“Thaw with his gentle persuasion is more powerful than Thor with his hammer. The one melts, the other breaks into pieces.”

– Henry D. Thoreau  

The art of persuasion is an important skill in a manager’s tool kit.  A successful manager doesn’t just direct and delegate. It’s not like writing a sequence of code and then letting the computer do the rest. Managers must also be able to make suggestions to others in a manner that ensures they are heard, and they need to be able to rally the team around goals and objectives. To do so, they must first connect with each team member on a basic level by taking into consideration their individual needs.  

This isn’t about “The Golden Rule” because treating others as you would want to be treated will only take you so far. Therefore, a better approach is understanding the needs of the person you’re engaging with and then working to connect with them based on that information. We’re all wired differently, so when a manager focuses on what resonates for each team member, they have the power to strengthen those relationships. And stronger relationships lead to higher engagement, productivity and a sense of belonging. 

What Gets in the Way 

The problem is that typically, humans approach a given situation with only their own needs in mind, which can shut down communication before it has even begun. For example, when in a crisis, heated argument or stressful situation, emotions often take over. Rational thought and logic flee the scene and what is left is a first instinct that is often wrong. Take this scenario, for example: Imagine a coworker who is hard charging, going 90-to-nothing most of the time vs one who is slow to respond because they take ample time to process before they respond.  One is a “ready, fire, aim” type, while the other might be more like “ready aim, aim, aim.”  

Without proper understanding of each other’s personality type, team members will have a hard time working cohesively, and possibly even be offended by each other’s behaviors. But when we take the time to understand what inspires others or what shuts them down, we can use the art of persuasion to influence our work relationships for the better and meet management goals. All it takes is a few minor tweaks in a manager’s approach to the different personality types.  

Persuasion Techniques 

The ‘D’ type personality is motivated by competition and achievement. They often take charge because they may be questioning whether the other teammates want to win as much as they do. This competitive nature and desire to be out front often makes them look like natural born leaders. And, because others tend to look to them to lead, having a ‘D’ type personality on your side might be to your team’s benefit. When needing to use persuasion, remember to focus on their needs. The ‘D’ personality needs to know what’s in it for them.  Share any benefits that will affect them personally. They won’t want a lot of detail, just the over-arching picture, and if they need more, they’ll ask.  

The ‘I’ type personality is very people oriented (vs task oriented) and are naturally gifted in influencing and persuasion. Teammates are often drawn to their enthusiasm and optimism, so a manager should look to get the ‘i’ type on board. They can be instrumental in helping the rest of the team get excited or at least willing to tackle the next project, goal, or other things coming down the line. To encourage them to get on your side, you’ll need to first meet them where they are. The ‘i’ type needs to verbally process and they are emotionally expressive. So, take the time to hear how and what they’re doing before trying to persuade them to your ideas. Let them feel your approval and appreciation and don’t give them too many details as it might be a bit too much to take in. They’ll fill in the gaps where needed with their own creativity so be willing to allow some of that. 

The ‘S’ type personality is a great collaborator so persuading them to be a part of the team won’t be difficult. They naturally want to support others. But if you’re asking them to change how they do things, you’ll need to tread carefully. The ‘S’ type feels threatened by change. They may nod their heads and smile in the face of confrontation, and then refuse to change their tactics when you aren’t looking. They aren’t intentionally trying to sabotage your plans, but this is a key reminder of why it’s super important to use the art of persuasion to help the ‘S’ type feel more comfortable. This means that if possible, use the BYAF technique that tells them they have a choice. According to a 2013 review of 43 research studies and 22,000 participants, using the ‘but you are free’ (BYAF) technique doubles the chances that someone will say ‘yes’ to a request. The psychology of allowing the other person to make a decision on the subject you’re discussing makes them more likely to agree with you. 

The ‘C’ type personality looks at the world through the lens of logic and analysis. They want as much data as possible before they make decisions because they want to be as accurate as possible. They are extremely valuable on a team because of this but they often don’t really like to ‘team’. They just want to be left alone so they can complete their work in silence and control the outcome. If a manager wants to win them over or encourage them to take the lead on a project, they need to come to the table with data. The more the better. This might come in the form of recent survey statistics, research studies, or logistics. Anything that shows what you’re asking them to do is valuable and valid. And then be prepared to answer all their questions. This isn’t because they don’t trust your plan, they just want to clarify exactly what you mean and what you want from them.  

Trust on a Team  

“Progress happens at the speed of trust.”

– Stephen M. R. Covey 

When managers take the time to get to know the different personality types on their team, the act of persuasion will be much easier and responded to more positively. In addition, managers that endeavor to communicate with their teams in this personalized manner will build relationships founded on trust and respect. And trust is the cohesive team’s superpower. Teams with high trust communicate and collaborate more effectively than those without trust.  

Sadly, some still view the idea of ‘trust’ as a poor alternative to productivity. The truth however has been revealed by Accenture, who’s research shows that when trust drops by a mere 2 points, EBITDA is compromised and decreases by 9.8% (global average)!! Therefore, trust or the lack thereof can seriously impact the bottom line, and this is crucial for managers to understand. Without trust, it’s difficult to progress no matter how skilled a manager is in persuasion. 

Setting managers up for success is what we do at Brilliant People. Call us today for more information.  

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Your Personality at Work

People are leaving their jobs in droves. And, interestingly enough, the pandemic didn’t start this trend. The numbers have steadily been rising over the last ten years but ramped up because of the pandemic chaos and uncertainty. The reasons are many including quiet quitting, work to rule, quiet firing, mental health issues and lack of work/life balance, but in particular, there are a large number leaving because they feel like they don’t belong. And a manager’s quest should be to fix this problem.   

The reality is that we humans are hard-wired for connection. It’s why we stop in the hall to chat and go to lunch or happy hour with colleagues. Even those of us who are naturally introverted may on some level still have a need to feel the pulse, so to speak, of other humans in close proximity – even if we don’t want to actively engage. This interaction, however small comes from an innate desire for community.  

To be a part of a community is to feel connected and we all deserve to have this basic human, even primal need met. And recent research backs this theory up, specifically in the workplace. “If workers feel like they belong, companies reap substantial bottom-line benefits. According to “The Value of Belonging at Work” Harvard Business Review, high belonging has been linked to a whopping 56% increase in job performance, a 50% drop in turnover risk, and a 75% reduction in sick days. For a 10,000-person company, this would result in annual savings of more than $52M.” With jaw-dropping stats like that, every manager on the planet should be scrambling to improve belonging in their teams and overall organization. 

How to increase a sense of belonging at work  

As leaders, managers have a responsibility for making sure their people feel like they belong. And because company culture is a living, breathing eco-system, every time a new person is added to the bunch, that eco-system shifts. So what can managers do to help encourage belonging?   

For starters, they can start walking the walk, and not just talking the talk. There are a lot of companies who have begun integrating language around inclusion on all levels, but somehow, they stop shy of hitting the mark. How is it possible that an annual investment of $19 billion dollars is still coming up short?  

It may be because managers aren’t doing enough in regard to personal reflection and self-awareness. These can both be strengthened through a focus on something medical anthropologist Geri-Ann Galanti has coined cultural competence. According to Galant, this foundational attribute creates a culture shift where managers and leaders have the necessary awareness and the ability to care for others through an appreciation of the differences in people and cultures and the unique opportunities and challenges for both. 

To begin improving the cultural competence on a team, managers can implement strategies for creating a sustainable solution that will encourage and uphold a sense of belonging for all involved. Here are a few suggestions to help implement this idea today. 

• Two way, open communication – both horizontally and vertically. 

• Give some power to the people: empower team members by giving them a voice. When they’re allowed to weigh in on decisions, they’ll be more apt to buy in because it shows how much you value what they do and say. 
• Dig deep and focus on internal work – take time for regular self-reflection to assess current internal beliefs. There may be room for some growth that’s being overlooked.  
• Use inclusive language with direct reports to encourage mental and emotional well-being. And, check back often to make sure what you’re doing is resonating.  
• Prioritize connection – take initiative for building a sense of belonging on the team. Lead the charge and set the example. 

These are excellent examples of how a manager can help their people feel a sense of belonging, but is there really a “one size fits all” solution for all?  

A “one size fits all” solution will never check all the boxes 

Ever heard that saying “different strokes for different folks? Every single person has different emotional needs and these needs are crucial to our success so it’s key for managers to understand this really important aspect of leading a team. Whether you’re team and/or company is in need of an “evolution” or “revolution in regard to your culture of belonging, we believe the culture (r)evolution starts with YOU. Each and every manager (of one or many) has a responsibility to help their teams improve in whatever way is needed.  And when managers take that responsibility seriously, it shows. Team members appreciates each other for what they bring to the group (their different ideas, perspective, thought process, etc). There is an authentic drive for meaningful relationships. And, there is an appreciation for the diversity of personality in the people they work with on their own teams or even cross functionally. 

These points get down to the essence of what it truly means to establish a sense of belonging in the workplace for everyone, but no single solution is ever going to work for all people at all times. We all show up in the world differently. And, we all see the world through a different lens. Therefore, we may each approach the solution to this problem from a different angle, which is not a bad thing at all. Sometimes it’s that diversity of thought as much as a diversity of personality that matters to a team’s success. According to McKinsey & Co, “Workers are hungry for trust, social cohesion, and purpose. They want to feel that their contributions are recognized and that their team is truly collaborative.” 

And, the lack of a sense of belonging is one of the top three most important reasons employees give for leaving their job, so this is something managers cannot afford to get wrong. Employee belonging is positioned front and center in the struggle to attract and retain top talent. 

Kim Scott, author of Radical Candor once said, “We can’t fix problems that we refuse to notice.”  If the manager’s quest is to create a sense of belonging for all, each will have to be willing to truly see the problems that exist and should be addressed. It’s no longer ok to be blissfully ignorant of the reality that some people on our teams are actually living. Managers and their organizations have to be willing to ask themselves the right questions. Here’s a short list of things to consider: 

• What are we doing to consciously create opportunities for people to feel like they belong? 
• What does it look like to “belong” in this organization? 
• How are we helping employees feel like valued members of the team/org? 

• Are all voices heard here, and if not, who is? Who isn’t and why? 
• Are certain types of individuals lifted up in this org while others are not? 
• What are they? 
• What happens to those that don’t fit that model? 

Let these questions be a launching pad for creating connection and community in your team and overall organization. Lead the charge and set the pace. After all, the Culture (R)evolution really does start with you. 

If you’re looking for ways to support your team(s) call us. We’d love to help you create a culture of belonging that grows as your company grows.

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Your Personality at Work

‘Bring your best self to work’ sounds cliche’ but as a manager, it’s crucial to your team and those you report to. But what does that mean exactly? It means taking the time to consider how you show up at work. In particular, I’m talking about the way you interact with and communicate with others. It also means holding yourself accountable as well as those you manage. It’s a tall order, but as a manager, all eyes are on you and your behaviors. Your example sets the tone for the culture of the team. Therefore, to put your best foot forward, there are three things you can do to bring your best self to work. 

How we show up in the world is not always how we think we do 

First, let’s talk about how you show up. This is crucial because how we think we show up isn’t always how others experience us. For example, you may think that the team appreciates how results-oriented and driven you are when in reality they see you as an impatient micro-manager or taskmaster. Or maybe you are more into providing collaboration opportunities but when conflict occurs, you avoid it. And this makes the team think you’re a weak leader. 

And then there is the issue of simple verbal or written communication. For example, have you ever had someone totally misconstrue the meaning behind something you said or wrote in a text or email? If you went back to consider how you said it (words used, inflection, and posture), my guess is there are multiple ways it could have landed. Or if the communication was written, you may have left the door open for it to be construed in more ways than one. 

I am steeped in this knowledge and work with teams constantly around this topic, and I still catch myself having to go back and reiterate what I meant because of the way the other person heard or perceived my message. So, as a manager, it’s incredibly important to ensure that what you say gets across exactly in the way you meant it to. 

Be accountable to yourself – it goes a long way 

Second, to bring your best self to work, you have to hold yourself accountable for your actions. Your behaviors actually speak louder than your words. If you say you’re going to do something you must follow through because if you don’t, you run the great risk of your team questioning your integrity and your competence. This could show up when you’ve caught yourself saying (several times) “that’s on my list of things to do next…” The reality here is that you may be struggling with prioritizing. So, not only are you not doing what you said you’d do, but you’re also making up excuses when it gets brought to your attention.  

Or, what about something as seemingly benign as rescheduling your 1:1 meetings? We all have things come up unexpectedly so an occasional last-minute change isn’t the end of the world, but if it becomes a regular occurrence, you might be leaving that person feeling like everything else you’re focused on comes first and is more important. Managers are human and make mistakes like everyone else, but if these types of things are commonplace, your direct reports will begin to feel used and abused. 

If you say you want to build a cohesive team and create a culture that people won’t want to leave, then make sure your actions prove this. Holding yourself accountable also means acknowledging when you’ve made a mistake or said something that you shouldn’t have. There are many big and small ways to keep your word and hold yourself accountable. 

This might mean cleaning up the way you talk to people. Getting rid of sarcasm and instead use language that builds people up. Or it might mean having an open door policy and then not being frustrated when people actually take you up on it. 

You’re not the boss of me! Oh, wait… yes you are. 

Third, managers have to hold others accountable to bring their best selves to work. This might sound odd because the focus is on people other than yourself. But holding others accountable for their words and actions shows that you care about the individuals on the team as human beings, as well as the work they do. When your direct report needs feedback but you’re holding back trying to save them from hurt feelings, what you’re really doing is stunting their growth and the possible development of the team. As uncomfortable as it may be, feedback is a necessary part of your job as their manager. You have to nurture and encourage them to grow and feedback is how you do this.  

When managers aren’t willing to have difficult conversations everyone loses. So, be willing to have the courage to confront the situation head on by listening, offering feedback and coaching in the moment. This will ensure that all sides are clear about how the situation needs to play out differently in the future. It’s an unfortunate reality, but bad behavior left unchecked sends a message to the team that bad behavior is OK. And, when you think about it, good culture is never the result of bad behavior.  

Conclusion 

Managers today are expected to manage and lead. It’s a lot to take on but it makes total sense. Any time you are responsible for the output of a group of people, you also need to be able to motivate them, provide the guidance they need and create a culture around them where their work can be done to the best of their abilities. To do all of that well, focus first on three things: 

• Understand exactly how you show up as a manager and work on the areas where you need to improve 
• Hold yourself accountable. The team needs to know that you recognize when you’ve gotten things wrong and that you’re willing to fix the situation for the overall health of the team  
• Hold others accountable. Providing feedback, both positive and constructive, will help individuals know that you care not only about the bottom line but about them personally as well   

Here’s a mantra you can adopt and share with your team: Failure is progress in the moment. We have all shown up for others in ways that are cringe worthy at one point or another, but if you instill this attitude and actually live it out, it will help you and your team grow to new heights. They’ll understand these three steps as part of the “progress” you’re after as a leader of their team. You can do this, and your team will be so glad you did! 

Whether you lead a team of individual contributors or managers, we’ve got you covered. Call us to learn about our strategy for empowering managers to build cohesive, collaborative teams with the Wiley Management assessment and full day training session. 

The Culture (R)evolution Starts With You!

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Your Personality at Work

The after effects of the pandemic are many, but one of the most important is the major shift in how people regard their work lives. The pandemic upset norms around how we go to work, where we go to work, and who we go to work with. For some, it created more work and for others it took their work away. In general, it created a type of war-time stress and anxiety, and many responded by opting out of work as they had known it. And this Great Resignation shows no real signs of slowing down post pandemic.

Makes me think of the Bob Dylan song, The Times They Are A-Changin’. The lyrics, set to music almost 60 years ago, requested societal change but they ring true for today’s workplace society as well.  So what can managers do to make the work environment a place people run to instead of run from? Create a more engaged team by focusing on 3 things: mental health, building connection and providing valuable feedback. 

Engaged Teams Step 1: Focus on Mental Health 

Most people think of mental health as mental illness, but it actually encompasses our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. There was a time in the not-so-distant past, when talking about mental health on the job was taboo. You checked your emotions at the door because there was work to do. However, the pandemic has helped us realize that we can’t ignore how mental health affects our individual wellbeing and how that relates to a company’s bottom line. If organizations don’t provide resources for employees to improve their well-being, employees will leave. Which means that today’s front-line managers need to support employees through their stress, anxiety, grief or anger.   

Managers aren’t therapists, of course, but they do have the opportunity to make the organization a place where people support each other through their challenges. Currently, though, only 57% of employees have a relationship with their direct manager that makes it easy to go to them with questions or concerns. To make a difference in team members’ lives, managers must do better. What does this look like? Making sure all team members know that they can come to you when they need help by being approachable, showing empathy, and if necessary, steering them toward human resource options. It’s time to realize that the overall health of an organization begins by ensuring employees receive the mental health support they need.  

Engaged Teams Step 2: Focus on Connection 

Another approach managers can use to create an engaged team is to help employees feel like they belong. Connection is a primal need. It’s why we look for similarities in the people around us, and why we feel comforted when we make a connection with someone. It only takes seven friendly coworkers to make someone feel like they belong, and yet more than half of the employees surveyed by BetterUp, say they want more connection at work.  

As a manager, building connection with your employees is an excellent way to build trust, improve communication and encourage a sense of belonging. The end result being a team that is happier, less stressed, and more productive. Plus, employees who feel connected choose to stay in their jobs longer versus those that are lonely. This is a considerable achievement when you realize that lonely employees cost U.S. companies up to $406 billion a year!  

Engaged Teams Step 3: Focus on Feedback 

Lastly, managers can help create an engaged workforce by providing timely feedback. Feedback gets a bad rap because people tend to equate it with criticism. And no one wants to be criticized! But when managers shy away from constructive criticism in the hopes of avoiding hurt feelings and/ or conflict, prime opportunities for growth are missed. Employees actually need managers to notice when they do something well, provide resources to develop better skills, and help them grow from the mistakes they make.  

Managers and their teams actually do better when there is regular feedback. According to research by Emily Heaphy and Marcial Losada Ided, there should be a 5:1 ratio of positive feedback to negative feedback. Managers can be their most effective if they check in often in-person, have regular 1:1 time with employees, and show empathy. And although criticism makes everyone a little uncomfortable, it’s necessary. Just make sure to do it in the spirit of helping an employee to grow. Then work together to create a path forward.  

Step Up To Keep Up 

Keeping a team engaged has always been difficult. This is partially due to the fact that in the past, very few organizations took responsibility for the mental health of their employees. But statistics like the fact that 78% of Millennials and 81% of Gen Z-ers have left roles because of their mental health, show just how important it is for organizations to change. Today’s managers have the opportunity to learn from the past and prepare for a better future by helping guide employees to take care of their mental health, connecting at work and giving valuable feedback. 

At Brilliant People we focus on helping managers create connection and community in the workplace. Reach out to us today to see how we can come alongside your efforts to produce a place where people love to come to work. 

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The Hiring Process 

The hiring process are key if you want to create or maintain good company culture. This means you can’t just hire with hard skills in mind. Companies often take on new recruits simply because of their hard skills. Yes, they’re important. However, to contribute positively to an organization, a new hire needs to also fit into the culture. Culture shifts a bit with each new person added to the team.

To make sure these shifts are enhancing the culture, managers should look for candidates that have both the hard and soft skills necessary. Hiring should be about finding people who can learn the hard skills, are team players, and who can embrace the current company culture and work to enhance it. To do this, there are three things that hiring managers should do.  

Hiring Process #1

First, a manager should explain the company values and culture, how they are brought to life, and how they relate to the role that needs to be filled. Candidates also need to know how their role plays a part in the overall success of the company. If the perspective employee understands what the culture is like up front and the part they are expected to play, they may back out of the hiring process if it does not resonate.

If they are a good match, they will know from the get-go that helping to build connection and community is expected from the start. As a bonus, employees who feel connected to the company values are far more likely to recommend their employer as a great place to work, and far less likely to look for a job elsewhere! 

Hiring Process #2

The second thing a manager should do is have an onboarding process mapped out that includes getting new hires to weigh in on how they can positively contribute to the role and the company or team. After all, teammates who have the chance to weigh in are more likely to buy in. This is important if you want employees to embody the culture in their daily work lives. And it shows that the responsibility does not just belong to the leaders in the organization. The onus for creating and maintaining company culture is on each individual staff member.  

Hiring Process #3

This is not always easy, as we all show up differently in the workplace. Our differences are based on life experience, but also on personality. In fact, research shows that “a whopping 50% of the variability in employee engagement was explained by a person’s personality.” And since engagement affects culture, the third thing a manager should do is to help new hires acclimate to their new teammates. One way to do this is to offer DiSC assessments.

Each DiSC assessment provides over 20 pages of in-depth information on why an individual shows up at work the way they do. It also offers insight into how to interact better with each of the other personality types. This is invaluable knowledge that can be used immediately in any new role or organization.  

Hire For Culture

Culture does not always determine whether a company succeeds but it absolutely affects whether quality individuals will stay in the roles for which they were hired. When clear expectations have not been set about company culture early on (not only what it means to the organization but to the new employees’ success within the organization), new hires are set up for failure from the onset. Individuals who learn after they have been hired that they are not a great fit for the culture tend to leave. This is a waste of valuable time, energy, and money.  

But, taking the time to talk about the company culture and your expectations will help you bring people on board who are committed to doing their part. We can’t always stop people from moving on to greener pastures, but we can choose to be intentional in our hiring practices, so they won’t want to. Doing so will make it so that as a manager, you won’t have to experience the frustration and failure caused by hiring square pegs to fit into round holes. 

Brilliant People offers individual DiSC assessments as well as personality development. To learn more contact us today!

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Your Personality at Work

Curiosity kills conflict. It sounds morbid, I know, but hear me out. When you take the time to truly understand what has led to the conflict, you can typically deflate the conflict. This is good news because conflict in some form is inevitable when humans are involved. At work, managers spend about 25% of their time resolving workplace conflicts, eating into valuable time that could be used elsewhere. And recent research shows that conflict between employees is on the rise.  

Get Curious About Personality Type  

As we’ve said before, people differences trigger people problems every day everywhere. Most of the time it’s because people don’t understand how and why they show up at work the way they do. And if they don’t understand themselves, it’s highly unlikely that they will understand how and why their workmates show up the way they do. This sets the stage for miscommunication that often leads to conflict. 

Manager Tip:

Do you know what your personality type is and how it might be affecting your management style? Many don’t, but there is an easy fix. All you have to do is take an Everything DiSC assessment. Then you’ll receive a 20+ page report outlining your particular personality style including your priorities, motivators, challenges and stressors. This in depth information will shed light on how your personality affects your management style. The assessment will also offer you tips on how to work with the other personality types. 

Get Curious About How Your Team Feels About Conflict 

Managing a team will be easier if you create norms around conflict. Norms can be extremely beneficial because they provide rules or patterns around how the individuals on a team should respond in conflict situations. Once a norm or set of norms is embedded into the social fabric of the team, it will be much easier for each individual team member to hold themselves and each other accountable.  

Manager Tip:  

To create norms around conflict, you must first get to know your team a little better. Find out how each teammate feels about conflict. For example, do they run headlong into the fire, or do they run away from it? And if there is unresolved conflict, do they hold a grudge, avoid the other person involved, or just let it go? What behaviors do they believe are acceptable and which ones are unacceptable when engaging in conflict? Then hold a team meeting to discuss the answers to these questions and vote on the norms that the team would like to see implemented around how conflict will be handled going forward.  

Get Curious and Show Empathy

Sometimes when there is conflict, it’s best to just listen. We all want our side of the story to be heard, and we almost always feel justified about our emotions and how we remember things. So taking the time to listen to teammates that are experiencing conflict can serve to not only meet that emotional need, but also help to show empathy. A study by research firm DDI found that empathy is one of the most important drivers of overall performance among managers. And managers who show higher levels of empathy toward their team are viewed as better performers by their bosses as reported in another recent study. Honing your empathy skills by listening to your teammates is a win-win. 

Manager Tip:  

When conflict occurs, take the time to talk to everyone involved and really listen. Active listening involves being attentive and letting it show by looking the other person in the eye and leaning slightly forward. When they seem to have finished with what they want to tell you, simply say, “Hmm. Tell me more.” They may falter for a minute as they realize that you truly want to listen, but then they’ll continue with more details. Continue with ‘tell me more’ until you feel that there is nothing more to share or be gleaned from the conversation. It’s rare to be listened to with such intention, so doing it will help create psychological safety for the team member. And it will show that you have empathy for their situation.  

At The End Of The Day

There is no way to get rid of all conflict in the workplace. But you can work to lead the team toward productive conflict where individuals can openly discuss their opposing ideas in a respectful manner and without fear of backlash. This will take time but it’s totally doable. And the reward will be a team that works together instead of against each other. To get started you just need to get curious about  personality, how the team feel about conflict, and showing empathy. These strategies will help you reduce the time spent dealing with negative conflict.

If you’d like to understand more about how you show up as a manager, reach out to us today for a DiSC assessment and put yourself on the path to success. Because the Culture (R)evolution starts with you!

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Your Personality at Work

According to the 2021 Global Leadership Forecast, companies are facing a leadership crisis. In fact, only 11% of surveyed organizations reported having a “strong” or “very strong” leadership bench which is the lowest it’s been rated in the past decade. This is indeed a problem since organizations must have strong leaders to succeed. So how can companies invest wisely in developing their leaders? Through leadership development that focuses on the core skills of vision, alignment and execution. 

Vision

“Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.” Warren G. Bennis

The vision of a company is the overarching idea of what it hopes to become. It’s the guiding light by which the company will move down it’s chosen path.  And although a vision doesn’t outline the steps that need to be taken to achieve it, it is the mental image that the leader must rally the rest of the employees around to be successful. But it doesn’t stop there.

The leader must continue over time to reinforce the vision and to keep it at the forefront by modeling the vision so that employees stay engaged and involved. This is of utmost importance because it shows a level of commitment to the cause and a willingness to work as hard as the leader expects everyone else to.

Alignment

The very essence of all power to influence lies in getting the other person to participate.”

Harry A. Overstreet

Once the vision is in place a leader must rally the troops around it. To do so, their passion must be palpable. They need to build trust with their teams and they must be worthy of believing in. Sometimes leaders mistakenly believe that a vision on its own will cause people to get behind it. But the truth is, people need to see the leader talk the talk and walk the walk. These are the actions that cause people to buy in to an organization’s vision.

It’s important to also realize that that Lone Ranger leaders don’t succeed in the long term. Only on TV does one person swoop in and completely save the day. Instead, the leader must be a team player which means gaining the consensus of the rest of the leadership team so that the vision can trickle down to the management levels and beyond.  

Execution

“Execution is the ability to mesh strategy with reality, align people with goals, and achieve the promised results.” Lawrence Bossidy

This is where the rubber meets the road; the strategy that will allow the team to fulfill the vision. And it’s often where things break down. There are two things to remember as you create your plan. First, it’s crucial to ensure that your team has a diversity of skills as well as a diversity of thought. This will allow you to see many possibilities and many possible solutions. Second, work to effectively communicate the vision and the plan for executing it on a regular basis. Keep the ‘why’ in front of your employees all the time. They need to be reminded often to keep them engaged.

At the End of the Day

To succeed at work a leader must be able to create a vision, align people around it and execute to it. And yet, leadership is lacking in organizations across the country and is at its lowest point in ten years. Action needs to be taken and it needs to be done now. Leadership development is essential to empowering leaders to do their best work, and yet only 5% of businesses have implemented leadership development at all levels of the organization.

If you would like to improve your vision, alignment, and execution skills, we offer a full-day program called Work of Leaders by Everything DiSC. This program encourages leaders to understand their own leadership behaviors and how they impact their effectiveness. Call us today to learn more!

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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.

You may also like:

It Takes A Village

Building Resilience Amidst Uncertainty – Part 1

Diversity & Equality: Our Story

Your Personality at Work