopted by them”.
Effective Maverick Leaders are aware of their © Maverick Impact™. They monitor their ability to influence and get things done. It’s important to them that they execute well and everything they do serves that need.
© Maverick Drive™ is the foundation of an effective Maverick Leader’s success. The ability to Strategise, Innovate and Execute enables them to ensure their Execution and Output drive is satisfied. In this pursuit, the maverick becomes objectively analytical, testing hypotheses, their ability to influence and challenging of the status quo.
This can cause problems, because not all Mavericks know how to language their questions or provide context for non-conformists to provide their best work. The effective Maverick Leader (who may or may not be a maverick) understands how to use their © Maverick Drive™ to ensure that the most effective solution is provided for the potential or actual problem that is presented to them. They also know how to influence others to enable their proposed solution to work.
For more information on the key attributes or traits of a maverick (including Execution and Output driven) then take a look at my book; The Maverick Paradox: The Secret Power Behind Successful Leaders.
