Success in any Job Should be About Effectiveness

When a fellow board member, a hospital administrator, told me about “Management By Strengths,” I had to know more.  It’s simple…it’s logical…it works.  If we know how the person we wish to communicate with processes information and if we adjust to that style, our effectiveness is maximized.  See the following article by our Guest Columnist, Mike Postlewait of Kansas City.

How to Eliminate Interpersonal Stress in Your Life
by Mike Postlewait

A friend on Facebook posted “Work is tough enough on its own, without this poor economy making it twice as hard to succeed!”  Economic stress is a double-edged sword.  In addition to affecting our bottom line, it can also amplify stresses that we have in our relationships with our coworkers, customers, friends and family.

Stress by its very nature saps our energy and makes us less productive. The good thing is, some forms of stress are “optional,” and we can choose not to let them affect us.  The next few paragraphs may not turn the global economy around, but we at MBS can show you steps that you can take to reduce stress in arguably the most critical part of your business … the people part of your business.  The relationships that you have with your coworkers and customers directly affect your business’ productivity and profitability.

Recently our client Delta Air Lines merged with Northwest Airlines.  Delta has used the Management By Strengths (MBS) program since the mid 1990’s to strengthen teamwork and reduce misunderstanding with their mechanics, pilots and other employees.  “Strengthen teamwork and reduce misunderstanding” or a simpler way to put it … Reduce Stress. They are currently training their “merged” culture in MBS relationship skills to improve communication and teamwork.

What are they learning at Delta?  In a nutshell … Not everybody on the same job is the same.  Some people are direct and candid, some people are talkative and outgoing, others are laid back and some are urgent, some people are careful perfectionists and others fly by the seat of their pants.  And you need to interact with all of them.  If we fail to take into consideration people’s differing temperament and communication styles, it leads to misunderstandings, which results in unnecessary stress.

So what do you do? 

• Stop focusing inward and start focusing outward...Be proactive.
• Be considerate and understanding of the other person’s style and point of view.
• Don’t allow HOW they say something affect how you receive WHAT they say. 
• Adjust!

Believe it or not, people don’t get up in the morning thinking of ways that they can offend you and thus make doing their own job more difficult.  Don’t be offended or turned off by:

… the person who comes across rude or abrupt.  That’s the Direct person.  They often use few words to get their point across.  They focus on results and do not want to offend you, thus making achieving their results more difficult.  You just took their comment personally when it wasn’t meant to be.

… the person who talks a lot and prefers to meet and discuss rather than send an email.  That’s the Extrovert.  They bounce ideas off you and value your feedback. Really, they don’t need a lot of interaction…they just need to be in the loop.  They are the natural team player in TEAMwork.

… the person who is laid back and doesn’t seem interested in what needs to be done.  That’s the Paced person.  OF COURSE THEY’RE INTERESTED!  They want to succeed just like you. Many professional athletes have the Paced temperament.  It cracks me up to listen to football announcers that marvel at the All Pro Linebacker who’s just the nicest guy off the field, calm and composed.  But on the field he’s a terror.

… the person who always asks WHY?? Who’s inflexible when changes need to be made.  That’s the Structured person who needs to make sure it’s done RIGHT. Psstt, psstt … that’s a good thing!! Their focus is on the details and ensuring quality so don’t let their questions and caution bother you.

The bottom line is that everybody isn’t just like us.  Ignoring people’s temperaments unintentionally adds misunderstanding and stress to our lives.  We can eliminate some of the interpersonal stress in our life by starting with one person that we deal with on a regular basis.  Make the decision to treat that person correctly on purpose…by appealing to his or her temperament.  It’s up to you.


To learn more about the four natural temperament traits and discover “What color are you?” go to www.strengths.com.

Mike Postlewait
President
Management By Strengths, Inc.
Office: 913-393-2525