Encouraging accountability in employees is important for the success of any organization, and typically falls on the manager’s shoulders. It’s the manager’s job to create a culture of accountability, but two-thirds of managers are uncomfortable having conversations with employees when they need to point out mistakes, delays, micro-aggressions, inaccuracies, faux pas, and flubs. Especially because what they typically get in return is defensiveness, anger, or tears. To encourage accountability so there are fewer reasons to have these conversations, managers can take the following seven steps.  

1. Lead by example

Modeling the behavior a manager expects from their employees is crucial to creating a culture of accountability. Managers must exhibit the type of behavior they want to see in their team. It means walking the walk and talking the talk all the time. As Mahatma Gandhi said, “An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching.” Because the minute a manager does the opposite of what they’re telling everyone else to do, they lose the employees’ trust. And trust is the necessary backbone to everything else that comes next. 

2. Set clear expectations

Managers should set clear expectations for their employees and ensure that everyone understands what is expected of them. This includes setting goals and outlining the steps needed to achieve them. Over-communication is necessary for this step, especially with any new team members. Providing clear verbal communication should be the first method, but it is also smart to provide expectations in print via email. And then check in to make sure there aren’t any questions or miscommunications. If and when they occur, handle them swiftly and directly.   

3. Provide feedback

Regular feedback is essential for helping employees understand how they can improve. This means having difficult conversations and ensuring that employees understand the consequences of their actions. Managers should provide regular feedback in a timely manner and make sure it is specific and actionable, especially if it’s constructive. It may feel like micro-managing at first, but checking in often with team members is one way for a manager to know when an employee isn’t following through, and to help them figure out why as well as how to get back on track. Given in a manner that shows you care about the person is key here. Employees need information to continue to grow, and the manager is the best person for the job. 

4. Provide resources

To meet their business goals, employees need resources and support. Therefore, managers should ensure that employees have the tools and training needed to succeed. Give them what they want. Ninety-six percent of employees polled say it is important or very important for them to continuously develop their work-related skills. Hard skills are necessary but soft skills training is just as important. The ability to cooperate, collaborate, put the team first, and talk to each other respectfully doesn’t always come naturally. And yet this is exactly what they will be expected to do. Plus, you’ll want them to hold each other accountable in a way that doesn’t cause destructive conflict.  

5. Celebrate successes

When employees meet or exceed expectations, managers must acknowledge it. In fact, more than forty percent of employed Americans feel that if they were recognized more often, they would put more energy into their work. However, a manager must realize that different people like to be celebrated differently. Some crave attention, while others are embarrassed by it, so a manager should understand how each person on their team prefers to be recognized. When an employee’s efforts are celebrated in a way that is meaningful to them, they will be more likely to stay in their role and strive for excellence.  

6. Empower employees

Give employees autonomy and ownership over their work. Allow them to make decisions and take responsibility for the outcomes. When individuals feel trusted and empowered, they are more likely to hold themselves accountable. 

7. Encourage learning and growth

Promote a learning culture where mistakes are seen as opportunities for growth. Encourage employees to learn from their experiences and share lessons with the team. This helps create a supportive environment where individuals are more likely to take ownership of their actions. 

Creating a Culture of Accountability

Overall, promoting accountability in employees requires consistent effort, attention, and a certain amount of finesse from managers. Leading by example, setting clear expectations, providing feedback and resources, celebrating successes, empowering and encouraging learning and growth, managers inspire accountability in their employees and drive success within the organization. Then and only then can a manager begin to discuss how the team will hold itself accountable. A true culture of accountability involves the whole team holding each other accountable instead of waiting for the boss to intervene.  

Stay tuned for our next post on how managers can help encourage accountability between team members so that there is an atmosphere of trust, transparency, and open communication. And if you are a manager, check out the training that Brilliant People provides on personality, productive conflict, management and team building. The culture (r)evolution starts with you! 

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Your Personality at Work

We’ve all heard about personality tests and it’s likely we’ve taken at least a few of them during our career. From DISC to Myers Briggs to Tilt and The Enneagram, personality tests have been used to better understand character traits in the workplace for years. And they are still some of the best predictors of behavior.

However, these assessments are not best used as a stand alone product, although there are many organizations using them in just this way. Well intentioned people leaders (HR, managers, Learning & Development leaders or even individual team members wanting to up their game) think that taking the assessment is all that’s needed. But it can’t stop there. It’s much like the quote: Knowledge is power. The reality is that knowledge alone doesn’t bring power… A more realistic way of looking at it is: Knowledge applied is power. 

So, when organizations find themselves looking at the possibility of another assessment in hopes of bringing their teams together, what should they do? Well, what they shouldn’t do is assume the employee will know what to do with the information about themselves, much less how to utilize it for a better employee experience. If you think about it, leadership development is close to a $400 billion dollar industry worldwide and close to $200 billion in the US alone yet, a majority of these programs have failed to create the desired results. Why is that? Because a good many organizations aren’t willing to do the follow up work required to embed the information learned in a way that creates a common language among employees. This is the path to sustained behavior change. This is the path to true organizational health. 

With that in mind, the first step is deciding on the best assessment and training for the challenges you might be facing in your organization. From there, want to know the best way to help your people digest and utilize the information individually and collectively as a team? Keep reading as we lay out the issue from both sides of the management coin: the perspective of the manager as well as those developing them.  

Know Thyself  

First, let’s look at how an individual manager can take the information gleaned from a personality assessment and use it to become a better manager. Before you can understand others, you’ve got to understand yourself. Reviewing the results from your completed report and owning the parts that resonate is step 1. After that, bringing your direct reports together to share all team member results is step 2. Understanding how each individual affects team dynamics is crucial and opens the door for conversations around how everyone on the team is wired.                

For example, what motivates one person may shut another person down. And, the emotional needs of one are likely the complete opposite of another’s. In fact, unfulfilled emotional needs at work are one of the biggest contributors to poor performance and engagement. So, a crucial step in the process is to explore the results of your team’s assessments together, looking at them from all angles to understand the people who work for you and allowing them to understand everyone else on the team, including you. As a manager, your willingness to be open and honest with your own results, is the foundational step toward building trust on the team. From there, it’s a matter of finding ways to keep the conversation alive. Include an icebreaker at the start of your weekly meetings that is based on information gleaned from the completed results. Encourage people to revisit the information weekly or monthly. Challenge them to consider areas for improvement based on their assessment results. Creating opportunities to purposely and mindfully use the information will continue adding to that foundation of trust. In addition, it will encourage effective communication skills along the way. That should be the long-term goal.

Challenge for the Manager Who’s Large and In Charge: 

• What can you do to help your team implement the information so that it becomes a common language embedded in your overall team dynamic?  
• How can you lead by example as a manager?

A Growth Plan For Managers

When we think about the people responsible for an engaged workforce we may immediately lay some blame on the managers. We’ve likely all had a manager at some point in our career that we felt was the cause of our own personal hell. In some situations, it might have even been true, but the responsibility isn’t typically only in a direct manager. It also lies with those who develop managers. As you may have witnessed (or possibly had this happen to you), sometimes individual contributors get elevated into management positions they just aren’t ready for. In our current post pandemic environment and on the heels (or possibly still fully in the middle) of The Great Resignation, some companies just need warm bodies to fill the void that is happening from a mass exodus. We get it. You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do, even if it means elevating someone who’s not yet there. But, elevating someone to a management position should only be the beginning of their journey. Organizations have to do better at empowering emerging leaders with the skills necessary to manage others to success.

Unfortunately, a lot of organizations don’t have any follow through when it comes to learning and development. They think a “one ’n done” deal is going to do the trick and when it doesn’t, they blame the training or program, rather than realizing that they didn’t support the system. For sustainable change to occur, you have to provide opportunities for employees to keep these Learning & Development conversations alive in the organization, creating a common language for the entire staff. 

Which brings me to another issue: the assessments being used. When teams within an organization are not learning the same language, it might be something akin to the Wild West. You’ve got a bunch of teams all out for themselves, and not for the greater good of the company! 

Leadership needs to decide a path forward and get the buy-in from their teams so that each team is getting the same information, and applying it in the way that works best for  their teams. All while speaking the same language. Without buy-in you’re just checking a box for giving the assessment and assuming that employees

will (1) want to dig into the information they get from their completed reports, and (2) be compelled or even understand what to do with the information.  A leader should never assume the information learned through the assessment will be ingrained in the employee’s mind immediately.  

Growth Plan Challenge:

For true, sustainable behavior change, the information gleaned through the personality profile needs to be woven throughout the organization, in a variety of ways. 

• Encourage managers to understand the individual dynamics for each of the personality types on their teams, starting with their own. When people know who they are in the mix and why they show up the way they do (from their natural wiring to life experiences), it often opens a door of possibility. It creates some ah-ha moments in an individual, allowing them to get to that next level – actually caring about why someone else shows up the way they do and wanting to learn more about that.
• Inspire managers to make space for empathy. When they have learned who they are and who others are on their teams, as well as why they show up the way they do, empathy around those differences goes a long way.
• Motivate managers to use their teams completed reports to have more effective interactions with their direct reports, teammates or even their boss. The information included in these reports can be the game changer in an effort to level up their relationships at work both horizontally, as well as vertically. 

Conclusion:

Personality assessments have been around for years and will continue to evolve allowing us to better understand character traits in the workplace. The trick will be to pair them with appropriate training that solidifies the information gleaned through the completed report. 

Well intentioned leaders who use them as stand alone products do their employees and the organizations they work for a disservice.  The information has to be embedded in the fabric of the workplace, creating a common language for all. So, how does that happen?

Organizations have to be willing to provide ongoing follow up that embeds the information learned in a way that creates a common language among employees. The path to sustained behavior change really is that simple. 

As a manager, or a leader developing them, remember these strategies for building cohesive, collaborative teams.

1. One off training sessions don’t work and usually just end up irritating employees because it takes time away from things they feel need to get done. Providing assessments and training around a given challenge, helping them understand who they are in the midst of that challenge, allows them to see how they might play a part in the solution. 
2. Never assume that learning of any kind will be ingrained in your employee’s minds after one exposure. For sustainable behavior change the information must be woven into conversations across the organization on a continuous basis. 
3. Get into the habit of reflecting on the different personality styles of your team as a group. How do they solve problems?  What motivates them?  How do they respond to conflict? 

At Brilliant People, we are constantly striving to bring fresh solutions to the complexities of human interaction. Call us for a quick chat. We’d love to help you navigate your way to sustained organizational health.

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Your Personality at Work

When building or ‘renovating’ relationships – lay a foundation of trust first

To go from trust to transformation in relationships, we have to approach them like we would if we were building or renovating a house.  We would never add the framework or layer multiple floors on without having a very secure base. In this case, trust is the foundation of transformation, which is key when building or ‘renovating’ relationships at work or in our personal lives.  

A strong foundation needs to be fortified and able to withstand the known and unknown forces at play. If you ask people what trust means to them you will hear varying responses. Examples might include: trust in myself, trust in the system, trust in others, and trust that it will all work out. This is because perceiving and embodying trust is totally subjective. We all have our own interpretation of trust and how it serves us.  And these interpretations are formulated by our own unique experiences.  So how do we transform through trust and build a strong and resilient foundation? We begin with trusting ourselves. 

Turning the focus inward by fortifying our own solid base of trust allows us an opportunity to be vulnerable and honest. But, being vulnerable and allowing ourselves to be honest can be terrifying because it means exposing our true selves and all of our self-perceived faults to others.  However, when we are able to show this vulnerability to others and understand what it takes to work through difficult moments, we are better equipped to understand what it’s like for others to do the same. This process helps us develop empathy, which builds connections, shared experiences and ultimately trust.  

Trust, according to research reported in The Harvard Business Review consists of 3 main elements: positive relationships, good judgment/expertise, and consistency.

Positive Relationships

So let’s look first at fostering a positive relationship of trust with ourselves. This is important because it’s the template for how we view and interact in our external relationships.  For example, if we are more optimistic and engaged, we can more easily partner with colleagues or friends in both the good times and the hard times remembering that we’re all there for the greater good. The trust we nurture in ourselves enables us to trust our own voice, gut feeling…our intuition.  And intuition helps to cultivate emotional intelligence. The most important positive relationship we can have in our lives is with ourselves. When we befriend our inner critic we are more capable of nurturing positive relationships with other people. And, it’s this nurturing that creates trust as a foundation of transformation.

Good Judgment & Expertise

Next let’s look at judgment. We cannot exhibit good judgment and expertise without first having experiences. These moments shape us and can guide us if we take the time to tease out the learning from each one and acknowledge what it provided. This empowers us to be able to trust our choices next time. This framework continues to build and ladder up as we collect more experiences and make adjustments for the next time we are confronted with something similar…or totally different. Each situation experienced will demand us to trust that we can prevail because our past has proven that it’s possible.

Consistency

Last of all, let’s consider consistency as it relates to building trust. Trust is strengthened over many occurrences. Although practice may not always end in perfection, it does provide us with data to reflect and build upon. And it’s the practice that bonds and strengthens trust individually and collectively. We will probably falter at times or misstep, but making a consistent effort toward trusting ourselves will pay off as true transformation takes shape through consistent practice and new habits!  You can take this a step further by doing what you say you are going to do.  Your word is your worth, so being true to your word and following through strengthens that foundation of trust. 

Trust…on solid ground

In conclusion, the ability to build or renovate relationships is one of the most important aspects of life, period. But to do so, you must first create a foundation of trust. And, before others will trust you, you have to trust yourself. Allowing space for your own vulnerability and authenticity with others is key. Secondly, learn from your experiences so that they create strength in this area. Third, continue seeking out other opportunities that will stretch your capacity so that you can practice trusting yourself first, and eventually others. And remember, the glue that binds the elements of trust together in a work environment is communication. Using words to describe, share, protect and champion our thoughts and beliefs can help us find things in common with each other. This goes a long way in building a solid foundation of trust that leads to true transformation. 

If you’re ready to see a transformation in your organization, we’ve got your back. Our Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team program is the perfect place to start. Call us for a complimentary discovery session. The path is so much easier when you have a guide!

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Your Personality at Work

5th installment of a 5 part series:

YOUR PERSONALITY TYPE AND STRESS RESPONSE  

Read Part 4!

Meet Brilliant Billy

As a Conscientious personality type, Billy’s real strength as a workmate is his aim for perfection. When he does something, he does it right. He’s deep and thoughtful, serious and purposeful and even (at times) prone to genius. Billy’s talents also lie in his creative abilities, which means he’s great to have in a brainstorming session. He can also be self-sacrificing and sensitive to others. He takes other’s feelings into consideration even when they’re not around to speak for themselves. 

Morphing into Back Down Billy

On a typical day, Billy needs a good balance of space and silence to be his best at work and at home. Unfortunately, he’s still having to work remotely which isn’t conducive to supporting these needs. Working from home has been really challenging for him. And, although for the most part, he’s settled into a routine, he’s finding it difficult to connect with his team and manager. 

To top it off, when Billy needs support, he isn’t likely to ask for it. Instead, he prefers to  go it alone, so he can control the outcome. The problem with this is it takes teamwork to make the dream work. And because Billy is primarily working from home, it’s hard for those he works with to recognize the signs that he may need some support. 

Billy’s New Normal

Though Billy has pretty much adapted to his new normal the pandemic is still an ever present threat.  And, splitting his time between working from home and going into the office isn’t helping, especially with his penchant for perfection. The ambiguity around what that’s actually going to look like is making his anxiety worse and he feels like his head might explode. His need for perfection is not achievable, and Billy feels himself begin to descend into total chaos. 

With this much stress building up, his awesome attributes are about to take a leap right out the window. Under stress and emotional duress, he becomes an altogether different person, shutting down and going into avoidance mode. This way of dealing (or NOT dealing) with stress doesn’t help Billy at home or at work.

It’s Time to Give Billy Some Attention

Billy’s normal M.O. is an aim for perfection but this situation is far from perfect.

So what’s a guy to do?

If you are feeling a kinship with Billy, try these tips on for size:

1. Adjust those perfectionist expectations. Recognize and verbalize that things aren’t “business as usual” right now and focus on what you can control and affect. That includes keeping those emotions in check and being aware of how you’re showing up for your coworkers. This will even come in handy for those loved ones you’re currently sharing your living/workspace with. 
2. Give more praise and less criticism because, come on, there is enough of that in the world right now. Instead, channel your inner empathy. This will demonstrate how much you value others. And it will build up others, creating general feelings of positivity and wellbeing. 

If you live or work with a “Billy”, support his need for control and structure amidst the chaos. The simple act of respecting his time can go a long way in bringing his brilliant side to the surface. Preface a conversation with “Is now a good time to talk?” and in this way, help him prepare for a purposeful, productive and positive discussion. You can also offer to help when you see that he’s overwhelmed. He may not take you up on it but the fact that you offered, will go a long way with him.

Moving Forward as a Billy or With a Billy

As you’ve discovered throughout this series, personality plays a big part in how we show up in the world. And it directly relates to the behavior we exhibit when stress and pressure are just too much. If we were Tom Hanks living on an isolated island with only Wilson to talk to, this wouldn’t be a problem. But that’s not how we live and operate. When our personality bumps up against someone else’s in a not-so-friendly or unhealthy manner, there will be negative consequences for both parties. And this type of thing could happen several times during a typical day even under the best of circumstances. 

Being confined to your home with your family, figuring out how to work remotely, and not knowing what the future will look like, makes for some major stress. Our human need for immediate release may cause us to act out by barking orders, yelling, giving in or avoiding. Or we may find ourselves on the receiving end of one or more of those responses. 

We all know that sometimes maintaining your own brilliant self is easier said than done. And this has never been more true than now. The world we are living in may require some serious adjustments from all of us, so take a deep breath and just do your best. Remember that as we cautiously navigate life during this pandemic, we need our relationships at work and at home to remain on solid ground. Because that’s how we will continue to move forward. 

The future will be what we make of it, so if you’re ready to get the personality development training your team(s) need, contact us today. 

The Culture (R)evolution starts with you! 

You can also keep up with us here to receive insights, tips and relevant ways to connect through personalities, employee engagement, leadership and more.

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4th installment of a 5 part series.

The Steady personality type under stress will often dig their heels in and stick to their old routines. They need a stable environment and are very reluctant to confront change and conflict.  If they feel that their environment is in danger of change or that they have to engage in conflict, the Steady will typically avoid the situation and potentially hold a grudge. Take Brilliant Belinda for example.  

Brilliant Belinda tends to be introverted and wants her life to be calm and predictable. She prefers to move at a steady pace, taking things gradually and implementing them. Belinda doesn’t like personal confrontations or difficult conversations, but she is really good at mediating for others. She also really dislikes change. She prefers to get into a groove and stay there. Brilliant Belinda embodies the old saying, “slow and steady wins the race.” 

Under Stress Brilliant Belinda Becomes Begrudging Belinda 

Belinda has had to navigate a lot of changes over the last year because of the Coronavirus. She’s a writer and has always loved the flexibility of working from home. She likes the quiet and she doesn’t have officemates to distract her. However, her roommate, Kelly, is now having to work from their apartment too. Kelly took over the kitchen/den area leaving Belinda with nowhere but her bedroom to work. Belinda agreed to the arrangement, but now she’s not happy about it.

Kelly spends all day on conference calls walking around and talking loudly. And the lack of silence is driving Belinda crazy. She doesn’t like being cooped up in her bedroom, or having to listen to Kelly’s phone calls all day. I mean, she’s trying to come up with a storyline for Pete’s sake! Belinda’s stress level is climbing and she’s having difficulty expressing her feelings because she thinks it will create conflict with her roommate. Outwardly, she seems fine, but inside she’s starting to boil, as Begrudging Belinda takes over for Brilliant Belinda.

Belinda wants Kelly to notice that she’s not happy with the situation and to offer to do something about it, but she seems to be completely unaware. And Kelly comments all the time, on how great it is to work from home! Yesterday, Kelly was on a call til 7pm and Belinda felt like a prisoner in her own home.  She was so angry that she left the apartment without saying good-bye and slammed the door behind her. 

Tips For The Steady & Those That Work With Them

The Steady personality type is normally even keeled and all about collaboration, but when stressed out, they can go quiet. They crave peace and are unsettled by conflict. The reality though, is that everyone should be able to share their feelings in a way that allows for issues to be solved diplomatically and effectively. So, if you are a Steady type, remember that holding onto frustration or anger is just delaying a future explosion, and one that you won’t be in control of. Taking the time now to express yourself calmly will help to prevent this from happening. 

If you live or work with a Steady, remember that they are incredible team players and want to be a part of the solution, not the problem. So, encourage them to speak their mind and then give them thoughtful feedback that shows you respect their thoughts and feelings. We can all work together to keep a Brilliant Belinda from becoming a Begrudging Belinda! And if you or your team needs a little help navigating the personality waters, reach out to us today. 

The culture (r)evolution starts with you!

Next Up: The Perfect/Conscientious Personality Type Under Stress

This post was originally published on April 26, 2020.

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Read Part 2!

 The Influencer under stress is not a pretty sight. Take Brilliant Betty for instance. Betty is extroverted, loves people and is terrific at bringing people together to support a vision, mission or project. She needs to feel liked and accepted, so she seeks out opportunities to receive attention from others. Now this attention isn’t a ‘nice to have’ for Betty. It’s an emotional need that’s like oxygen for her.

Now Betty is a ton of fun to be around, but meeting deadlines are often a challenge for her. And she often underestimates the amount of time required to finish her work.

Betty also struggles with formal structure and organization, preferring a more free flowing environment. In a perfect world, Betty would funnel all her natural Influencer talents toward her team or family goals. She’d create a plan and rallying cry, gather everyone’s support, and then cheer them on with her endless positivity. 

But the reality is it’s not a perfect world. Stress and structure infiltrate her daily life, and she’s still having to work remotely due to COVID-19. She likes having her husband and kids home with her because she’s such a people person. But the work dynamic is real struggle. She’s been assigned to a new team and she’s never met them in person! Brilliant Betty feels isolated from her office peeps and it’s causing her cheerful, friendly outlook to disintegrate.

She loves the little office oasis she’s created for herself at home. But without friends to chat with, the constant affirmation from her in-office fan club, a physical boss to keep her coloring inside the lines, and having to figure out how to interact with a whole new team is stressful. Her kids seem to need something all the time, and her husband is no help. He’s locked in his office on calls all day. She was so stressed yesterday that she yelled at her kids and one of her teammates. In the blink of an eye, Brilliant Betty transformed into Ballistic Betty.   

Helping the Influencer Under Stress

It may seem strange, but under a lot of stress and pressure, the Influencer can go into attack mode. When this happens to Betty she knows she’s out of control and that acting inappropriately is a lose-lose situation for everyone involved. So how can Brilliant Betty maintain a sense of balance and safeguard herself and others from her ballistic alter ego? Here are three simple tips to give Betty a P.A.T. on the back and help her stay on track.

P: Positivity

The Influencer needs to feel accepted and so they require a lot of positive feedback. Check-in with them often and remind them of their value within the team. This will be helpful especially during stressful times when they may be more talkative, expressive and attention-seeking. 

A: Assume Responsibility

The Influencer is often the ‘idea’ person on a team because of their creativity. However, they often fall prey to disorganization. This is especially true when they take on too much. Disorganization can lead to stress and you now know what can happen to Betty when she’s stressed. So help the Influencer stay organized and on task with a process called “time blocking”(https://www.wikihow.com/Time-Block) or Trello boards (https://trello.com). These methods are more visually appealing and interactive than a regular calendar. Plus they’ll help the Influencer make full use of their time. That way they can complete all of their projects, assignments, and tasks.

T: Talk

If you are an Influencer type and feeling stressed and vulnerable at work, it’s important to get to the bottom of what’s creating the stress. Talking to a manager or team member you work closely with is a good starting point. It’s possible that by outing the stressors, you can work together to come up with a better solution. You could speak with someone in HR or even a private counselor to air your feelings. Their objective response can help you create a plan for managing your stress.

Conclusion

Brilliant Betty and her fellow Influencers can be incredibly valuable team members. However, the influencer personality type under stress can derail their efforts and damage their relationships within the team. The key then, is to understand how best to work with the Influencer. This involves helping them feel like an important member of the team. Then make sure they have organizational tools that appeal to creatives. Finally, remember that the Influencer often needs to talk about their feelings in order to process them. Keeping Brilliant Betty from becoming Ballistic Betty is often as simple as lending an ear. 

If you’d like to learn how to work better with the Influencers in your life, contact us today. We provide personality development that focuses on understanding why we show up the way we do, and how to proceed productively with that information.

Up Next: The Peaceful/Steady Under Stress

This post was originally posted April 26, 2020.

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 Click to read Part 1!

The Dominant under stress can trigger problems on a team. They can make for a not-so-happy work environment on a normal day, much less under the type of stress caused by the pandemic. We’re coming out of that fog and moving toward a new normal, but there are still many stressors at play. Whether you’re working in the office, at home, or some mixture of the two, how you show up under stress matters. We believe it’s always better to be part of the solution rather than the problem. However, to do that, you need to understand the different personality types. Let’s jump into how the Dominant personality type can show up under stress.

Cal Under Stress

Cal is a natural born leader with lots of stellar qualities that make him an awesome guy to have on your team. He’s performance-oriented and self-motivated, and always looking for opportunities to win. And he has strong people skills, easily engaging and inspiring people to action. Cal’s “can do” attitude is also admired and appreciated by his peers. He’s the guy who steps up, leads the charge and gets things done. Plus, Cal is great in a crisis. He’s not easily dissuaded once he’s got his mindset in “fixer” mode.

However, a downside to Cal’s dominant, action-oriented personality is that he can turn into Controlling Cal when under stress. And when this happens, he has a low tolerance for mistakes. Cal moves quickly and he takes no prisoners. If you can’t keep up, get out of the way. If he feels that a project that he’s working on is in jeopardy, he will take over. This is because he thinks that if he hadn’t had to delegate tasks to others, the project wouldn’t be in danger. And he’ll do whatever he feels is necessary to see it succeed. 

This manifestation of a Dominant can be difficult to collaborate with and even harder to take direction from. The result? The team dynamic suffers. When teammates feel as if they’re being treated like children, it causes hurt feelings. And negativity can breed gossip and disengagement.

From Controlling to Collaborative

At Brilliant People, we see another path for Cal. Stress is an inevitable aspect of most jobs, so preparing for it can be beneficial. One way to do this is to recognize that most teams have a mix of personality types within them. Each of the different personality types have unique strengths, and when they’re emotional needs are met, they perform optimally. It’s important to all personality types to be treated as if they matter, and to be listened to. So Cal should build this into his daily interactions with his teammates. He’ll be building trust and creating cohesion on the team. 

If you work with a Controlling Cal, help him show up differently under stress. First, Cal likes to move fast, so be prepared and organized as well as clear and to the point in meetings with him. When Cal is irritable he can be dismissive of others ideas. So come to him prepared. 

Cal expects everyone to operate at his level, but the reality is that we’re all different. Those differences create strong teams, so help him understand how you work best. Then, learn to speak up and hold your ground when it matters. Cal may not like it in the moment, but he’ll respect you for it. You’ll be helping him to learn to be a Collaborative Cal.

So whether you’re a Controlling Cal or you work with one, it’s crucial to learn to work with other personality types. You can do it by learning to observe each other’s differences and seeing the possibilities there for better teamwork. And if you’d like your team to engage in personality development, get in touch with us today. After all, the culture (r)evolution starts with you!

Up Next: The Influencer Under Stress

This post was originally posted April 26, 2020.

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Your Personality at Work

When I was young, my dad would tease me because I was forever bringing home stray cats and dogs.  I even brought home stray friends to live with us from time to time. I believe we all deserve to be loved, even those who might not fit the mold of what society deems as being “loveable.”  An old friend once called me The Defender of the Weak, and I guess that rings true.  

Over the last couple of years, I’ve become very involved with The Refuge for DMST, which is a long-term therapeutic ranch just outside the city of Austin.  The Refuge offers comprehensive services for girls ages 11 to 19 who are survivors of sex trafficking.  

When the initial conversations about the idea of The Refuge began in 2013, I inserted myself in the effort any way that I could.  I just felt called to it. Some might say it was because The Refuge is being built on property that belonged to my family — land where my dad and I spent time together clearing brush and basically having fun on the bulldozer, bushwacking through brush and enjoying nature in its purest form.  Some might say I felt compelled out of respect for the fact that my dad spent the better part of his life fighting for justice, first as a DPS trooper, then the Captain of Polygraph, and finally as a commissioned Texas Ranger when he retired from DPS. While those things are true, ultimately, I do what I do, because how can I not?

How can I not stand up for people who can’t stand up for themselves? I feel compelled because, as I have tried to teach my daughters, I have a voice and my voice matters.  All it takes is one person to start a fire and ignite the passion in others so that they too will stand up for what is right.  This ideal keeps the fire burning in me and I want to encourage you to get involved, too.

It will be no small task for all involved with The Refuge to help these young survivors find restoration.  We are going to do our best to give them a chance by empowering, nurturing, motivating and encouraging the girls to rebuild their lives and help them reconnect to the world.

The The Refuge for DMST has now been open for a few years, providing an amazing space for girls to grow and become who they’re meant to be.  It’s been incredible to see the growth of the organization and the girls it serves. 

They say it takes a village. Come be part of ours.

The Refuge for DMST

www.therefugedmst.org

Staggering Statistics:   

• Child sex trafficking is the fastest growing crime in America.
• In the U.S. there was an 846% increase in reported child sex trafficking cases from 2010 to 2015.
• There are currently 79,000 young adults and minors being sex trafficked in Texas.
• Texas has the second most reported number of child sex trafficking cases in the U.S.
• There are less than 600 beds available nationwide for child sex trafficking survivors, but we have over 13,000 animal shelters.
• Prior to the opening of The Refuge Ranch, Texas only had 24 beds available for child survivors’ long term recovery from trauma.