Webster’s
dictionary defines the word Team as: a
number of persons associated together in work or
activity. All of us at one
time or another have
worked as part of a team.
Many people think of
their fellow workers as their other family. They
can spend
as much time with this work family as
they do their home family. Both of these families
can be enjoyable or dysfunctional. Birth order can
explain why.
Birth Orders
For those of
you that have never heard an explanation
of birth order there are 5 ordinal or
single number
birth orders. The Only child, 0. The firstborn #1,
second born
#2, third born #3 and fourth born #4.
If families are larger than four children
and there are
no gaps between individual children larger than three
years then
the birth order numbers repeat. They
become 5=1, 6=2, 7=3, 8=4. These second level birth
orders show muted characteristics of their counterpart
birth
orders. All birth orders have both positive
and negative predictable
personality characteristics.
The Dysfunctional Family or Team
A team is
nothing more than a family that doesn’t live in your house. At home a family
becomes dysfunctional when someone doesn’t perform the duties of their birth
order or tries to steal the birth order of another sibling. This behavior is
known as sibling rivalry. The same is truth in the work place. When someone
doesn’t do their job others have to pitch in, team killing resentment takes
place.
The Power is in Your Number
Like a
family, those at the office with the lowest numbers, the 0nly or #1 want to
take charge. Should the Only or
firstborn be in a subordinate role, working under someone with a higher birth
order number such as a #2, #3 or #4 they will not be happy. Each birth order has something to offer but
only if in the right position.
Thankfully, given enough time most people find their perfect job.
Wouldn’t it be nice to start there and not take 20 years to find it?
Double birth orders: The Death of the
Team
If births
are spaced 4 or more years apart or there are groups of children separated from
other groups by four or more years we get Double birth orders. One type of
Double birth order is an ordinal number combined with the Only birth order,
1/0,2/0.3/0,4/0. The other type is seen when two or more groups in the family
have a four-year separation. Their Double numbers are ordinal, 3/1, 4/2, 5/3
etc.
Why are Double Birth Order Team Killers?
People with
Double birth orders have two different personalities. When growing up in the home they had their
own individual family, because of the large gap in age between their siblings.
Because of the difference in age the siblings didn’t have to interact. In the workplace these people are difficult
to work with as their fellow workers never know which person has come to
work. The adjustments can be overwhelming.
President Donald Trump and Colin
Kaepernick
These two people
have Double Birth orders. President
Trump is a #4/1 Double birth order. The
#4 gives him childlike behavior, his compulsion to use twitter to express
himself. The #1 birth order gives him
adult behavior. Very difficult for team development for the people that work
with him will always be on edge. Colin Kaepernick is a #3/0 Double birth
order. He has his own agenda driven by
his sensitivity expressing his #3 birth order. The selfish side of the #Only
birth order allows him to ignore the destruction his behavior has on his team.
More Team Building Information
My next blog
will give you more information on team building and how to follow a simple
algorithm questionnaire to find both types of Double birth orders. You can find even more information in my
book, website, or blogs. Life’s
Fingerprint: How Birth Order Affects Your Path Throughout Life by Dr. Robert V.V. Hurst
Website www.mybirthorder.com
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