Who is considered an individual contributor?

An individual contributor is someone who primarily focuses on their own work and utilizes their specific skills or expertise to add value to a team or organization without taking on managerial responsibilities. This means that their contributions are often hands-on and directly related to their area of specialty, rather than guiding or directing others in their tasks.

By using their personal skills, an individual contributor typically works on projects, solves problems, or creates products, often collaborating with others but without formal authority over them. This role is essential within teams where specialized knowledge or creative input is vital to the success of the overall effort.

In contrast, the other roles mentioned involve varying degrees of leadership, oversight, or management which are not characteristic of individual contributors. Leaders with formal authority, supervisors, and members of management generally have strategic and oversight responsibilities, which distinguish them from individual contributors who focus primarily on executing their own deliverables.