If you’ve ever flown on a Southwest Airlines flight, you probably paid a little more attention to the safety announcements than usual. Southwest’s announcements are personal and comedic, a touch that originated with a single proactive employee named Martha ‘Marty’ Cobbs.

By going above and beyond to brighten her customers’ day, it’s estimated that Cobbs has added $140 million each year in customer loyalty.

This story perfectly illustrates a fundamental truth about business success: not all employees are created equal when it comes to driving organizational growth. While every team member contributes value, certain types of employees consistently emerge as the true catalysts for company achievement.

Understanding these different employee types can transform how you hire, manage, and develop your workforce. When you recognize the unique strengths each type brings to your organization, you can better position your team for sustained success and growth.

The Three Types of Employees That Define Your Organization

Every successful organization relies on three distinct categories of employees, each playing a crucial role in the company’s ecosystem. These aren’t job titles or departments—they’re behavioral patterns and mindsets that determine how individuals approach their work and contribute to organizational goals.

Type 1: The Innovators

Innovators are the visionaries within your organization. They’re the employees who see problems as opportunities and constantly seek better ways to accomplish tasks. These individuals don’t accept “that’s how we’ve always done it” as a valid reason to maintain the status quo.

Innovators typically display several key characteristics. They ask probing questions that challenge existing processes and think critically about inefficiencies. They’re comfortable with ambiguity and often thrive when given complex problems to solve. Most importantly, they’re willing to take calculated risks, even when failure is a possibility.

These employees often come up with breakthrough ideas that can transform entire business operations. They might suggest a new software solution that streamlines workflows, propose a marketing strategy that reaches untapped customer segments, or develop products that meet previously unidentified market needs.

However, managing Innovators requires a delicate balance. They need freedom to explore and experiment, but they also need guidance to ensure their ideas align with business objectives. Without proper channels for their creativity, Innovators can become frustrated and may seek opportunities elsewhere.

The most successful organizations create structured innovation programs that give these employees dedicated time and resources to pursue their ideas. Google’s famous “20% time” policy, which allowed employees to spend one day a week on personal projects, led to innovations like Gmail and Google News.

Type 2: The Executors

Executors form the backbone of any successful organization. These are the employees who take ideas and turn them into reality through consistent, high-quality work. While they may not generate the most groundbreaking concepts, they ensure that operations run smoothly and objectives are met.

Executors excel at following established processes while maintaining attention to detail. They’re reliable, meeting deadlines and delivering work that meets or exceeds expectations. These employees often serve as the stabilizing force during periods of change, helping to implement new initiatives while maintaining day-to-day operations.

What sets Executors apart is their ability to work efficiently within existing systems. They understand the importance of consistency and quality in building customer trust and organizational reputation. When a client needs to know that a project will be completed on time and to specification, Executives are the employees who make that confidence possible.

These team members also play a crucial role in scaling business operations. As companies grow, the ability to replicate successful processes becomes essential. Executors not only follow these processes but often help refine them, identifying small improvements that lead to significant efficiency gains over time.

Effective management of Executors involves providing clear expectations, adequate resources, and recognition for their consistent contributions. While they may not seek the spotlight like Innovators, their steady performance deserves acknowledgment and career development opportunities.

Type 3: The Connectors

Connectors are the relationship builders who create the human infrastructure that allows organizations to function effectively. These employees excel at building bridges between departments, facilitating communication, and fostering collaboration across teams.

The value Connectors bring often goes beyond their formal job descriptions. They’re the employees who remember personal details about colleagues, facilitate introductions that lead to productive partnerships, and help resolve conflicts before they escalate. Their ability to build trust and rapport makes them invaluable in both internal operations and external relationships.

Connectors often serve as informal leaders within organizations, regardless of their position on the organizational chart. Other employees naturally turn to them for advice, support, and guidance. They have an intuitive understanding of organizational dynamics and can navigate complex political situations with ease.

These employees are particularly valuable in client-facing roles, where relationship quality directly impacts business outcomes. They excel at understanding customer needs, building long-term partnerships, and generating referrals through their network of professional relationships.

For companies in service industries, Connectors can be the difference between one-time transactions and lifetime customers. They create the personal connections that keep clients engaged and satisfied, often turning routine business interactions into meaningful relationships.

How These Employee Types Work Together

The magic happens when these three types work in harmony. Innovators generate ideas that push the organization forward. Executors implement these ideas with precision and consistency. Connectors ensure that communication flows smoothly throughout the process and that relationships remain strong throughout periods of change.

Consider a construction company implementing a new project management system. An Innovator might identify the need for better coordination between field crews and office staff, researching and proposing a digital solution. Executors would handle the technical implementation, training, and process standardization. Connectors would facilitate communication between different stakeholders, address concerns, and ensure buy-in from all team members.

This collaborative dynamic creates a multiplier effect where the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts. When organizations can identify and leverage these different strengths, they create competitive advantages that are difficult for competitors to replicate.

Identifying These Employees in Your Organization

Recognizing these employee types requires careful observation of behavior patterns rather than job performance metrics alone. Innovators often surface during brainstorming sessions, volunteer for challenging projects, or submit suggestions through formal channels. They’re typically the ones asking “what if” and “why not” questions during meetings.

Executors demonstrate their value through consistent delivery and attention to detail. They’re often the employees who others can depend on when deadlines are tight or quality standards are high. Look for individuals who take pride in their work and maintain high standards even when no one is watching.

Connectors reveal themselves through their relationships and communication patterns. They’re often the ones facilitating introductions, organizing team activities, or serving as informal mediators when conflicts arise. These employees typically have broad networks both within and outside the organization.

Developing and Retaining Key Employee Types

Each employee type requires different development approaches and retention strategies. Innovators need intellectual challenges, autonomy, and opportunities to see their ideas implemented. They thrive when given access to new learning opportunities, cross-functional projects, and leadership roles in innovation initiatives.

Executors benefit from skill development opportunities, process improvement training, and recognition programs that highlight their contributions. They appreciate clear career paths and opportunities to mentor others in best practices and quality standards.

Connectors flourish when given opportunities to expand their networks, develop leadership skills, and take on roles that involve relationship management. They often excel in training, mentoring, and customer relationship roles.

Building a Balanced Team

The most successful organizations maintain a balanced mix of all three employee types. While the exact ratio depends on your industry and business model, having representation from each category ensures that your organization can innovate, execute, and maintain strong relationships simultaneously.

When hiring, consider not just technical qualifications but also behavioral patterns and natural inclinations. A team composed entirely of Innovators might generate countless ideas but struggle with implementation. A team of only Executives might operate efficiently but miss opportunities for growth and improvement.

Measuring Success Across Employee Types

Traditional performance metrics may not capture the full value that each employee type brings to your organization. Innovators might be measured by the number and quality of ideas generated, successful implementations, and long-term impact on business operations.

Executors can be evaluated based on consistency, quality metrics, deadline adherence, and efficiency improvements. Their contributions often show up in customer satisfaction scores, error rates, and operational stability measures.

Connectors present unique measurement challenges since their impact is often indirect. Consider metrics like team collaboration scores, customer retention rates, internal referrals, and conflict resolution effectiveness.

Creating an Environment Where All Types Thrive

Success requires creating an organizational culture that values and supports all three employee types. This means establishing processes for idea generation and evaluation, maintaining high standards for execution and quality, and fostering an environment where relationship building is valued and supported.

Leadership plays a crucial role in modeling behaviors that support each employee type. When leaders demonstrate curiosity and openness to new ideas, they encourage Innovators. When they maintain high standards and attention to detail, they support Executors. When they prioritize relationship building and communication, they empower Connectors.

The Future of Employee Development

As business environments become increasingly complex and competitive, organizations that can effectively identify, develop, and leverage these three employee types will have significant advantages. The companies that understand how to blend innovation, execution, and relationship building will be best positioned for sustainable growth.

Martha Cobbs at Southwest Airlines exemplifies what happens when organizations recognize and empower employees to contribute their unique strengths. Her innovation in customer service delivery, consistent execution of engaging announcements, and ability to connect with passengers created value far beyond her job description.

Your organization likely has its own Martha Cobbs—employees whose unique contributions could drive significant value if properly recognized and supported. The key is identifying these individuals and creating environments where their strengths can flourish while working together toward common goals.

By understanding and leveraging the power of Innovators, Executors, and Connectors, you can build teams that don’t just perform well individually but create synergistic effects that drive exceptional organizational success.