The 9 archetypes fall into three categories: Drivers, Stabilizers, and Catalysts. Knowing your category, and your team's, adds another layer to how you read the room.
Drivers move proposals forward. They are the momentum makers: the people who clear blockers, keep the effort in motion, and refuse to let things stall. A team with no Drivers tends to plan a lot and submit late.
"The person absorbing whatever falls through the cracks."
"The person who gets answers out of people who have them."
"The person who makes the call when no one else will."
Stabilizers hold the quality and structure together. They build the systems, catch the errors, and make sure the final product is worth submitting. A team with no Stabilizers can move fast in entirely the wrong direction.
"The person who finds what everyone else missed."
"The person who makes sure everyone knows what's happening."
"The person who raises the quality floor for the whole team."
Catalysts don't move proposals forward and they don't hold them together — they make them worth winning. They're the ones who find the story, remember what worked before, and figure out what to do when the playbook doesn't cover it. A team with no Catalysts can submit something technically solid and completely forgettable.
"The person who figures it out with whatever's available."
"The person who remembers what worked last time."
"The person who makes the proposal worth reading."
The strongest proposal teams have representation across all three categories. Drivers without Stabilizers create momentum toward mediocrity. Stabilizers without Drivers can perfect a proposal that never gets submitted. Catalysts without either can produce inspired work that lacks structure or the push to get it over the finish line.
The goal isn't to have one of everything. That's rarely possible. It's to understand what your team naturally brings, what it's missing, and how to compensate for the gaps. A team of all Drivers will move fast and miss things. A team of all Stabilizers will produce excellent work that arrives late. A team of all Catalysts will have incredible ideas and questionable follow-through.
Knowing your own archetype is the starting point. Knowing your team's archetypes is where the real work begins.
The quiz takes about 5 minutes. Share it with your team and start a better conversation.