Driving a Driver
Have you met certain people who just can't seem to relax? They're always rushing around, trying to see how much they can accomplish in a day. They just have lots of...drive. Let's call these people drivers, and let's get to know one in particular.
Meet Drew the driver. Drew does not sit behind the wheel of a truck all day, nor can he be found teeing off with all the other golfers on a nice day. Drew is a driver because he is driven. He's always been like that. As a child, he was the one who said, "Let me do it myself!" He also questioned authority, wondering why older people were telling him what to do. He liked to be in control of things, so he rose to become president of a business. Drew's oak desk is always covered with papers, memos, books, magazines, letters, you name it. (A classic sign of the driver—he takes on many different projects at one time.) But rest assured that the projects will get done; drivers are very good at making decisions, delegating tasks, and managing time. If Drew can't find someone to do the job, he'll do it himself.
Drew does have his shortcomings. Since he pays so much attention to getting the job done, the people who are helping him do it may become secondary. He cares less about their feelings than about when and how they'll get the job done. He doesn't care about the details, either. Drew always has someone around who can dot his I's and cross his T's for him since he can only see the big picture (a strength of drivers).
And yes, Drew does play some golf. He hits the ball farther than most, and he practices because he likes to be the best at what he does. He's not afraid to bet on a hole when he's with his buddies due to his competitive nature. Drew is someone who loves to compete and win (translation: he hates to lose).
Driving anywhere, Drew is going to get upset if he hit a lot of red lights, or if some slowpoke won't let him reach his destination. He'll be upset because he can't control those situations. Those slowpokes are not fellow travelers on the road of life to Drew, but obstacles that must be overcome. He and other drivers don't mind obstacles; in fact, they like the opportunity to overcome them.
You want drivers in positions of leadership. They are aggressive, task-oriented people who can make decisions quickly.
Taking Personality Into Account
You know who you are...don't you? Personality types affect every aspect of life. Involvement with people means having to learn how to successfully communicate based on individual personalities. When you understand an individual's personality, your relationship with him will improve dramatically.
There are specific ways to handle and approach every personality. Successful communication is essential to productivity in any industry, regardless of the complexity level. You can know (or have a pretty good idea) how individuals will respond to certain business and personal situations by identifying their personality type.
The four major personality types are driver, analytical, amiable, and expressive. An individual can possess characteristics of two types, but there is usually only one primary personality type.
Drivers are results-oriented individuals. Impatience and high energy are hallmarks of their being. Expressives love being the center of attention and enjoy talking. They are often very creative. Individuals with an amiable personality tend to be good listeners. They have a more relaxed posture and are likely to give in to pressure. The orderly and ceremonious analyticals tend to be very efficient. One indicator of an analytical personality type
is the overall conservativeness of his dress.
You can learn what makes people tick. It is a worthwhile investment to find out who you're really working with and who you really are.
Understanding Personality Styles
Customers should beware...but not of you. Are you a people person, always concerned about what others feel and think? Or perhaps getting the job done without regard to feelings is more your forte. Do you like to know every last detail before reaching a decision? Is having fun in everything you choose to do important to you?
Every aspect of society is ruled by the various personality types— well almost— but everything is influenced by the personalities of the people involved. Working with account
holders, suppliers, customers in any industry means that you have to learn how to successfully communicate with people based on their individual personality style. Your
relationship with them will improve dramatically by understanding their personality style.
That is not to say that most of your customers have a difficult personality. There are specific ways to handle and approach each personality style that addresses their communication needs. Successful communication is essential to productivity in any industry regardless of the complexity level. You can predict (or have a pretty good idea) how individuals will respond to certain business and personal situations by identifying their personality type. Each serves its unique purpose in life. No one personality is better than another; it is only that they are different from one other.
In dealing with personality types, there are no set norms, but there are communication styles that can be used with each personality to make communication with them more successful. Training on personality and style will improve your effectiveness and your ability to help as a customer service representative who has to deal with irate and/or dissatisfied account holders as many of us do. There are four major personality types: driver, analytical, amiable, and expressive. An individual can possess two types but there generally is one primary and one secondary personality type. The primary type is biological in origin while the secondary is usually picked up through life experiences.
Drivers are results-oriented individuals. Impatience and high energy are hallmarks of their temperament.
Expressives don't mind at all letting the representative "have it." Since you don't want to lose their business (or any other business), you have to know how to effectively handle an incident with them. Individuals with an amiable personality tend to be good listeners. They have a more relaxed posture and are likely to "give-in" to pressure. The orderly and ceremonious analytical tends to be very efficient in what they do. If an individual with an analytical personality comes in to open an account of any type, be prepared to give statistics (probably beyond the standard ones posted) and to provide an accurate, full disclosure of what is involved. An indicator of an analytical personality type is an overall picture of being
conservative.
There are many natural indicators of personality types. You may exhibit the behavior of a certain type without giving it a technical name. Would you be more likely to say, "close the window!" or "can you please close the window?" Would you say that you move "more rigidly?" or "more freely?" These everyday responses give clues about the type of personality of the individual. How freely or rigidly you move about can say a lot about how responsive you are to situations, business and otherwise. If you tend to give specific orders that you expect to be completed (like a driver) instead of asking for them to be done (like an expressive ), this will indicate how forceful your personality is. The colors you wear and like as part of your decor are expressions of your personality.
Turning a negative situation into a positive one seems less farfetched once you identify the personality types involved. What draws people to you or pushes them away from you? The answer lies in your personality. By tuning into an individual's personality type, you know how to more effectively control the way you talk with that client. Finding the "right way" to deal with customers involves studying, identifying, and accepting their personality type. We've all heard the saying that "money makes the world go around," haven't we? People make the money go around, so it is only natural that financial success and strong "people skills" go hand-in-hand. It is a worthwhile investment to equip yourself and your co- workers to handle all kinds of people based on identifying their personality type. If you are not in a position to ensure that employees receive appropriate training, appeal to your department heads.
