Social Styles

So my friend Courtney at Practicing Patience challenged me to actually READ her WHOLE blog post today ... (it was a lot of words but I made it through) It was very a very interesting read about figuring out what social style Miss Courtney and her 'friend' fell into.

According to this theory there are 4 quadrants: Analytical, Driver, Expressive, and Amiable. And within each of the 4 quadrants it breaks down further into sub quadrants with the same categories analytical, driver, expressive, and amiable. What you are depends if you ask/tell and how you control/display emotions.

So at my request, Courtney sent me this little test... and I took it. And fell into the Expressive Expressive quadrant.

Below is a list of my working style strengths:

- Energizing
- Motivating
- Upbeat - enthusiastic - positive
- Offer reinforcement
- Generate enthusiasm
- Visionary... often initiators of change
- Create excitement and involvement
- Share ideas and dreams
- Good brainstormers
- Fun

And potential blind spots:

- Too much, too high energy; can be draining
- Too big picture - don't provide enough details
- Too open to change (scope busters on projects)
- Move too quickly for others and/or without checking out assumptions or attending to details
- Like to work more on fun stuff vs. routine work
- Easily bored by slower paced communicators

What I expect from others:

- Develop a relationship in an open, friendly atmosphere; share ideas, thoughts, feelings
- Be willing to "try on" new ideas... and "roll with the punches"
- Focus on the positive, assume the view of "glass half full" vs. "glass half empty"
- Try to have some FUN at work; recognize the value in people relating and socializing
- Provide a "snapshot" not all the details
- Enable them to save time/effort
- To influence, show some enthusiasm and present information in an interesting way
- Allow them to try new things: to grow
- Avoid "micro-managing" but help them attend to important but less exciting parts of their job
- Talk about the big picture and how a current project/assignment fits into it
- Provide recognition for their visions and actions; help them achieve their goals
- Offer personal incentives

Okay... so MOST of that is dead on!!! The whole open to change and focus only on the big picture and no attention to detail is way off base. But other than that.... very insightful!!
Thank you Courtney!!