I have found that we marketeers tend to fall into one of two categories: some of us are visionary, conceptual dreamers while the rest are executioners. The idealistic thinkers spend much of their time with their heads in the clouds, coming up with grandiose plans. The operations types, meanwhile, have their proverbial noses to the grindstone, making sure the projects are accomplished on time and under budget.

I like to think that my brain is balanced somewhere between those two extremes. But in truth, I probably lean more toward the operations mentality. Tell me what you want and when you need it, and then give me room. I once worked with another marketeer who drove me crazy (as I suspect I did him ;-). Suggest the simplest idea and he’d immediately complicate it in ways that would never have occurred to me. But in the end, I think we balanced each other out pretty well. We needed his out-of-box thinking to make sure we were on the right track. And we needed my follow-through to make sure projects actually got completed.

So which approach is better? The big-picture, idealistic thinkers or the pragmatic doers? Actually, I think they are both equally necessary. But I also think it is important to make sure both types are part of the process or the wheel spins out of balance.

How often have we seen managers hire subordinates just like themselves? Clearly the wrong approach. Rather, we should be looking for colleagues who can balance us out, cover our weaknesses. Suggest ideas and approaches that might not occur to us. And finally, it’s important to respect our colleagues who think and act differently than us. Be respectful if you want to be respected.