Recently, I sat down with Elena Ford, vice president, global dealer and consumer experience of the Ford Motor Company at their new mobility solutions studio, FordHub at Westfield World Trade Center in New York. The hub is located inside the Oculus, a new transit hub, and showcases a variety of hands-on analog and digital tech exhibits including a kinetic mobility sculpture (marbles are used to show traffic patterns).
As Ford talked about the company’s developments in smart mobility, such as rolling out their FordPass app (designed to keep you connected to your vehicle and help you move through your day smarter and easier), she revealed, “We call ourselves the go team — we all hold hands and say we’re going to launch. It’s challenging, but we keep moving forward.”
Pointing out they’re “always in beta,” even after launch, they are able to update things pretty quickly if a glitch is caught. She adds, “If something was really wrong, we wouldn’t put it out there.”
So when it comes to managing a team and a unique project like the hub in less than a year, the executive says embracing flexibility is key when she sees opportunities for better teamwork.
“My leader is a manager — he’s creative. The guy’s below him is more linear so that works out well.” She added, “I once had two linear guys and that was a disaster so I changed it. I feel like you have to mix and match people to their strengths, but you can’t put all like-minded people together.”
That’s a sentiment that Susan Cain, bestselling author of Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, agrees with. Recently at the annual WorkHuman conference pioneered by Globoforce, she indicated best performing teams are often yin and yang. “Together they’re greater than the sum of their two parts,” she noted and indicated Facebook’s a prime example with Mark Zuckerberg at the helm working alongside extroverted COO Sheryl Sandberg.
So, what does this all mean to you? As it relates to your own job or job search, if you’re looking for a new job, pay close attention to not only how well you get along with your prospective manager, but also get a sense of their management style and how they prefer to work. Do they seem creative? Linear? Extroverted or introverted? The key going into a new job is determining your own needs and interviewing to ensure the employer is in alignment.
Be cognizant of what your prospective boss and colleagues say. Ask pivotal questions – when asked if the office is quiet or loud, what is their response? Ask a follow up to that question like how do they work better? What’s their most creative project they’re proud of accomplishing? As the job seeker, you have every right to inquire and learn so you can thrive in a yin and yang management arrangement.