THOUGHT 4 THE WEEK

Question of The Week … “Why are some personalities seemingly impossible to observe?”

Asking yourself if someone is emotionally Warm or emotionally Cool; and, is an Asker or a Teller, identifies their primary personality, which allows you to modify your behaviour to accommodate theirs viz. roll-shift.

But occasionally, someone’s primary personality seems impossible to observe (could you be with another student of ours?)

High Psychological Maturity

Through effective training ~ or more uncommonly, intuition ~ those harder to ID 'practice' a higher degree of psychological maturity (PsM). In other words, they are learning to be more agreeable with more people.

When this is the case, striving to accommodate their personality becomes less urgent or even unnecessary, as it is highly probable a mutually beneficial outcome will be secured for all involved.

This is true even when a decision to make no decision or to disagree, agreeably is that outcome!

Low Psychologial Maturity

To the contrary, when someone has no willingness or ability to accommodate other personalities, they display a lower degree of PsM but, advantageously, makes them easier to identify when asking yourself the two standard questions of Cool or Warm emotiveness, and Tell or Ask assertiveness.

For example, a psychologically immature COOL/TELLER consistently shows no outward emotion as well as being highly demanding of others. I liken their ultra-ego to a Lion: it’s better to be wary of how close you get as their roar can be as deafening as it is sudden!

Other animal comparisons could be: a WARM/TELLER, Wolf; the WARM/ASKER, Lamb, and the COOL/ASKER, Owl.

Take a look at each of the four primary personalities listed at the top of this page.  Then call 07900 251258 to explore this empowering subject further.

“If personality profiling has been around for 8-decades, why do organisations still have such a high turnover of staff?”

Good Question ... and depending on which work analysis you study, average annual staff turnover is between 1-in-6 and 4-in-6, which is a terrible waste of time and money for any organisation. For graduate placements, the figure for defection within 12-months of engagement is 5-in-6 (over 80%)!.

So, What Are The Reasons For Defection?

Excluding circumstances beyond someone's control, such as bereavement or illness, people leave their job for three avoidable reasons. 

Two of the top three job-related defections are due to:

• promised job-role or reward failing to materialise, and
• being the only job offer at the time income was needed

But, the PRIMARY cause of defection is, without doubt, a personality clash with management, a colleague, or even customers.

From a 2-year study of the recruitment industry, we discovered even experienced interviewers focus almost exclusively on a resume/CV (online recruitment algorithms tend to altogether replace high-touch with hi-tech) in the false belief that all successful candidates will willingly reproduce more of their past productivity in the future. OUCH!

The answer to the opening question is that most interviewers ~ through ignorance or lack of interpersonal skills training ~ overlook someone's reason Why (motivation) on the rash assumption that simply turning up for an interview is motivation enough. They also fail to identify How the candidate does things (behaviour). Both are ultimate cash-burning failings! 

So, What Is Casting?

As important as the Why and How of the candidate is, both are irrelevant UNTIL management has ‘Cast’ the role(s) they wish to be performed.

Every work engagement is like casting for a West End Stage Production. Every member of the ‘cast’ performing a complementary role so the performance is pleasing the audiences!

To arrange an introductory workshop, call 07900 251 258

During the last T4TWs of 2018, we looked at recognising and accommodating each of the four Primary Personalities (PP) for better mutual outcomes; something of significant importance when your emotional or financial wellbeing is at risk.

Christmas and the New Year gives everyone a golden opportunity to reunite with the wider family circle, meet new friends, and spot the COOL/TELLER; WARM/TELLER; COOL/ASKER; and, WARM/ASKER.

Millions of people have been profiled over the past 80+ years with each group representative of a certain percentage of the total population.

To identify your own, or anyone else’s, PP just ask yourself these two simple questions:

1)    Do we tend to freely display our natural emotions OR do we tend to guard them?

2)    Do we tend to tell people what we want and what to do OR do we tend to request help and assistance?

If you answered question 1) … tend to freely display our natural emotions”, you are predominantly WARM. If you answered “… tend to guard natural emotions”, you are predominantly COOL.

If you answered question 2) “… tend to tell people what we want and what to do”, you are predominantly a TELLER. If you answered “… tend to request help and assistance”, you are predominantly an ASKER.

Put the two answers together and you have identified Primary Personality.

Look back at the last BLOGS (and the titles on the top of this page) to remind yourself how to modify your behaviour to effectively accommodate people just like you, as well as others who are different from you.

Your emotional and financial wellbeing depends on it!

This is the last in the current T4TWs that takes a look at the best way to accommodate each of the primary personalities.

Today, we look at how the WARM/ASKER (4-in-10 people) needs to accommodate each of the other three personalities.

A WARM/ASKER encounters a WARM/TELLER (3-in-10 people) ~ both share high emotiveness!

• Helpful traits in common: you both want to get to know each other, personally
• Possible clashes: the W/A is intimidated by pushiness. The W/T will expect everyone to have an opinion on just about anything
• Accommodation: the W/A needs to be prepared to 'argue'. Don't worry, you will do so in a personable way
• For example: listen carefully to what the W/T is rambling on about and contribute to the conversation.  Show real interest in the W/Ts successes

A WARM/ASKER encounters a COOL/ASKER (2-in-10 people) ~ both share low assertiveness!

• Helpful traits in common: neither of you is pushy
• Possible clashes: whereas the W/A wants to find out about ‘who’ is important in everybody's life, the C/A guards personal stuff until they have a reason to reveal it
• Accommodation: the W/A must delay making friends until the C/A is comfortable they can trust your competence at … whatever
• For example: keep your conversation task orientated. Focus on things rather than relationships

A WARM/ASKER encounters a COOL/TELLER (1-in-10 people) ~ your greatest challenge!

• Helpful traits in common: none at all!
• Possible clashes: whereas the W/A wants to be friendly, the C/T wants to get to the point and stick to it
• Accommodation: the W/As need for friendship must be deferred until the C/T thinks they have something to contribute
• For example: the W/A must be attentive to C/T thoughts and ideas. You can 'argue' when there is substance to argue about

To explore hosting your dedicated in-house workshop, email john@uetp.co.uk or call 0044 7 900 251 258.

During the past few weeks, we have looked at how each primary personality needs to accommodate someone just like themselves, and how the two assertive personalities need to accommodate each of the other three personalities.

Today, we look at how the COOL/ASKER  (2-in-10 people) needs to accommodate the other three personalities for a mutually beneficial outcome.

A COOL/ASKER  encounters a WARM/ASKER (4-in-10 people) ~ both share low assertiveness!

• Helpful traits in common: both accept sacrifice is required to accomplish something
• Possible clashes: whereas the C/A wants to focus on HOW things work, the W/A wants to focus on WHO will benefit. If offended, the W/A will probably not openly say so, but won’t return future contact
• Accommodation: the C/A needs be a friend, before an analyst. Prioritise the importance of the people the W/A cares about
• For example: the C/A must sincerely ask about the important relationships in the life of the W/A

A COOL/ASKER  encounters a COOL/TELLER (1-in-10 people) ~ both share low emotiveness!

• Helpful traits in common: both put tasks before people
• Possible clashes: whilst the C/A wants to explore all possible solutions before seeking any solution, the C/T wants to get to a solution quickly ~ even if it is not the best one right now
• Accommodation: the C/A will naturally focus on the detail but must quickly discover and agree what the C/T thinks the problem is and what they think might be the solution. Formulate a working agenda together
• For example: ask what the C/T has on their mind and what ~ if anything ~ they want do about it (which may be nothing)

A COOL/ASKER  encounters a WARM/TELLER (3-in-10 people) ~ your greatest challenge!

• Helpful traits in common: none at all!
• Possible clashes: whilst the C/A wants to demonstrate they are technically competent, the W/T wants a laugh and a giggle
• Accommodation: the C/A needs to lighten-up and be prepared for lots of distraction and interruption
• For example: keep your desire to start every conversation with pen and paper in check. The W/T will let you know when they are ready to get down to the serious stuff

In the next BLOG, we shall explore a WARM/ASKER meeting each of the other primary personalities.

For a greater insight into this empowering material, email john@uetp.co.uk or call 0044 7 900 251 258.