Paul Catmur: Peacock or whale - Which workplace beast matches your personality?

Peacocks tend to be great at interviews - but it ends there. Photo / Getty Images

OPINION:

Following the over-confident into battle has been a leading course of death for thousands of years and is generally best left to others. Therefore it's important to develop a realistic view of your colleagues based not just on how good they are but also on how good they think they are.

To help out, I have constructed a simple chart where you can plot where we all stand in the scheme of Competence versus Confidence. I believe this may be of benefit for the mediocre as it not only helps contextualise the nature of our colleagues but also assists in plotting our own progress. The chart reveals four distinct quadrants, but there are of course grey areas where they overlap. To counter any suggestion that it might not be rigorously scientific I have introduced some animals as metaphors.

The Buffalo: Competent and humble

These are the backbone of any organisation. Point them at a job and they will quietly get it done. It may not be brilliant, it's unlikely to be flashy, but it will be what was required, and it will be on time. A prime example of a Buffalo is the rugby prop. They have no discernible skill whatsoever yet will uncomplainingly jog around the pitch banging into other people until you tell them to stop.

The Whales: They have little idea of how good they are

These folk are great, but they just don't know it. Interview them for a job and you might think them a little uninspired; but hire them and you have a fantastic asset. They sit in meetings, just below the surface, saying very little. Then just before the end, they pop up and somehow manage to sum up the issue and the solution in one sentence. That sentence will then be quoted in perpetuity by everyone else as their own. Whales are ego-free, a delight to manage and you will get nowhere without them.

Lions: Competent and confident

Every now and again you will come across someone who is not only really good at their job but also has an underlying confidence in themselves that they never have to pull rank. They're the people you want to follow into battle and people that your parents secretly wish that you were instead of being, well, you. Of course, those that we hold up as exemplary individuals differ between us, but for argument's sake let's suggest Richie McCaw, Kate Sheppard and a political leader of your choice. (I'll make it easy, they don't have to be a Kiwi.)

The Peacocks: Unbelievably good. (Literally 'unbelievably')

Peacocks are found throughout most organisations as they are often rather good at interviews. Sit them down for 20 minutes and you may well be impressed by their stated competence and knowledge. Probe a little deeper and you'll discover an enormous layer of incompetence hidden behind a smokescreen of flashiness. You'd probably end up throwing them out of the window if only HR would chill out a bit. The Peacocks quadrant is particularly infested with the young who through no fault of their own sadly don't know just how much they don't know. To be fair, it's a natural stage many people go through and part of growing up, the real issue is those that get stuck here for their whole career. I may have lingered in this quadrant myself.

So have a look at the chart and see where you might fit in and perhaps, if you dare, ask your colleagues where they see you. If they swallow hard and spend a while before answering you may have some thinking to do. The important thing to remember is to try and keep your confidence in rough tandem with your abilities.

It is, of course, possible to move between quadrants as abilities increase and confidence waxes and wanes. It is also possible to occupy different quadrants depending on the task at hand. For example, while my companions would probably consider me a Peacock at fishing, I will readily admit to being a complete Buffalo at golf.

You may disagree with my choice of animals in which case feel free to substitute your own. Alternatively, you may disagree with the whole thing which almost undoubtedly qualifies you as a Peacock.

• Paul worked in advertising at a quite good level across New Zealand, the UK and Australia including co-founding an agency in Auckland. This is a series of articles about how to make the best out of maybe not being the best.