Who’s the Best Person to Host a Cocktail Party?

We all have behaviour and personality characteristics of all personality styles, however one is normally dominant. In business, it's important to acknowledge our strengths and leverage them, and to find others to supplement our weaknesses. There's no right or wrong character type. A business can be radically improved when using testing of employees for their personality styles and using that information to improve and re-organise your business. Here's a brief overview of the main styles.

The dominant style is bottom-line and results oriented, impatient, sometimes tactless, driven and extroverted, with weaknesses in details. Their major fear is being taken advantage of or ripped off. They are good deal closers, great pioneers but they need the numbers and systems people to support them.

The influencing style is an extrovert, "party animal", great at meeting people and starting relationships, popular and a good opener. Their weakness is details and time management. Their major fear is being embarrassed in public or let out of events. They need the closers and numbers people to support them.

The patient style is introverted, loves details, numbers and systems more than people, excellent numbers people or accountants, computer experts and analyzers. Their weakness can be over analysis and fear of criticism of their work. They need the extravert's and the drivers.

The conformist style is loyal, a team player, family type, great at systems and a support person. They need security and long term relationships but fear risk, conflict and change. They need others to make things happen and to create change but can take unpopular action when necessary.

This is a simplistic approach, but understanding our strengths and weaknesses and allowing people to do what they're good at, while avoiding tasks that they're weak at, is simply smart business sense. You want the right people in the right job, so don’t put someone who is a high patient as the host of a cocktail party as you want a social person, so a high extrovert would be much better.

Using personality style analysis has helped many businesses to be more successful and hire the appropriate people. Self knowledge is essential to success.

Sapience HR offers a behaviour and personality assessment system. If you would like more information, please phone on 0845 602 1453 or follow the link.

www.sapiencehr.co.uk/services.html

News & Comment

Lidl, that well known budget supermarket, are in the news in Germany. According to German news magazine, Stern, Lidl’s have been caught undertaking surveillance on employees activities including monitoring how many times staff went to the toilet, recording intimate conservations and noting details of personal appearance. Their rational? ‘The identification of possible misconduct’ and ‘Not to monitor but to establish possible abnormal behaviour’.

An in-depth study of a UK retailer has revealed employees emotional responses to major change. The study carried out by Newcastle Business School, suggests an over-emphasis on positive approaches can generate employee cynicism and frustration. High importance is placed on mutual respect, honest two-way communication and fairness. Staff contribute to overall organisational success, which they may offer or withdraw. A timely reminder for any organisation going through a period of change.

Does anyone else, like me, watch the Apprentice with a mixture of horror and fascination? Where do they get these people from? Please reassure me that they are not representative of the world of work today. From sycophantic to downright arrogant and rude through to totally useless, if this is the calibre of our future leaders of British industry, then help us all!

Quote for April…

"If you think your boss is stupid remember; you wouldn't have a job if he was smarter"
Albert Grant

Sapience HR offers effective outsourced Human Resources and Personnel services and Consultancy so that companies have the right people and systems in place to achieve their business objectives.

© Sapience HR 2007