'Guardian' or 'pioneer'? City Hall officials take personality quiz at management summits

NEW YORK — Mayor Eric Adams, ever fond of the personal narrative, has described himself in clever and eclectic terms. He’s “perfectly imperfect” and “the Biden of Brooklyn.” Biblically, he is “the Joseph called Eric Adams.” And, in adherence to his bootstraps biography: “Dyslexic, arrested, rejected. Now I’m elected.”

Now he wants to tag members of his leadership team with special sobriquets: competitive drivers, diplomatic integrators, risk-taking pioneers or loyal guardians.

Adams was among several dozen city officials who recently took a proprietary personality test created by global consulting firm Deloitte. The 10-minute quiz hones in on one’s professional style and aims to create “business chemistry,” and was offered during several yet-to-be-reported management summits Deloitte hosted for city officials in September and October.

During the retreats, top administration staffers decamped to the Museum of the City of New York and Deloitte’s offices in 30 Rockefeller Plaza to share ideas, air concerns and establish priorities for the mayor’s upcoming second year in office, according to seven people with direct knowledge of the arrangement and confirmed by City Hall’s press team.

Mayoral spokesperson Fabien Levy refused to divulge the results of the exam.

Deloitte’s personality assessment groups participants into four types, or some combination thereof: “Pioneers” are outgoing risk-takers adverse to details, while “drivers” are focused competitors. “Guardians” tend to be methodical, loyal and detail oriented, and “integrators” are empathetic diplomats who prioritize relationships, according to a quiz summary on the company’s website.

Deloitte is assisting the Adams administration in structuring its goals and priorities, which Levy said the company is doing free of charge. In addition, senior staff are meeting for weekly Friday sessions in a private room in City Hall to continue mapping out the mayor’s policy plans.

Since Adams took office, Deloitte has continued its prior success in inking city contracts — receiving nearly $9.4 million this year with emergency management, technology and police departments, according to public records.

The mayor’s focus on convening top aides at frequent brainstorming sessions — spearheaded by Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, who was promoted to first deputy last week — continued with a separate meeting of agency heads this past Friday at 1 Vanderbilt, a gleaming office tower near Grand Central Terminal where the mayor rolled out his Democratic National Convention bid.

“I found these Saturday strategy sessions to be genuinely useful, and I hope we do more of them,” said Communications Director Maxwell Young. “In government there isn’t much time to sit down, think, get to know your colleagues and plan out long-term strategy. They served very good salads and unlimited Diet Coke, which I appreciated.”

Deloitte’s relationship with the young mayoral administration began before Adams took office.

After winning the election last November, Adams tapped Deloitte to assist him in setting up his government ahead of taking office the following January. According to campaign records, that work was done pro bono as well.

“Regarding Deloitte, senior leadership meets regularly to discuss strategic priorities for the next three years,” Levy said. “We meet as larger groups, in smaller groups, from Monday through Sunday, and at various times. While we have worked with Deloitte since the transition, we meet more often without them than with them.”

He said he does not know if the company has done any other pro bono work for the city during Adams’ tenure.

“It is essential for strong organizations to reflect on past work and get together to discuss strategic plans for the future,” Levy said, noting prior mayors also used outside consulting firms.

Former Mayor Bill de Blasio often turned to New York City-based firm HR&A and one of its former principals, Carl Weisbrod, for all manner of policy and governance advice, for instance.

Deloitte did not respond to a request for comment.