Pirate, Politician, or Painting

Pirate
The Pirate in the room questions the status quo and provides ideas on doing things differently.  The Pirate has a loud and bold voice that unflinchingly challenges authority, and every time he opens his mouth you can count on at least one-third of the room rolling their eyes. It sometimes seems like the Pirate brings every single issue up for debate (whether it needs to be debated or not) and takes personal joy in being on the opposite side simply to champion an alternate point of view. He enjoys rocking the boat because he feels he’s doing the company a favor by not letting everyone get too comfortable and complacent. A ship might be safe in the harbor, but that’s not why ships are built.

Politician
The Politician tows the company line and looks out for what he feels is in the company’s best interest.  The Politician’s approach to any situation is usually along a safe and proven path.  He typically speaks more slowly and deliberately so that the words so purposely selected are delivered in a safe non-threatening conversational tone.  He enforces policies and procedures that are to his opinion best for all parties involved, and for the good of the company.  The Politician is the self-appointed guardian of the good old days, and tends to the company’s traditions like a librarian looks after books (even though he can’t recall why any of the policies he’s protecting were even put in place to begin with.)  His motto is “If it ain’t broke — don’t fix it.”

Painting
The Painting says and does nothing. He just hangs around the room, skirting the edges of the wall (and the edges of the issues) blending into the background.  Like any good office decor, he’s not too loud and not too bright and completely inoffensive to everyone in the room — frequently going unnoticed altogether.