• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
Eight Figure Focus Logo

Eight Figure Focus

Find Clarity for Your Business

  • Home
  • Free Online Course
  • Blog
  • Services
    • Capacity Intensive
    • Executive Coaching
    • Keynote Speaking
  • About
  • Contact Us

Becoming a Brilliant Processor

For a team to reach its maximum potential, for ideas to spread fully, for productivity to reach the next level, it needs Processor leadership. The question then, is how do we get these often shy, quiet, numbers people to blossom as the leaders that will take us to the next level?

Processor leadership is one of the great paradoxes that modern leadership literature can’t explain. How is it that someone who is risk-averse, detail-oriented, and often introverted can be a leader? Aren’t leaders bold, risk-taking, big-picture, larger-than-life leaders? Sure, some are. But not all of them.

As we talked about Visionaries and Operators, it was easy to recognize their leadership “gifts.” Visionaries’ ability to cast vision and rally the troops embodies the 21st-century stereotype of a leader. Operators’ ability to get a ton of stuff done earns them the respect and admiration they need to lead others to bigger and better results.

Yet I work with Visionary/Operator pairs and teams who have hit a wall and cannot create the capacity they need to move forward. They excel at the “organic” growth stage in any team or business environment. However, that meteoric growth slows, not for lack of demand, but a lack of capacity. Once the organization or team has reached a level of internal complexity, it simply cannot be sustained. No matter how much they try to grow, they keep hitting a wall.

I believe that wall is an unnecessarily narrow view on leadership, particularly with Processors, who at that time in the organization are subcontractors, low-level employees, or middle-managers demanded by some outside compliance standard.

For a team to reach its maximum potential, for ideas to spread fully, for productivity to reach the next level, it needs Processor leadership. The question then, is how do we get these often shy, quiet, numbers people to blossom as the leaders that will take us to the next level?

Before we get started, if you don’t already know your style, I encourage you to take the free Leadership styles quiz. 

Getting to know the Processor

What would a Processor-less world look like? We would have to unwind at least the last 200 years of human progress. For all the glory given to the bold, Visionary leadership and financial success of Sir Henry Bessemer, Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, and Henry Ford, I believe the industrial revolution was driven more by engineers (or Processors).

These brave leaders were not the powerful Visionaries or Operators (kings, queens, nobles, and merchants) of the day, but they transformed our world more in one century than in all the centuries of human progress before.

This is the power of Processor leadership, and modern society could not exist without it. In fact, despite the media’s leadership stereotypes and spotlights, we are more dependent on a leader who thinks in terms of system, process, repeatability, and precision.

In fact, despite the media's leadership stereotypes and spotlights, we are more dependent on a leader who thinks in terms of system, process, repeatability, and precision. Click To Tweet

And that’s what Processors do. It’s how they are wired. Processors are at their peak when they are systematizing and supervising. Unlike Visionaries and Operators, Processors can stick with projects for the long haul, continuing to extract value and doing so ever more efficiently.

Where Visionaries can drive creativity and decision, and Operators can drive action and results, the realm of lasting change is the purview of Processor leaders. They have an uncanny ability to build long-term changes into the company’s very fiber, creating an immense capacity within the company. In doing so, they unlock true scalability.

Any other style could hire 5-25 people before a processor hired her first. But she would beat everyone else to 100, leave the rest in the dust at 1,000, and train and retain them better than anyone else. Her clinical perspective, ruthless objectivity, and staggering precision gives her the edge over any other style when the numbers get large.

Processor challenges

All this capacity comes at a cost. Like all of the styles, the very strengths of a Processor can be their downfall. These challenges are particularly problematic in the early stages of a company, division, product, or organization.

Processors are “no” first types. They need and express voluminous detail. They don’t carry the raw intuition to make it up as they go. They struggle to speak up when they feel underprepared. They move precisely and slowly.

All of these traits are the opposite of what you need to succeed early on. Too much Processor leadership will cripple a new endeavor before it ever gets off the ground. This is a large part of why big businesses struggle to create new and highly innovative products and services.

What then happens is Processor leadership gets rightly reduced or avoided altogether in young enterprises. But by the time they are needed, the business has already defined its leadership DNA, and they don’t fit.

They typically don’t have the charisma of the Visionary. They don’t make the heroic lunge across the finish line and deliver like an Operator. These traits are celebrated within the organization, bringing the drawbacks of the Processor style into sharp focus.

Processors are more tortoise than hare. Their pace doesn’t vary. In the movie Invictus, Nelson Mandela’s (Visionary) health is deteriorating. His doctor (Processor) tells him he needs to rest and not watch as Francois Pienaar and his rugby team fight for the title. 

Mandela’s wife (Synergist) reminds him, “You need to sleep. The doctor said.” Mandela then responds, “The doctor has no sense of occasion.” 

At their worst, Processors are heavy on the breaks, resistant to change, prone to over-analysis, and slow, slow, slow to move. They will grind a team’s productivity to a halt with little to no concern for their complaints.

This only reinforces leadership and non-leadership stereotypes, and the Processor leader gets fired or relegated to the sidelines as much as possible.

Becoming brilliant

Even more than in the industrial revolution, today’s knowledge economy is deeply dependent on Processor leadership. But Processors have a tough road to leadership. Not matching the stereotype and joining the team a few seasons after everyone else, the odds are stacked against them.

To overcome their internal and external leadership challenges, Processors need to focus on what is important, build bridges, and learn to love leaning in.

Focus on what is important

The value of a Processor grows as the horizon gets further out. The hare made it to the first checkpoint in the lead. It wasn’t until the final stage that the tortoise won. Additionally, in the short run, the natural misalignment of a V-O-P team is greater. If the Processor and the team can stay focused on what is important for the team, they will have a higher chance of getting their contributions acknowledged and implemented.

To do so, Processors often have to lighten up. Your constant risk assessment and threat forecasting is of value insofar as you keep moving. If you stop, the fear and risk will paralyze you. Processors get in trouble with a team here because they will not (and to a degree cannot) move forward.

Building bridges

Processors need to speak up more often, preferably in the form of questions. Often content to sit on the sidelines, Processors will quietly judge the stupidity of the team’s whims and bad ideas. This has two adverse effects. First, the team will distrust them or disregard them. Second, the Processor will grow prideful and buy into the belief they are smarter (which from an IQ statement may be true) than everyone else. In doing so, they start to believe they are better than everyone else, which increases the team’s distrust and disregard.

Speaking more often allows the Processor to learn and understand. Their vulnerability in sharing, especially when the idea isn’t fully formed, makes them more human to the team and builds greater trust going both ways.

Instead of saying no, consider what it would take to get to a yes. As a Processor, you can poke holes in anyone’s idea. Honestly, that’s not very impressive. What is impressive, what counts as Processor leadership, is not only to identify the gaps but to help fill them.

Learn to love leaning in

It is impossible to predict the future with absolute certainty. As proud as you are of the data you have, it is the past data and stands only as a hint of what you can expect in the future. No amount of data or analysis will remove the risk.

Some lessons are learned best as you go. Part of the value of a team is that you can lean into other team members’ strengths. Visionaries can have an unwarranted degree of confidence to move into uncertainty. Sure sometimes that is problematic. But more often than not, it’s what the team needs to get started. Operators may not be able to build an assembly line, but they sure can assemble that first solution incredibly fast. Though it won’t be elegant, it will work, and your systems and processes will be far more effective if they are improving a known solution.

Failure isn’t death. It’s not the end. It is an opportunity to learn. Don’t let your fear of failure or imprecision keep you from taking that first step and learning as you go. When you take that step within the team’s strength, you’ll find that together you have what you need to succeed.

We need Processor leaders more than ever. We need system thinkers and process designers who are willing to step into the ring with Visionaries and Operators to debate the best ideas, commit to the decision, and stick with it through truly effective and scalable implementation.

Going further

If you’d like to continue to develop your Processor leadership gifting, I’d encourage you to take our online course How to be an Exceptional Processor Leader. 

I hope you’ve enjoyed this series and can’t wait to see you become a brilliant operator leader.

Prev 1 of 1 Next
  • Introducing the Processor Leader

    Introducing the Processor Leader

    Processor leadership is one of the great paradoxes that modern leadership literature simply can't explain. How is that someone who is risk-averse, detail-oriented, and often introverted can be a leader? Aren't leaders bold, risk-taking, big-picture, larger-than-life leaders. Sure, some are. But not all of them.
    As we talked about Visionaries and Operators, it was easy to recognize their leadership "gifts". Visionaries' ability to cast vision and rally the troops embodies the 21st-century stereotype of a leader. Operators' ability to get a ton of stuff done earns the respect and admiration they need to lead others to greater results.
    Yet I work with Visionary/Operator pairs and teams all the team who have hit a wall and simply cannot create the capacity they need to move forward. They excel at the "organic" growth stage in any team or business environment. However, once meteoric growth slows, not for lack of demand, but a lack of capacity. The organization or team has reached a level of internal complexity; it simply cannot sustain. No matter how much they try to grow, they keep hitting a wall.
    I believe that the wall is an unnecessarily narrow view on leadership, particularly with regard to Processors, who at that time in the organization are subcontractors, low-level employees, or middle-managers demanded by some outside compliance standard.
    For a team to reach its maximum potential, for ideas to spread fully, for productivity to reach the next level, it needs Processor leadership. The question then, is how do we get these often shy, quiet, numbers people to blossom as the leaders that will take us to the next level?
    In this video series, I'm going to dive into who these Processor Leaders are, why they are the way they are, and what specific actions you can take to become a brilliant Processor leader.
    Before we get started, if you don't already know your style, I'd encourage you to take the free Leadership styles quiz. You'll find the link in the description below.

    Read Article: https://bit.ly/2HCAdgX
    Take the Leadership quiz: https://bit.ly/Styles-Quiz

    #TeamWork #SmallBusiness #Focus #Strategy #Business #Branding #BusinessAdvice #BusinessStrategy #SmallBusinessMarketing #SmallBusinessSolution #MarketingStrategies

    Like what you see? You can find more great content from Eight Figure Focus here!

    Website: https://www.eightfigurefocus.com
    Blog: https://www.eightfigurefocus.com/blog
    Facebook: https://www.fb.com/eightfigurefocus
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/eightfigurefocus
    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChLj9yjac5P7UMFxoWuG8Zw/
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eightfigurefocus
    Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/8FigureFocus
  • Getting to know the Processor

    Getting to know the Processor

    What would a Processor-less world look like? We would have to unwind at least the last 200 years of human progress. For all the glory given to the bold, Visionary leadership and financial success of Sir Henry Bessemer, Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, and Henry Ford, I believe the industrial revolution was driven more by engineers (or Processors).
    These brave leaders were not the powerful Visionaries or Operators (kings, queens, nobles, and merchants) of the day, but they transformed our world more in 1 century than in all the centuries of human progress before.
    This is the power of Processor leadership, and modern society could not exist without it. In fact, despite the media's leadership stereotypes and spotlights, we are more dependent on a leader who thinks in terms of system, process, repeatability, and precision.
    And that's exactly what Processors do. It's how they are wired. Processors are at their peak when they are systematizing and supervising. Unlike Visionaries and Operators, Processors have the ability to stick with projects for the long haul, continuing to extract value and doing so ever more efficiently.
    Where Visionaries can drive ideation and decision and Operators can drive action and results, the realm of lasting change is the purview of Processor leaders. They have an uncanny ability to build long-term changes into the very fiber of the company creating an immense capacity within the company. In doing so, they unlock true scalability.
    Any other style could hire 5-25 people before a processor hired her 1st. But she would beat everyone else to 100, leave the rest in the dust at 1000, and train and retain them better than anyone else. Her clinical perspective, ruthless objectivity, and staggering precision give her the edge over any other style when the numbers get large.
    Processors are exceptional and wonderful in so many ways, but they also have their challenges. In the next video, I'll show you how the strengths of the Processor become highly problematic in team environments.

    Read Article: https://bit.ly/2HCAdgX
    Take the Leadership quiz: https://bit.ly/Styles-Quiz

    #TeamWork #SmallBusiness #Focus #Strategy #Business #Branding #BusinessAdvice #BusinessStrategy #SmallBusinessMarketing #SmallBusinessSolution #MarketingStrategies

    Like what you see? You can find more great content from Eight Figure Focus here!

    Website: https://www.eightfigurefocus.com
    Blog: https://www.eightfigurefocus.com/blog
    Facebook: https://www.fb.com/eightfigurefocus
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/eightfigurefocus
    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChLj9yjac5P7UMFxoWuG8Zw/
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eightfigurefocus
    Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/8FigureFocus
  • The challenges of Processor leadership

    The challenges of Processor leadership

    Like all of the styles, the very strengths of a Processor can be their downfall. These challenges are particularly problematic in the early stages of a company, division, product, or organization.
    Processors are "no" first types. They need and express voluminous detail. They don't carry the raw intuition to make it up as they go. They struggle to speak up when they feel underprepared. They move precisely and slowly.
    All of these traits are the opposite of what you need to succeed early on. Too much Processor leadership will cripple a new endeavor before it ever gets off the ground. This is a large part of why big businesses struggle to create new and highly innovative products and services.
    What then happens is Processor leadership is rightly reduced or avoided altogether in young enterprises. And, by the time they are needed, the leadership DNA of the business has been defined, and they don't fit. They typically don't have the charisma of the Visionary. They don't have the heroically lunge across the finish line and deliver like an Operator. Within the organization, these traits are celebrated, drawing the drawbacks of the Processor style into sharp focus.
    Processors are more tortoise than the hare. Their pace doesn't vary. In the movie Invictus, Nelson Mandela's (Visionary) health is deteriorating, and his doctor (Processor) tells him he needs to rest and not watch as Francois Pienaar and his rugby team fight for the title.
    Mandela's wife (Synergist) reminds him, "You need to sleep. The doctor said."
    To which Mandela responds, "The doctor has no sense of occasion."
    At their worst, Processors are heavy on the breaks, resistant to change, prone to over-analysis, and slow, slow, slow to move. They will grind the productivity of a team to a halt with little to no concern for their complaints.
    This only reinforced the leadership and non-leadership stereotypes, and the Processor leaders are fired or relegated to the sidelines as much as possible.
    In the next video, I'll give you three principles to overcome these challenges and become a brilliant Processor leader!

    Read Article: https://bit.ly/2HCAdgX
    Take the Leadership quiz: https://bit.ly/Styles-Quiz

    #TeamWork #SmallBusiness #Focus #Strategy #Business #Branding #BusinessAdvice #BusinessStrategy #SmallBusinessMarketing #SmallBusinessSolution #MarketingStrategies

    Like what you see? You can find more great content from Eight Figure Focus here!

    Website: https://www.eightfigurefocus.com
    Blog: https://www.eightfigurefocus.com/blog
    Facebook: https://www.fb.com/eightfigurefocus
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/eightfigurefocus
    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChLj9yjac5P7UMFxoWuG8Zw/
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eightfigurefocus
    Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/8FigureFocus
  • Becoming a brilliant Processor

    Becoming a brilliant Processor

    Even more, than in the industrial revolution, the knowledge economy of today is deeply dependent on Processor leadership. But Processors have a tough road to leadership. Not matching the stereotype and joining the team a few seasons after everyone else, the odds are stacked against them.
    To overcome their internal and external leadership challenges, Processors need to follow these three principles. They need to focus on what is important, build bridges; a learn to love leaning in.
    Let's start with Focusing on what is important.
    The value of a Processor grows as the horizon gets further out. The hare made it to the first checkpoint in the lead. It wasn't until the final stage that the tortoise won. Additionally, in the short run, the natural misalignment of a V-O-P team is greater. If the Processor and the team can stay focused on what is important for the team, they will have a greater shot at their contributions being acknowledged and implemented.
    To do so, Processors often have to lighten up. Your constant risk assessment and threat forecasting is of value insofar as you keep moving. If you stop, the fear and risk will paralyze you. This is where Processors get in trouble with a team because they simply will not (and to a degree can not) move forward.
    The second principle is to build bridges.
    Processors need to speak up more often, preferably in the form of questions. Often content to sit on the sidelines, Processors will quietly judge the stupidity of the team's whims and bad ideas. This has two negative effects. First, the team will distrust them or disregard them. Second, the Processor will grow prideful and buy into the belief they are smarter (which from an IQ statement may be true) than everyone else. In doing so, they start to believe they're better than everyone else, which increases the distrust and disregard of the team.
    Speaking more often gives the Processor an opportunity to learn and understand. Their vulnerability in sharing, especially when the idea isn't fully baked, makes them more human to the team and builds greater trust going both ways.
    Instead of saying no, consider what it would take to get to a yes. As a Processor, you can poke holes in anyone's idea. Honestly, that's not very impressive. What is impressive, what counts as Processor leaderships is to not only identify the gaps but to help fill them.
    The third principle is to learn to love leaning in.
    It is impossible to predict the future with absolute certainty. As proud as you are of the data you have, it is the data from the past and stands only as a hint of what you can expect in the future. No amount of data or analysis will remove the risk.
    Some lessons are actually learned best as you go. Part of the value of a team is that you can lean into the strengths of other team members. Visionaries can have an unwarranted degree of confidence to move into uncertainty. Sure sometimes that is problematic. But more often than not, it is exactly what the team needs to get started. Operators may not be able to build an assembly line, but they sure can assemble that first solution incredibly fast. Though it won't be elegant, it will work, and your systems and processes will be far more effective if they are improving a known solution.
    Failure isn't death. It's not the end. It is an opportunity to learn. Don't let your fear of failure or imprecision keep you from taking that first step and learning as you go. When you take that step within the strength of the team, you'll find that together you have what you need to succeed.
    We need Processor leaders more than ever. Systems thinkers and process designers who are willing to step into the ring with the Visionaries and Operators to debate the best ideas, commit to the decision, and stick with it all the way through truly effective and scalable implementation.
    If you'd like to continue to develop your Processor leadership gifting, I'd encourage you to take our course How to be an Exceptional Processor Leader. You'll find the link in the description below.
    I hope you've enjoyed this series and can't wait to see you become a brilliant Processor leader.

    Read Article: https://bit.ly/2HCAdgX
    Take the Leadership quiz: https://bit.ly/Styles-Quiz
    eCourse: How to be an Exceptional Processor Leader https://mj190.isrefer.com/go/HEPL/focus/

    #TeamWork #SmallBusiness #Focus #Strategy #Business #Branding #BusinessAdvice #BusinessStrategy #SmallBusinessMarketing #SmallBusinessSolution #MarketingStrategies

    Like what you see? You can find more great content from Eight Figure Focus here!

    Website: https://www.eightfigurefocus.com
    Blog: https://www.eightfigurefocus.com/blog
    Facebook: https://www.fb.com/eightfigurefocus
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/eightfigurefocus
    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChLj9yjac5P7UMFxoWuG8Zw/
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eightfigurefocus
    Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/8FigureFocus
Prev 1 of 1 Next

 

Sidebar

Free eBook

Free eBook: Creating Capacity

Discover the secret to stress-free growth as you overcome the 3 problems that hold a successful founder like yourself back from the success you deserve!

Get Instant Access!

Recent Posts

4 Remarkably Simple Steps to Achieve Your Long Term Goals

February 9, 2021 By Scott Ritzheimer

Though spikes and disruptions will hit and the future is far from clear, many businesses would benefit from taking a step back to reassess not only their long-term goals but also the process by which we establish those goals. This is one of those areas that, if was as leaders are not intentional, we could end up suffering from a side-effect of COVID-19 for a very long time: a heightened emphasis on urgency.

Do You Need to Hire a Professional CEO?

February 2, 2021 By Scott Ritzheimer

Do you think most founders would benefit from handing over the reins to a professional CEO? I’ll show you how the plans succeed and fail and what you can do about it.

Do You Know What Type of Founder You Are?

January 26, 2021 By Scott Ritzheimer

Did you know there are different types of founders? Do you know what type you are? Did you know that there are different strategies for each type of founder? Where many founders get it wrong is they choose the wrong strategies simply because fail to recognize these differences.

Let’s work together

Schedule your free 30 minute consultation today!

Free Consultation

Social

Follow along on social media

Navigation

Home

About

Contact

678-490-8330

Resources

Blog

Free eCourse

Lifecycle Quiz

Leadership Quiz

Services

Capacity Intensive

Founder Coaching

Keynote Speaking

Team Styles Report

© Copyright 2020 Eight Figure Focus

Return to top