Each of us develops our own unique style that works for us.
As children, we tried out different behaviours and kept the
ones that got us the results we thought we wanted. Even now,
if we appreciate certain behaviour in others, we may
incorporate it into our own style.
When you ask people to identify the major cause of most
distractions, interruptions, and irritations at work, they
respond: 'people'. Since none of us can work in solitude and
most of us don't even have a door to close, it is important
that we learn how people work and how we can better work
with them. We also need to know how we work and how our
personal work styles affect both our productivity and
effectiveness, and that of others.
We feel stress and experience frustration when we don't
understand why people act the way they do and when they act
in ways that don't support us. Understanding personal styles
can give you insight into your own way of working and that
of others so you can improve communication and decrease
conflicts on and off the job.
Understanding leads to tolerance, which in turn leads to
acceptance.
A note of caution
We discuss style in order to help you understand why
different people adopt change and why others have trouble
coping with change. The more you understand, the better
you'll get along with others and the better you'll work well
with them too.
There are three temptations that we urge you to avoid:
Don't use this information to browbeat or
psychoanalyse others.This material will help you to understand yourself and
others better, but it will not make you an expert on
human behaviour. Don't get carried away with a little
knowledge.
Don't try to categorise people and force them into
a box.Our aim is to increase understanding, not to pigeonhole
people. Style is a powerful factor in explaining
behaviour, but it is still one factor.
Don't use style as an excuse for your own poor
behaviour.
Communication Style Assessment
Instructions: From each of the
following twelve sets of descriptive statements, select
the statement that most closely describes you.
Your Communication Style Results
Task Oriented
People Oriented
Pace = Steady/Controlled
Pace = Fast/Multiple
Green/Systematic
0
Less assertiveness and less responsiveness Seen as: The thought person Need: Have to get the task right
Blue/Direct
0
More assertiveness and less responsiveness Seen as: The action person Need: Have to get the task done
Yellow/Considerate
0
Less assertiveness and more responsiveness Seen as: The people person Need: Have to get along with others
Red/Spirited
0
More assertiveness and more responsiveness Seen as: The front person Need: Have to be appreciated by others
Note: Each person is a blend of all
four styles. No one is 100% in any one style. No
style is better or worse than any other - each has
its own unique blend of strengths and potential
weaknesses.
Blue/Direct
Key Characteristics:
They enjoy looking at the 'big picture', being in
charge, and are comfortable taking risks.
They are goal-oriented, enjoy getting immediate results
and accepting challenges, and like to have their fingers
in many pies.
They enjoy making quick decisions and questioning the
status quo.
Blues are take-charge people, whether they're two years
old or 52
They are frequently 'the boss' because they seek
supervisory positions.
Even if they are not in charge, they often take charge
anyway.
They thrive on opposition and love to solve problems.
They will fight hard for what they believe is right but
can accept momentary defeat without holding grudges.
They're self-starters, direct, positive, and
straightforward. That's their nice side.
They thrive on competition, tough assignments, heavy
workloads, pressure, and any opportunity for
achievement.
They demand a great deal of themselves and others.
Their energy level is high, and they can exercise strong
willpower when it helps them to reach their goals.
Blues feel secure when they are in control, and much of
their behaviour is directed to staying in control.
They like to see results from their efforts.
They create change to gain control.
They are motivated by challenge, competition and solving
problems. They like working in an environment that includes
opportunity for individual accomplishments, a wide scope of
operations and many new and varied activities. They measure
personal worth by results, 'track record', and measurable
progress.
Areas for development:
They are too blunt for their own good and are often
organisational troublemakers.
As they single-mindedly pursue the goal, they often hurt
the feelings of others without even realising it.
They flare up quickly and just as quickly cool down
again.
They often hate routine and are prone to changing jobs,
especially early in their careers.
Inefficiency and indecision irritate them.
Under pressure:Blues can become bossy,
impatient, blunt, sarcastic, and critical.
Basic Aim: Get it done
Red/Spirited
Key Characteristics:
Reds are happiest when they are influencing or
entertaining other people.
They, like the Blues are comfortable taking risks and
enjoy trying new things.
They are the charming, playful, spontaneous, talkative
types who are energised by being the centre of
attention. They're inspirational, creative, helpful, and
articulate.
The Red person usually has a pleasing personality and a
good sense of humour.
They persuade where the Blue person coerces.
People seem to respond naturally to them, and they make
friends easily.
They are innately optimistic and their natural people
skills help them to get along with almost anyone,
including their competitors.
They enjoy interacting with other people and can't stand
being cooped up by themselves.
They love recognition. They are expressive, confident,
poised, and friendly.
They thrive on social contact, one-on-one situations and
freedom from controls or details.
They are spontaneous, loosely disciplined and dislike
structure.
They can handle ambiguity well and enjoy change and
variety.
They are energetic, although they can dissipate their
energy by going in too many directions.
Reds tend to operate in the present.
Reds feel secure when they receive lots of positive
encouragement and praise from others.
They promote change because it provides variety.
They will go to great lengths to gain approval from
those who are important to them.
They are motivated by recognition-they want to be liked.
They enjoy an environment that includes: freedom of
expression; opportunities to verbalise ideas; and coaching
and counselling others. They measure personal worth by
recognition, applause, and compliments.
Areas for development:
They don't like to pay too much attention to time,
because time imposes structure.
As a result, they are often late, but they are also
tolerant when others are tardy.
To a Red, relationships are more important than
promptness.
If left to their own devices, extreme Red types may turn
the team into a social club, and although it may be fun,
very little work will get done.
They get bored if they have to do the same old thing all
the time.
They are bored by details and often fail to follow
through on things as they should.
Boredom, routine, and structure irritate them.
Under pressure:Reds can become
impulsive, emotional, inconsistent, superficial, and
unrealistic.
Basic Aim: Have Fun
Yellow/Considerate
Key Characteristics:
They tend to be most concerned with the needs of others.
They are the best team builders, highly empathetic and
sensitive to the needs of others, always listening to,
encouraging, and bringing out the best in others.
Yellows are steady, amiable, relaxed, easy-going people.
They identify strongly with groups and do not usually
seek the spotlight for themselves.
They probably adapt best to the ideas of teamwork.
They are practical, factual, and low-key.
They don't pretend to be something they are not: what
you see is what you get.
They are generally content with the status quo and are
slow to change.
They resist pressure and attempt to avoid conflict.
They thrive in a relaxed, supportive atmosphere where
they receive lots of affirmation.
They prefer situations that offer security, limited
territory, and predictable work routines.
They do best when they feel appreciated.
They are very oriented to personal relationships and
seek to maintain harmony with others.
They are often the glue that holds a group together.
They are systematic, dependable, and patient; however,
they can also be rather unexciting, unenthusiastic,
slow, and stubborn.
Yellows feel secure when everything is in harmony and
when they have lots of positive feedback from others.
They value security at work and at home more than most.
They are motivated by appreciation for work done and have a
strong need to please others. They enjoy an environment that
includes sincere appreciation, identification with a group,
and minimal conflict. They measure their own personal worth
by the depth of their relationships and compatibility with
others.
Areas for development:
Like the Greens, they dislike confrontation and will
give in to others to avoid conflict.
They can resist change because it upsets stable
relationships and harmony.
Insensitivity and impatience irritate them.
Under pressure:Yellows become sulky,
stubborn, and unimaginative; they can also hold grudges
and procrastinate.
Basic Aim: Get along
Green/Systematic
Key Characteristics:
Greens are the most comfortable of all the styles where
accuracy and numbers are important.
Perfectionism is inherent in their style.
"If a job's worth doing, it's worth doing right-the
first time" might be their motto.
They are thorough and are willing to take the time to
get the job done right.
They are the best of the four styles at critical
thinking and planning.
They are good at checking for accuracy, critically
analysing performance and using a systematic approach to
situations.
They make the best administrators because they like
order, structure, following guidelines and plans
(especially if they originate them).
Greens are precise, analytical, orderly, and cautious.
They are attentive to details and make excellent
planners, although they tend to get bogged down in
analysis.
Their tendency to pessimism helps them and others avoid
potential problems.
They hold to tradition and precedence and are slow to
change.
They are good at organising almost anything but are
likely to prefer working alone rather than working as
part of a team.
They thrive in orderly, conflict-free situations.
They enjoy exact job descriptions and dislike sudden
surprises.
They do their homework in depth.
Greens feel secure [motivated] when all their questions are
answered and they are well prepared. They prefer a
controlled work environment with the opportunity to produce
high-quality, accurate work. They enjoy working in an
environment where they have an opportunity to demonstrate
expertise and gain recognition for specific skills and
accomplishments. They measure personal worth by precision,
accuracy, and thoroughness.
Areas for development:
They resist change because it can threaten structure and
order.
Often, they are moody and easily depressed and see the
negative side of things.
Many have low energy levels and often get buried in
details.
They tend to set idealistic or unrealistic goals and
feel overwhelmed about areas in which they don't measure
up.
Surprises and unpredictability irritate them.
Under pressure:Greens are overly
critical, strict, resistant, perfectionist, and often
can pass the buck to someone else.