Incentive - November 2009 - (Page 24)

STRATEGIES Can’t We All Just Get Along? Understanding six workplace personalities and motivating them for bottom-line results By Shari Frisinger anagers have to make diverse teams in the workplace as productive, creative, and efficient as possible. This is not impossible. The key is understanding employee personalities and how to motivate and keep them working together. Commanding Drivers focus on tasks, goals, and the bottom line. They take charge and make decisions quickly, often without all necessary details. They can be blunt, rude, condescending, and sarcastic. They prefer not to work with team members and will do better alone or leading them. They speak loudly and confidently, so you must do the same to keep them on task. Have them work on lone projects and give them accolades for taking the lead in resolving challenges. Enthusiastic Adventurers keep their eyes on the very high goals. They have strong egos, are fast-paced, and get restless easily; they need a variety of challenges to accomplish the “impossible.” Debates and confrontations are daily parts of their lives. Assign enthusiastic adventurers new projects, particularly those that need exciting kickoffs. Reward them with public recognition for their work, praising them in front of others. High-Energizers can quickly become frustrated with others who do not match their pace. However, their inattention to detail means that things can slip through the cracks. Their need for change leaves partially completed projects for others to finish. Let high-energizers lead group meetings, particularly for brainstorming and motivation. Allow them to share creative thoughts but rein them in if they go off on a tangent. Lavish them with public praise on how they inspired others. Commanding drivers, enthusiastic adventurers, and highenergizers are forceful, big-picture visionaries who do not work well with details and are short on patience. Black-andwhite thinking prevails, as well as the need to win. Leverage them with projects that need strong, dynamic leaders. Motivate them by giving them bottom-line outcomes. M Supporting Cheerleaders need to be accepted by the group. They avoid conflict and can’t understand why everyone can’t get along. They may have difficulty staying focused on both the big picture and small details. They handle feelings before they do business and are the ones who smooth ruffled feathers. Engage them in small talk before focusing on business at hand. Dependable Stabilizers enjoy a steady pace and are team-focused. They need routines and the status quo. They are not risk takers, but they are flexible and get along well with others. They shy from conflict and disagreements. Their tasks are thoroughly completed. A dependable stabilizer may not respond to a request immediately because he thinks it through and responds carefully. Allow him this time. Analyzing Perfectionists are introverted and work alone at a slower pace. Cautious by nature, they check and double-check their work. They pore through details, information, and progressions. If there are any flaws in the work, they uncover them and provide resolutions. They express frustration, discontent, or disparagement more than happiness, excitement, or praise. Supporting cheerleaders, dependable stabilizers, and analyzing perfectionists are flexible but need step-by-step processes. They seek stability and routine and prefer to process information at their own pace. Use them to your advantage by assigning them inefficient or detailed processes. Motivate these members by praising their consistency, accuracy, and teamwork. Shari Frisinger is president of CornerStone Strategies LLC and author of Communication Replugged, which discusses communications relating to leadership. Visit www.cornerstonestrategiesllc.com. 24 | Incentive | November 2009 | incentivemag.com http://www.cornerstonestrategiesllc.com http://www.incentivemag.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Incentive - November 2009

Incentive - November 2009
Contents
Editor’s Note: Incentive Excellence Exchange
Headlines
Amway’s Over-the-Top 50th Anniversary Incentive Trip
Cover Story: Growing Globally, Software Developer Symantec Seeks Centralized Recognition
Strategies: Motivating the Six Workplace Personality Types
Primer: Five Tools CEOs Can Use To Improve Engagement
Travel News: Where to Go and How to Get There
Switzerland’s Incentive Offerings Are Legendary
Potentials: Here and Now
Digital Cameras for the Social Networking Era
Incentive Gift Card Directory

Incentive - November 2009