Compressed Air Best Practices - March 2009 - (Page 40)

® | 03/09 Columns ENERGY MANAGEMENT | Harnessing “Personality Style” for Peak Performance, Productivity and Efficiency BY PAT JOHNS We may all be created equal — but we are certainly not all the same. By harnessing a very basic working knowledge of the concept of personality style, we will start to develop the tools that can enhance the way we communicate in almost every interpersonal interaction we encounter! There is little escaping our personality style type, so we might as well respect and celebrate this fascinating aspect of behavioral diversity. After all, some of these well-accepted principles were first identified over 4,000 years ago and have been packaged, repackaged and presented for a very long time. My first exposure to the concept of personality style, which is now one of the cornerstones of my corporate training program, came during “boot camp” for my inaugural job with the Xerox Corporation. The system back then was called Professional Sales Skills Training, and to learn this highly sought after, cutting edge concept required several weeks at the newly constructed Xerox Training Center near Washington D.C. The portion of the program that dealt with this insightful concept was called “Needs Satisfaction Selling”. It was high-tech stuff 30-plus years ago, and it wasn’t just about selling. Simply stated, by learning to rapidly identify a potential prospect’s personality and communication style, we can immediately customize our approach and direct our efforts to specifically satisfying the priorities, or the needs, of that individual. In doing this, we become more effective at achieving the desired outcome. Thus the name “Needs Satisfaction” . Like so many core competencies we pick up along the way, these communications lessons learned back at Xerox would stay with me. Often having little or nothing to do with sales, these skills would bubble to the surface in a variety of ways. Long after I would leave the copier business for a new career in compressed air, this knowledge would remain and serve as the foundation for many a win-win experience! Personality Styles Most of us are already familiar with the concept that the human brain is divided into two distinct hemispheres, each controlling different functions. The right half of our brain operates in the creative realm and the left deals with the more analytical processes. Just as we are either right or left handed, we also demonstrate tendencies that suggest us to be either right or left brain dominant. This physiological reality offers a good starting point, but is only just a part of the story. Here is the rest of the story: p Initially, it is important that we begin by disarming our initial skepticism and simply acknowledge that there are, indeed, some basic brain wiring differences among us. Then, it is necessary that we accept the simplicity that with a brief vocabulary of just a few basic “Personality Style” terms, these differences can simply and easily be described and understood. Finally, we must trust that intuitively and instinctively we can be confident in our ability to understand the dynamics of this concept. p p Even without any significant training of Personality Style, if we simply open our eyes the applications become obvious and we will see that the dynamics of this phenomenon are factoring in all around us. After all, these concepts set the tone and offer the foundation for what makes good drama and good comedy. For many, validation of this principle is to look no further than our spouse, as we tend to initially be attracted to the opposite style and therefore often choose partners who demonstrate complementary Personality Style traits and skills. The Amiable Personality often pairs with the Driver Personality, and the Expressive Personality often pairs with the Analytical Personality. It is from these four types that we can build a simple vocabulary to understand the nature and Personality Style of one another’s basic communication tendencies. 40 www.airbestpractices.com http://www.airbestpractices.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Compressed Air Best Practices - March 2009

Compressed Air Best Practices - March 2009 Contents From the Editor Utility-Air News Compressed Air Audit of the Month Air Standards Assessment Improves Electroplater Production and Saves Energy Demand-Side System Optimization Seven Sustainability Projects for Industrial Energy Savings Personal Productivity Resources for Energy Engineers Wall Street Watch Advertiser Index Classifieds

Compressed Air Best Practices - March 2009

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