The Phenom

Known in some circles as “the Unicorn,” the Phenom is born from a rare blend of genius, drive, and opportunity. Phenoms are remarkably adept at climbing ladders—so much so that their rise to the top tends to raise eyebrows. These are the generational pacesetters whose common priorities and skills will often serve as a harbinger of major culture shifts.

Phenoms will “rewrite the playbook “early in their careers, surpassing even the loftiest proficiency and productivity benchmarks at every turn while completely reinventing age-old processes, job descriptions, and expectations. Roadblocks and glass ceilings are mere nuisances to the Phenom. If existing organizational structures serve as impediments, the Phenom will either ignore them, change them, or start looking for opportunities where they don’t exist.

In leadership roles, Phenoms take that same kind of personal drive and transfer it to those around them. It is the ultimate “lead by example” leadership type. Phenoms hold their teams to a standard of excellence exceeded only by what they expect from themselves. Just when an employee feels like they’ve reached a new level of personal growth, the Phenom will swoop in to reset the bar even higher. Phenoms are never content—every success is just a gateway to the next challenge.

Eccentricity, productivity, and polarization are the hallmarks of a Phenom. Deeply entrenched competitiveness and unattainable personal standards combine to thrust the Phenom into a never-ending struggle for bigger, better, faster, and stronger. Complacency will never be an issue.
 

What the kids see

The Phenom’s approach to standards (set the bar higher and keep it there) will have a heavy influence on school culture. Some students will rise to the challenge and thrive in this environment, while others will struggle in the absence of a more empathetic approach. Phenoms can preempt those challenges by surrounding themselves with more diplomatic personality types to assist with some of those direct student interactions.
 

Potential pitfalls

As the ultimate boat rockers, Phenoms will run into trouble when the disruption they cause starts to outweigh the results they achieve. Because of this, Phenoms struggle mightily in change-resistant organizations and those where compliance is valued over creativity.

It can be difficult for Phenoms to empathize with low-performing peers, because “if I can do it, they should too.” Longer-tenured colleagues are likely to resent the Phenom for what is often seen as overenthusiasm or even naivete, especially when the Phenom’s results call into question everything the incumbent employees have built their reputations on.

Phenoms too often flame out in spectacular fashion when their mile-a-minute pursuit of the impossible finally catches up to them. As such, this edleader struggles mightily to stay in the same role for more than a few years.

Learn about the other types: