
Michael Y. Gordon

Teamwork

My toolkit
Hi there – I’m Michael.
I was raised in Moscow, raised with curiosity, and spent half of my life until COVID hit the Planet in The Netherlands. That’s where I have got my major background in tech and adopted the Dutch mentality: practical, pragmatic, with a strong emphasis on equality, consensus-building, generally open-minded and tolerant attitude. Want some cheese? 🧀
In 2018, I experienced a major turning point and discovered my values and personal purpose: Connect, support, and engage people so together we grow and experience what seemed challenging or nearly impossible.
I’m a big believer in leaning into your strengths, your zone of genius, and purpose.
Knowing your values, strengths, zone of genius, purpose helps you make the “right” (aligned with your inner peace) decisions and enjoy what you do and how you influence the world. It comes nearly effortlessly, i.e. naturally.
Mine zone of genius? Gluing team together and supporting people, bringing in clarity & structure, and helping founders grow their businesses and people.
I’m also a fan of tools like MBTI, CliftonStrengths, Belbin Team Roles, and others – anything that helps us work better together. They help increase self-awareness, energy & fulfillment, improve team alignment, and actually facilitate business growth & retention. My leadership style is deeply rooted in empathy and pragmatism.
My Personality Profile
Myers-Briggs Type: ESFJ-A (“Consul” a.k.a. “Collaborator’ or “Provider”)
ESFJ-A help other people in real and practical ways through direct action and cooperation. They build harmonious relationships with others and work hard to achieve and maintain them. They are practical and realistic. They are conscientious, traditional, and bound by their sense of duty and commitment.
Gallup Strengths (Top 5): Maximizer, Individualization, Strategic, Activator, Arranger
– Maximizer: Sees the best in others, and the company, helps to rise to potential
– Individualization: Loves building relationships and teams, sees how different people can work together
– Strategic: Sees big picture, creates strategy, researches alternative options
– Activator: Turns thoughts to actions, gets things started
– Arranger: Conductor, arranges people to get things done
Gallup Builder Profile (BP10): Conductor
Conductor is the operations person or manager who knows how to get all players on the team — or in the ‘orchestra’ — to work together seamlessly. They build an organization by building its people and take pride in finding the right people for key positions. This person holds the whole organization together. When something needs to be done, they make sure it happens, even if something gets in the way. They are fixated on growth metrics and hold themselves and their team accountable for the goals they set.
DISC Profile: Influence (Influence: 34%, Steadiness: 29%, Compliance: 26%, Dominance: 10%)
At work, they look for ways to motivate people and drive enthusiasm!
They gravitate towards lots of communication and teamwork. They do well in customer-facing roles where they can build relationships and get people on board with ideas. They are natural collaborators and will often be the first to bring everyone together in order to come up with creative solutions for problems. Team-building is their main skill. Their social skills and naturally warm personality makes them a leader capable of bringing people together and keeping them positive and engaged. Their sense of empathy and listening skills make them ideally placed to assemble teams and work units that will function well together and become more than the sum of their parts.
Belbin Team Roles: Coordinator: 95%, Monitor Evaluator: 72%, Resource Investigator: 62%, Teamworker: 52%
– Coordinator: Mature, confident, identifies talent. Clarifies goals. Delegates effectively. Networking and enabling people to interact more effectively are what I do best.
– Monitor Evaluator: Sober, strategic and discerning. Sees all options and judges accurately. Able to offer discerning advice and direction when devising strategies or making decisions as a group.
– Resource Investigator: Outgoing, enthusiastic, communicative. Explores opportunities and develops contacts. Enjoys finding out what’s going on elsewhere and considering what could be relevant to the business.
– Teamworker: Co-operative, perceptive and diplomatic. Listens and averts friction. Encourages people and helps them to work together effectively.
Currently, I live near Batumi (Rep. of Georgia) and collaborate fully remotely – working comfortably across CDT to CET timezones.
Am I a freelancer / independent contractor / fractional? Currently, I’m. But I’m not a solo operator by nature. My greatest strengths shine inside a small, close-knit team – not alone, not building a sales pipeline from scratch.
What I love (and do best) is helping already existing small tech services agencies and startups grow from within: bringing clarity, structure & systems; improving delivery; developing the team; and aligning operations with business goals.
So, while I’m available as a contractor / freelancer / fractional, I’m also open to the right full-time employment opportunity – fully remote, in a small (under 20 people) tech services agency or a startup, where the founders value connection, proactivity, empathy, commitment, ownership, growth, teamwork, and people development.
At times I support the StayWithPets volunteer community that cares for 350 dogs & cats non-governmental shelter in Batumi.
Apart from that, I’m a holistic leadership coach helping 30+ professionals realign career & identity transitions with purpose.
Are you looking for someone to free your time, support your team, and help your business grow? Let’s talk.