CHAPTER 5

The Analyst Style

CEO Use Case: Elon Musk, A Data-Driven Leader

When I was a little kid, I was really scared of the dark. But then I came to understand, dark just means the absence of photons in the visible wavelength—400 to 700 nanometers. Then I thought, well, it’s really silly to be afraid of a lack of photons. Then I wasn’t afraid of the dark anymore after that.

That quote comes from Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, an entrepreneur, investor, and engineer famous for his relentless drive and attention to detail. It is also the kind of thing a person with a primarily analytical behavior would say when choosing how to look at the world: by reducing it to facts and evaluating the results in order to gain control over it.

For Musk, this is not an abstract principle; he applies this approach on a daily basis as leader of his different companies. The business magazine Forbes published an article in 2017 that showcased the impact of his distinctive managerial style even when applied to something as mundane as company meetings. Only in the United States, company employees sit through a staggering 11-billion meetings each year, and, as anybody who has ever worked in an office can testify, many of them are very unproductive.

But, as the writer puts it, “with his fiercely driven personal style, he [Musk] has elevated the practice of efficient meetings to a science.”¹ In order to do this, he follows several principles:

• He urges people to prepare properly to prevent poor performance. Musk is a meticulous businessperson, and he requires from those attending or organizing meetings that they come prepared so no time is wasted with unnecessary explanations. Presenters should have all data at hand and are under pressure to explain and answer any follow up any questions that look to dig deeper into the subject; they are required to have a deep understanding of the whole subject and not only the slides being presented. Attendants should also study the issue before hand in order to ask only that which they may not understand.
• He urges people to analyze granular facts. . . Rather than discussing general issues or holding vague conversations, Musk demands from his teams that they continuously refer to basic facts so the meeting stays grounded and specific actions points and follow-ups can be decided. His attention to detail and tremendous memory make it difficult for his employees to get away with any inaccuracies.
• . . .[B]ut keeping in mind strategic goals. Musk is famous for his dogged perseverance when chasing up his goals. It is his opinion that daily work is littered with difficulties and failures, but keeping the big picture in mind and striving toward the final goal is what allows a company to progress. In meetings, the granularity of specific data has to be aligned with a strategic vision.

Data-driven, task-focused, being concerned about quality, and ­performance—all of these are characteristics of the analytical behavioral style, and, in Musk’s case, they are reinforced by a strong promoting secondary type of behavior that allows him to drive and inspire his team.

The Bases of the Analyst Behavioral Style

The analytical behavioral style is defined by its affinity with knowledge and data. This type of person communicates with the world by looking at all available information and leveraging it to make objective decisions.

Before taking any action, the analyst follows a specific process in which they:

1. Gather all the data.
2. Define and clarify parameters.
3. Produce a course of action based on the findings of 1 and 2.

The analyzer is that friend or relative who tends to plan trips in minute detail, the one who, when deciding to organize a party, starts planning the logistics and provisions, the number of attendants, the details of the venue. In fiction, the role of the analyst character is to expose information and to act as an agent of the audience, helping them to keep track of the story; it is the cautious planner, the strategist, and his role is to slow the pace of the plot, analyze the problem, and, often, come up with a solution, such as Mr. Spock in Star Trek, Lisa in The Simpsons, Hermione in Harry Potter.

In work settings, the analyst enjoys an organized approach and focuses on quality and accuracy, expertise and competency. Because of the analysts’ formal leaning on the vertical axis, they prefer to focus on completing tasks, even individually, rather than interacting with people, although their efficiency and responsiveness means they can be good team players as well.

The analyst’s behavioral style can be exasperating for other types, especially those of an informal nature like the promoter or supporter, who see the analyst as overly serious, inflexible, and overdetailed. And indeed, the biggest drawback of the analyst style is that, because he or she likes to have time to plan before acting, the person doesn’t work well under pressure. When under constraint or in a tense environment, the analyst will often adopt a defensive position where he or she clamps down and becomes surly and unresponsive.

The analytical behavior works best when combined with a secondary controlling or promoting style, one where the person is more prone to take initiative, and it is in those cases, as seen in Elon Musk, when the data-driven nature of the analyst combines with a more proactive approach to produce a very effective leader.

The Analyst at the Table: Negotiation
and Communication Style

During negotiation and while in conversation, the analyst is consistently a good listener. The analyst’s interest in gathering data means he or she will be happy to talk to others, although their interpersonal skills may be stiffer than those of other informal styles. And, since the analyst is not keen on creating conflict, discussions and arguments will be civil and logical. When a solid, well-reasoned argument is presented, it will be accepted even if they do not agree with it.

The analyst has an ingrained aversion to risk that comes from the need to be as well organized as possible, so when something is not clear, when there is room for ambiguity, the person will feel uncomfortable. Effective conversations with the analyst, therefore, are those that convey information with precision and in detail.

When delivering information, on the other hand, the analyst will make sure they are providing all background facts; on occasion, this can be more than necessary, so it is critical that the analyst add a layer of actionable points to help others take action and gain specific results. During a negotiation process, appealing to their expertise for counsel will put analysts at ease and allow them to willingly share more information.

The Analyst at the Helm: Leadership Style

The source of authority for the analyst leader does not come from his or her communication skills or inspirational qualities. Rather, this is a leader who relies on well-established rules and proven standards in order to run the workflow efficiently. Analysts can assure their team that the organization that has been set up is optimal and that the decisions they make will be fair and objective.

Their biggest pitfall when interacting with a team, however, is an acute risk that the perspective analysts take may feel detached. For example, when they are conducting performance reviews, there is little question that these will be both fair and based in facts, not opinions. This can, however, appear as discouraging if it does not incorporate some flexibility based on other “intangible” variables, like personal issues or emotional circumstances.

People working for an analytical-type supervisor will need to be well prepared any time they interact with him or her, by having facts and ­figures at hand so they can back up any proposal, plan, or idea.

The Analyst: Relationships Chart