How birds can make you a better manager
Using a bird's eye view to understand yourself.
Yes, you read the title correctly. This week’s post is about birds. As it turns out, our avian friends (or government drones, depending on your beliefs) are more than a pleasant morning alarm; they have deep wisdom to share about different approaches to management.
…
Okay, you caught me. This post isn’t really about birds, at least, not directly. It’s about the DOPE 4 Bird Personality Test.
Say that five times fast.
One thing you should know about me — I love an assessment. I understand they have their share of flaws, but they’ve played a huge role in my development over the years. While in the throes of puberty, I used to spend hours doing quizzes and surveys online to try to make sense of myself. I can tell you my Myers-Briggs (INFJ), my Enneagram (2), and which type of Pokemon I am (grass).
By the time I was in a management position, I had moved on from seeking self-understanding in the form of a BuzzFeed quiz. But that didn’t stop me from smiling with excitement when my boss suggested we all find out what DOPE Bird we are.
The DOPE 4 Bird Personality test is a self-assessment that categorizes you into one of four birds: Dove, Owl, Peacock, and Eagle.
I’ll explain what each bird represents shortly. Before I do, I encourage you to take the quiz without any preconceived notions about which bird you are.
Note that the creator of the test, Richard Stephenson, is pro-life (and vocal about it on his site.) Playbuzz has a version of the quiz as well if you want to avoid Richard’s site entirely.
The Bird Types
Dove: The Diplomatic One
Loyal | Friendly | Team-Oriented
Doves are masters at building and maintaining relationships. They want the team to succeed and will step up to help others. Doves tend to shy away from conflict and are rarely the most assertive person in the room.
Managers with a Dove personality will probably love reading about servant leadership.
Owl: The Analytical One
Logical | Perfectionistic | Detail-Oriented
Owls love detail. They take their time to research, weigh their options, and move forward from a logical conclusion. You can be sure that if an Owl suggests something, they’ve read 20 articles about it and know it inside and out. They don’t like to be rushed and can tend toward being rigid. Still, if you need an analytical problem-solver, talk to an Owl.
Managers with an Owl personality should research analytical leadership.
Peacock: The One with the Most Rizz
Charismatic | Enthusiastic | Motivational
Just like the real-life bird, Peacocks stand out and make an impact. They are passionate, and optimistic, and can easily sway people to their point of view. They are big-picture thinkers, so they may not do well with details or time management. But there is no one better to motivate the rest of the team toward a common goal.
Managers with a Peacock personality should check out resources on charismatic leadership.
Eagle: The Driven One
Bold | Direct | Decision-Maker
Eagles are the goal-oriented birds of the flock. They know what they want, and they know how to get it. They love challenging themselves and achieving greatness (sometimes forgetting about teammates in the process). They are skilled at plotting a course for others to follow.
Managers with an Eagle personality might like learning about visionary leadership.
Each bird type has an abundance of strengths; no bird is better than another. They also have their unique challenges to be mindful of, particularly as someone in a leadership position.
Relationships Between the Birds
While simply learning your Bird type is interesting all on its own, I experienced the true power of the DOPE Birds when seeing how they relate to each other along two axes: relationship vs task orientation and assertive vs reserved.
Now we can see how the styles might interact based on the characteristics they share and based on how they differ. Doves and Peacocks are both relationship-oriented styles that will likely value authentic connections with others. Too much focus on tasks might make them feel discouraged and disconnected.
Owls and Eagles love to get shit done. They focus on the task at hand and will probably value hard work and measurable outcomes. If they aren’t careful, relationships with others could fall by the wayside.
Doves and Owls probably prefer to work behind the scenes. They could connect over their shared ability to keep the focus off of themselves and on the work itself. On the other hand, Peacocks and Eagles could pair up to be a charismatic duo that drives the team forward.
Birds across the diagonal from each other are complete opposites. Often that’s an amazing thing because they have complementary skill sets. But it may lead to tension if they don’t see the value in each other’s strengths.
Putting Your Bird Type to Work
Lean into your strengths
One reason I love assessments so much is they remind me of what I’m good at. We all have natural skills and abilities that we take for granted. My analytical Owl brain can break down any project into its parts and have a timeline ready in zero seconds flat. That’s just normal for me, so I rarely give myself enough credit for it.
My current boss is incredibly charismatic. (There’s no doubt in my mind she’s a Peacock, though I don’t know if she’s taken the test.) She can record an off-the-cuff video that sounds like she spent hours on the script. She can get anyone excited about anything and is the best person to motivate our staff. She knows she’s good at these things and has used these skills to grow two businesses. Don’t shy away from what you’re already good at!
Reflection Prompt: What is a strength of your bird type that you take for granted? How does it feel to acknowledge your skills?
Identify a mentor who can help you grow
When I take the DOPE 4 test, I’m evenly split between Owl and Eagle, two task-oriented birds. When I’m stressed, I focus on checking things off my to-do list and I do not want to be interrupted. While getting to business isn’t a bad thing, one value I have as a manager is making my team feel seen and valued. My default stress state is pretty much the opposite of that.
Luckily, I have a friend who is a tried and true Dove. I deeply admire her ability to set her work aside and be fully present with others even when she’s stressed. I use her as a guide for how I can tap into my relationship side when things are hectic.
Reflection Prompt: Who do you look up to at work (or your wider professional network)? What do they do that aligns with your management values?
Get curious about how you relate to others
Is there someone on your team that you just can’t quite connect with? Do you find yourself annoyed in meetings when people spend too long chatting about their weekend? Consider how the values of your bird type might influence your reactions to others.
Personally, I don’t need a lot of social time at work. When I was younger, I didn’t really understand the value of team cohesion - I just wanted to get stuff done. But then I was in a group for a long-term, complex project. One group member specifically asked that we take the first few minutes of our meetings to check in with each other. How were we doing? What was our capacity to get work done? Does anyone need extra help they weren’t anticipating? That was 7 or 8 years ago, and to this day one of the best functioning groups I’ve been a part of. Now I recognize the value of that kind of social work. As a manager, I look for the people on my team who excel in that area and let them work their magic.
Reflection Prompt: Consider a work relationship where there is a mild amount of tension (especially if it’s with someone you manage.) What would it be like to find value in their way of doing things?
As always, I can’t wait to read your thoughts in the comments!
What a fun test for reflecting on relationships at work! And I love the invitation to get curious about how you relate to others in the workplace as a place to start when conflict inevitably will arise with those that have different strengths sets than your own. Thanks for sharing on this Emma!