Why Birkman Builds Better Teams
Years ago, I had a team member who always seemed frustrated with me. Honestly, I was frustrated too.
I’d be in back-to-back meetings all day (as nonprofit leaders often are), and they’d send me an email with a request. An hour later, they’d follow up asking, “Can I move forward?” I was like, “I haven’t even had time to think about this yet!”
They were trying to move work forward and needed quick decisions. I needed space to reflect and think about the big picture. And we were stuck in a cycle of conflict and tension.
Then, our entire team took the Birkman assessment. Turns out, I’m Blue with Yellow needs, which means I thrive in environments with clear rules, minimal interruptions, and time to think things through before taking action. Meanwhile, my colleague was Red: action-oriented, decisive, and fueled by momentum.
Suddenly, everything made sense. And more importantly, we could do something about it. They built 24 hours into project plans for my feedback: “Hey L, I need your eyes on this by tomorrow at 2pm EST.” I’d honor that timeline. They got to keep things moving. I got space to think without feeling rushed. It might seem like a small shift, but it changed everything.
“When you spend so much time at work, and you’re dealing with huge issues like climate change and social justice, you don’t just need to work hard. You need to work well together. ”
Now, I use the Birkman with teams to surface these kinds of dynamics before they turn into frustration or burnout. Through these workshops, interpersonal dynamics start to make sense. They uncover and confirm what many already sense about their colleagues:
How we prefer to communicate
How we respond under stress
How we like to receive information
What we each need to truly thrive
These sessions also give teams a shared language to support each other's needs and build accountability. When we name those dynamics and share our needs, the whole team can shift. They can work together more intentionally, with more grace. A Red needs Comms leader might tell a Blue needs CEO: “I know you will need time to process this decision, will a week be enough time? If so, I’ll build that reflection into the project timeline so we can meet our deadline while leveraging your strength to consider all sides of this issue.” Birkman is one of the best tools I’ve found to help colleagues stop making assumptions and start building human-centered teams that can leverage each other's unique strengths.
Because people can’t meet your needs if you never articulate them … or don’t even know them yourself. And when we don’t know, we can’t ask for it. And when we don’t ask for it, the tension builds … until something breaks. But when we understand our individual and collective needs, trust grows. That’s when collaboration and innovation can really happen in the ways we need it to. And that’s when people, organizations, and missions actually start to thrive.
