By Paul Konikowski
PK Audiovisual

Any good company has to have a good mix of people in order to balance the work load. By matching the personality type of with the job opening, employers can benefit from certain traits that may be inherent in some individuals, and not others. Combining the different strengths (and often weakness) of individuals into a working recipe for success may take some trial and error as a company grows into maturity.

Below is a hypothesis I have been working on regarding consulting firms and integrators in the AV industry, specifically smaller firms. My theory is that any good AV integrator or consultant should have one person who fits the following descriptions. Oftentimes, a person fits more than one, but the theory is that you need all four personalities to be ultimately successful, not matter how many team members you have:

AV Personality Type A

This is the Architect of the team; the Artist. Someone who is an AV Type A is most concerned with the quality of the Audio, the Angles of the loudspeakers, what Amp to use, and the Aesthetics of the video system. There is another word that starts with the letter A that may describe them…

AV Personality Type B

(Or just AVB…? LOL) The AV Type B is all about Business. They handle the Brochures and proposals and generate the workflow. To the clients, they are a Buddy. They often love Bourbon, Buffets, and hand out of a lot Business Cards. Type B may also handle the day to day business of invoicing, while keeping an eye on the project Budget.

AV Personality Type C

Type C excels in Communication with Client and the other people in the Company. Type C may be a “jack of all trades, master of none” which makes them ideal Consultants and/or good at Coordination meetings. Type C likes to talk about Control Systems, Cables, Connectors and Conduits. Custom is this person’s middle name.

AV Personality Type D

In the end, its all about the Deliverables, and the AV Type D is the one who gets it Done. Computer-aided Drafting?  Done. Documentation needed before a Deadline? Done. Double mocha latte with whipped cream? Buy them one, they probably Deserve it.

The Answer Is: All Of The Above

By mixing and matching each of the above AV personalities, you will find a certain synergy will develop in your firm. Slow days will be less common as more business develops and projects get done more efficiently. You can get by without one or two of the above personalities, but not for long, as you need the right balance of folks when things get busy, and when business is slow.

Paul Konikowski, CTS, is an independent technology consultant, working with architects and engineers to design audiovisual systems for distance learning classrooms, churches, conference rooms, student broadcast and Internet streaming video studios. Reach him via email at pkav.info@gmail.com or on Twitter here. This column was reprinted with permission from Paul Konikowski and originally appeared on his blog here.