Finders, Minders, and Grinders: Which Type Are You?

The fall TV lineup is upon us. In yet another lawyer-based series—this time a Fox sitcom—Rob Lowe returns to his hometown to work as a lawyer after his long-running television series, “The Grinder” (on which he played a lawyer), gets canceled.

I first heard the term grinder several years ago at a conference where the keynote speaker was an attorney describing job functions in a law firm. The tongue-in-cheek adage that there are 3 types of lawyers—finders, minders, and grinders—was coined in the 1970s, but this pertains to pharmacists’ roles today, as well.

Finders

At top of the pyramid hierarchy, these pharmacists generate new ideas, build relationships, and make decisions. They are the Rainmakers in an organization.

Depending on the depth of the workplace organizational chart, finders can be the district manager of a retail chain, the owner of a community pharmacy, or the hospital vice president with a pharmacy degree.

Minders

Pharmacists who are department heads, managers, or supervisors fit this archetype. They offer support and direction to their co-workers (the grinders), assign tasks, keep everyone on track, and oversee schedules to keep things running smoothly.

Grinders

Pharmacists at the base of the pyramid keep the workflow moving and get the work done day in and day out. Counting, checking, scanning, reviewing, order entering, phoning, compounding—these are the worker bee colleagues.

Everyone has some aspect of a finder, minder, and grinder in their daily work.

All 3 types think that their particular set of functions is the most important, but there is no good, better, or best among the 3 roles. Each is critical to the success of any pharmacy operation and carries its own advantages and challenges.

Knowing whether you are a finder, minder, grinder, or some blend of the 3 can be valuable in deciding where you want to land on your company’s organizational chart in the future. From worker bee to Rainmaker, the key is to personally achieve the best balance and job satisfaction that fits both your personality and work style.