Strengthen Relationships - Personality Styles

Last time we laid the ground work for identifying our own style, this time we will spend some time getting to know other people’s styles.  Just to review there are 4 different behavior styles, that most people have one dominant and one secondary style.

Driver (control, ambition, results oriented) – self confident, always in a hurry, very straightforward, take charge of meetings, tend to be blunt, tend to be impatient, tend to interrupt others, are aggressive and can be intimidating.

Expressors/Influencers (social influence, positive expectancy and expressiveness) – generally optimistic, a good promoter and motivator, enjoys freedom of movement, extroverted, people-oriented, good at persuading others and outgoing.

Amiable/Steadiness (patience, composure, and being a team player) – a dependable and steady team worker, a stable and predictable work environment, friendly and works to get along with co-workers, may need time to adjust to change and is dependable

Compliant/Analytical (precision and analytical/quality orientation) – appreciates working with details, enjoys working where critical thinking is needed, a conscientious person with a well developed idea of “right and wrong”, maintains high standards, tends to be organized.

Now that you have a good idea of your own style let’s move on to the styles of others

Identifying Styles of Others

Identifying Drivers - people that relate to the following terms – a realist, values-focused, reliable, meets deadlines, focused, knows what has to be done, solves problems, gets results and is prepared.  They tend to dislike being micro-managed as they see themselves as being self reliant, they are comfortable with change and are competitive by nature.   These types are driven by their ideas and often seek to be in charge and in control, they pursue problems with a sense of urgency and emphasize getting the job done and set high standards for productivity.  18% of the population have tendencies toward this style, and others may see them as arrogant, impatient and intolerable.  Donald Trump is an example of a typical driver behavior style

Drivers achieve success by taking decisive actions toward their goal.

Identifying Expressors or Influencers - people that relate to the following terms – generate excitement enthusiasm and hopefulness, prefer to communicate in person and mix personal talk and business, they are gregarious, open, talkative, approachable and make friends easily, they enjoy working in a team and motivating others, they are charismatic and entertaining, they display positive attitude, are optimistic and reassuring, they may be seen as a dreamer.  28% of the population are expressors and they maybe seen by others as being unorganized, sloppy with the details and being late with projects and due dates.  Bill Clinton is an example of a famous influencer.

Influencers achieve success by persuading others to work with them towards a goal.

Identifying Amiable or Steadiness – people that relate to the following phrases – dependable and steady team worker, likes stable work area and approaches change with care and temperance, friendly and works to get along with co-workers and is a team player, they respect authority and are comfortable working with a supportive and assertive leader, shows patience and loyalty are good listeners and like to help others.  40% of the population are amiable and may be seen by others as indecisive and resistant to change.  Mother Theresa is an example of an amiable type.

Works with others as part of a team to achieve success

Identifying Analytical or Compliant – people that relate to the following phrases – precision and quality orientation, appreciates working with details, conscientious and thorough, enjoys working where critical thinking is needed, maintains high standards, tends to be well organized, prefers systematic approach, are seen as dependable and are steady and consistent performers, they emphasize rationale, facts, data and logic.  14% of the population is compliant or analytical and maybe seen by others as overly concerned with perfection and overly focused on the little things. Bill Gates is an example of a compliant type.

Works within rules and procedures to achieve success

Next time I’ll discuss how we can work more effectively with the other styles.

Strengthen Relationships – Personality Styles

I was recently talking to a customer that attended our Sales Success program and he told me that he was having difficulties dealing with people that were direct, outgoing and aggressive in nature.  He said that he had decided that he wouldn’t work with these types of people any more.  In his business he often needs to talk to top level management and business owners when selling his solutions to customers.  I asked if it might be more beneficial to learn how to deal with these personality types than to ignore them, as many business owners and decision makers have this particular style.  He agreed.

To be better equipped in today’s business environments people need to be able to:

·        Know your own behavioral style.

·        Recognize your customer’s behavioral style.

·        Adapt for greater appreciation, communication and understanding.

We’re not suggesting that you need to be someone else on the contrary, we really need to be genuine and be ourselves.  To get real understanding and to connect to people we need to be aware that not everyone, thinks like we do. This is important, because people buy from people they like and trust and sales people tend to sell to people that are more like them, it’s easier.  What happens to sales if you’re able to connect and work better with more people?

The 4 behavioral styles are Dominance/Driver, Influencing/Expressive, Steadiness/Amiable and Compliant/analytical.  77% of the population will exhibit behavior by two tendencies 15% by one and 3% will exhibit one of 3 special stress-induced response patterns at any given point in time.  However, in every “fight or flight” situation, one instinctual or core tendency will control the actions of the individuals, D, I, S, and C.

D – direct, dominates others, high ego strength and task-oriented, driven by personal challenges, fears being taken advantage of, and can be impatient.

To communicate with D’s be direct, brief and to the point, focus on the task and stick to business, results oriented approach, identify opportunities/challenges, provide win/win situations, use logical approach, touch on high points, don’t use too much data, keep your distance.  18% of population are Drivers.

I – interact with others, optimistic and people oriented relaters, driven by social recognition, fears social rejection and can be disorganized.

To communicate with I’s allow time for socialization, lighten up, have fun, ask for feelings and opinions, use touch, friendly non-threatening environment, involve with brain storming new ideas and approaches, expect quick decisions and provide opportunities for recognition and reward.  28% of population are Influencers.

S – serve others, team player, loyal, concrete results-oriented, driven by traditional practices, fears loss of stability and can be possessive.

To communicate with S’s be patient, draw out their opinions, provide logical approaches to the facts, relax; allow time for discussion, show how solutions will benefit them, clearly define all areas and involve them in planning.  40% of the population are Steadiness.

C – to comply with their own high standards, accuracy and high intuitiveness, driven by correct or proper way fear of criticism of their work and may be overly critical.

To communicate with C’s use data and facts, examine argument from all sides, keep on task; don’t socialize, disagree with the facts, not the person, focus on quality, avoid new solutions; stick to proven ideas, do not touch, allow time for them to think.  14% of the population are Compliant.

 

Stay tuned, next blog I will share some insight on how you quickly and easily identify people’s styles.

 

Happy Selling!!

Leading Across Generations

Never before in our history have we had 4 generations in the workplace – Veterans, Boomers, Gen X and Millennials.  Veterans make up roughly 10% of the workforce, Boomers 45%, Gen X 30% and Millennials the remaining 15%.  With each generation comes diversity, different experience and their challenges.

Boomers are largely in management roles within our organizations and they have the task of inspiring and connecting with the other groups.  The 5 main misconceptions is that everyone wants:

·        To be the same

·        The same thing out of work

·        To be promoted

·        To be a manager

·        To live up to “your” expectations

 

What inspires one generation will not work the same with other generations.  To be an effective leader you need the tools to work with different kinds of people that have different ideas, expectations and desires.

How many times, for example, have boomers said, I can’t connect with young people these days, they aren’t interested in working for a living?  You need to be connecting at a level that you have never done before.  Our human relation skills need to be better than ever if we expect to connect with the different generations to produce postitive results.

Do you have the skills that will allow you to connect and effectively lead the different generations in the work place?

RESPECT

R        Relate to commonalities

E        Explore differences

S        Seek to understand

P        Promote inclusion

E        Embrace new thinking

C        Celebrate uniqueness

T        Tap into possibilities