Recognize that People are Different
Hypothetically all team members are autonomous, intelligent, generous, and hard-working. Cooperation is instantaneous and effortless. Personality conflicts are nonexistent. NOT!
It sounds nice, but the real world is a bit different.
Real people are imperfect human beings with a collection of prejudices, ambitions, and personality foibles that affect their relationships with other people. On real teams, different types of personalities clash – sometimes violently and sometimes quietly by undermining the other person. Misunderstandings escalate. Cooperation sometimes disintegrates into name calling. Despite talented team members and worthwhile goals, these types of internal conflicts destroy many teams.
Face it, misunderstandings are bound to occur. While most people are not inherently bad communicators, one’s team members may (and often do) receive their communications in different ways. As a person’s original message filters through the backgrounds and thoughts of others, it can be unconsciously altered – leading to a misunderstanding. No one is at fault, although each person will blame the other. Each will conclude the other is a “jerk” (or worse).
To prevent miscommunication, team members must be alert to differences between themselves and their team members. To work effectively with others, it’s important to first identify your own personality style. While all of us are unique in a number of ways, all of us can be grouped into one of four different types of personalities – Dominance (D), Influence (i), Steadiness (S), or Conscientiousness (C).
Once we have an understanding of our personality style, the next step is to understand the different personalities of our team members. For example, if you are dealing with an analytical person (one with a Conscientious personality), forget using intuition and emotion. Present your case analytically, clearly, and logically. Expressive people (ones with an Influence personality), need to get the “feel” of a project as well as sense of personal collaboration. On the other hand, a team member whose focus is on getting things done (someone with a Dominance personality), will appreciate a direct approach. Finally, a “people focused” team member (one with a Steadiness personality) will appreciate an approach which will provide them with opportunities to help and be supportive.
Our Everything DiSC® on CatalystTM assessment combined with its classroom (or virtual) training program is a personalized learning experience that can benefit every person in the organization in building more effective relationships at work – regardless of title or position. The assessment and training will help participants understand themselves and others while learning to appreciate the different priorities, preferences, and values everyone brings to the workplace. With personalized insights and actionable strategies, participants learn how to adapt to the style of others, ultimately improving engagement, collaboration, and the overall quality of the workplace. By combining our Everything DiSC assessment with flexible facilitation and the Catalyst™ platform, team members can develop the social and emotional know-how for more effective (and enjoyable!) interactions from anywhere. Everything DiSC helps organizations to ignite culture transformation and the result is a more engaged and collaborative workforce that can spark meaningful culture improvement in your organization.
The Everything DiSC assessment isn’t the only tool in our toolbox. We have a suite of assessments for Emotional Intelligence, Core Competencies (used for selection, development, succession planning, and retention), Customer Service, Integrity, and 360s as well as culture consulting, and a host of other training programs.
Check us out at www.GreatLakesProfiles.com. We’re here to help, reach out to us at [email protected] or call me at (248) 388-0697.