BY GUEST BLOGGER – TOM MITCHELL
Have you ever been surprised that people don’t do what you want them to do, or even what you expect them to do? I used to ponder issues like this and would often come to the conclusion that other people were either bloody-minded or stupid, which wasn’t true and certainly not helpful. Then I got involved with Psychometrics, the study of Personalities, and the reasons why people didn’t behave as I expected became obvious, they simply were different from me!
By way of example some people, like Richie Smith and I are “Extroverted” we see problems in terms of the people and the big picture. Tell us the problem, describe the outcome you want and let us at it. Other people are “Conformist” they see problems in terms of specifics. Tell me precisely what you want me to do, specify exactly how the results are to be presented, give me a detailed timetable, and be available to answer questions as we progress.
The outcome, when people of different traits give or receive instructions from each other, is often frustration on both sides, and frequently chaos. The path to achieving good results is, that the people concerned, no matter how different they may be, understand and appreciate each other.
Take some time to think of your own team……… are there problems that could be down to the fact that some team members simply don’t understand what their colleagues require of them? I know it was a real “light-bulb moment” for me when I first realised just how different other people can be.
Looking at how your company functions? Get in touch!
Tom Mitchell