Live from CVC 2008: You may be driving your team crazy
At CVC Central 2008, speaker Debbie Allaben Gair explained that every communication style has advantages and disadvantages. Here's what she says you can do to get your message through more effectively.
The best teams include people with a mix of personalities, says speaker Debbie Allaben Gair, a consultant based in Sparta, Mich., and a speaker at CVC Central 2008. But anytime your co-workers come at things from another direction, you run the risk of misunderstandings on both sides. And your well-intentioned efforts to get the job done may not be working effectively for you. Look at the four styles below, find the one that seems to describe you best, and check out the advice Gair gives about how you can smooth out your conversations with other types of communicators in your practice.
If you're focused on results and direct ...
You focus on tasks and on getting things done efficiently. You're direct and clear about what you want. However, your co-workers may find you pushy, critical, and demanding.
What to do ...
- try to be more patient
- ask more questions
- offer more encouragement in conversations
- stop to talk rather than asking a question as you walk through the room
If you're social and focused on interaction with others ...
You can be persuasive and charming. You want to have fun, and you serve as social glue for your team. However, your co-workers may perceive that you're flighty, overly chatty, emotional, and distracted.
What to do ...
- listen carefully during conversations
- work at being organized
- get to the point faster when you share information
If you're steady and agreeable and focus on relationships ...
You never rock the boat. You're a stabilizing, calm influence for your work team, and you help keep everyone happy. However, because you don't speak up when you're unhappy or you disagree, your co-workers may think you're wishy-washy, unassertive, vague, or even passive-aggressive in your behavior.
What to do ...
- work at being more assertive
- when you have concerns, bring it up and state them clearly
If you're analytical and focused on accuracy ...
Your slogan is "do it right, or don't do it at all." You know what's in the policy manual, you follow the rules to a T, and you expect everyone else to do the same. Your team can count on you to follow though and get the job done. However, your co-workers may think you're rigid and disinterested in their feelings.
What to do ...
- work to accept and appreciate people's differences and the skills they contribute
- when you're faced with change, focus on the benefits
Remember, everyone you work with has different goals, fear and motivators. You all see the world in a different way. And these difference, says Gair, make the workplace rich and your team strong.
