July 2007
Saying It Right
"I respect your work but we have very different styles," the manager told her employee. That difference the manager claimed made it difficult if not impossible to work together.
Has this ever happened to you? Maybe you yourself sensed it. Somehow your manager expected you to work in a way that was very different from your natural way of working and you had difficulty understanding and executing. Working for that person was frustrating and exhausting.
Each of us has a different way of communicating to others. It isn't just your words that deliver your message. In fact the words may be least important. Your tone of voice and body language are a big part of communicating.
In the case I sited the employee was someone who was careful about what she was doing. She always did a good job. She listened well and could get all the pieces of the project together. Her pace was steady and determined.
The manager was very goal oriented and wanted to reach the goal quickly. Her actions and decisions were made precisely and swiftly.
The manager wanted immediate action and then some indication from the employee that she was making progress quickly. There was definitely a clash. Both felt angry and frustrated.
Why did the manager ever hire this employee? She didn't! It happened by accident when the manager was transferred into an already established group.
What could this manager do? Perhaps she needed to realize that a good team needs a variety of styles to get the job done. Rather than be frustrated by an employee who is different, a good manager needs to know how to build on the strengths of that person.
So in this case the manager might use that employee's steady persistence to do research, insure that quality work was being produced and monitor the time line to insure that all the work needed for a project was done on time. This employee would be great for pulling the loose ends together! The manager also needed to adjust her own communication style so that this employee felt comfortable working with her.
In general managers tend to hire people who have a behavioral style similar to their own. People are more comfortable with people who are like themselves. They feel they "understand" them.
If managers always hire a clone of themselves, problems will eventually arise. Instead of having a mix of strengths, they will have duplicate strengths and glaring deficiencies. Hiring someone who has complementary abilities and style will be much more beneficial to the office and team.
How can you identify the behavioral style of a person? One way is to become aware of your own behavioral style. Whether you are a manager or an employee it is important to know yourself and how you work best. (See #2 in Take Action)
Many companies today use an assessment to determine the behavioral style of employees. They realize that it is important to have a variety of styles within their company and departments. They may actually target a particular style for a particular job so that the team has the variety necessary.
The DISC Behavioral Assessment is just such a tool. It identifies the various styles as being made of 4 Core factors: Dominance, Influence, Steadiness and Compliance. Most people are a combination of several of these.
Once you learn about your style you are better able to identify the style of others and to communicate with the other person in a way that he or she can best hear what you are saying. Imagine how much more efficiently your office would run if you were able to delegate a job once and be thoroughly understood so that the job gets completed exactly as you want it done!
Take Action:
- Want to learn more about the DISC? I can send you a sample report. Send me an email at asparker@asparker.com with Sample Report as the subject. Please include your name and telephone number.
- Using the list below see if you can determine what your dominant
behavioral style is. Remember very few people are just one of
these factors. Most of us are a combination but usually one style
is dominant.
Dominance - How you handle problems and challenges. Core D's are results oriented, high risk takers and extroverted
Influence - How you handle people and influence others. Core I's need to interact and verbalize, are extroverted and optimistic.
Steadiness - How you handle a change and how you pace yourself. Core S's are patient, friendly and introverted.
Compliance - How you handle rules and procedures set by others, Core C's like data, have high standards and are precise - Look at the people you work with. Are their behavioral styles the same as yours or different from yours? How hard or easy is it for you to work with them?
- If you would like to find out more about taking the DISC, please send an email to asparker@asparker.com with DISC as the subject. Include your name, address, and telephone number in the body of the email. I will call you to discuss it.