Overview
John can be effectively described
by the single word 'confidence'.
He is assertive and extrovert,
and he possesses both a drive
towards success and a pro-active
communicative style. He thinks
and acts quickly, and so he
can respond well to changes
in his situation - indeed,
he prefers a measure of variety
and unpredictability.
His
strong and persuasive style
works best where he has a
degree of control over his
own working conditions - he
very much prefers to be responsible
for his own actions, although
he will cooperate with others
where he sees that he has
no practical alternative.
Keynotes
The following keynotes summarise
some of the most important
aspects of John's personal
style:
-
He has a pro-active approach,
and will normally take the
initiative rather than waiting
for others to do so.
-
He is dynamic and pro-active,
quick to take advantage of
opportunities that arise.
-
He has an original and adventurous
approach to life.
-
He has an energetic and enthusiastic
approach, which can be highly
motivating to others.
Keywords
-
Communicative
-
Effervescent
-
Persuasive
-
Unpredictable
-
Masterful
-
Extrovert
-
Impulsive
-
Dynamic
-
Expansive
-
Eager
Behavioural
Adaptation
While John may be naturally
disposed to a relatively formal
and controlled demeanour,
his profile shows that, in
his present working environment,
he feels the need to interact
with others in a more personable
and friendly way. Among the
adaptations he is making to
his style are a more considerate,
thoughtful approach to others,
and a greater interest in
their views and feelings.
Advantages
John is both extrovert and
assertive. He is capable of
being highly focused on his
goals, and driving towards
them in a dynamic way. He
is also very socially oriented,
and works well with and around
other people. His outgoing,
effusive approach makes it
easy for him to communicate
effectively in either a formal
or an informal situation.
Disadvantages
John's social focus and his
rather low concentration threshold
combine to suggest that he
may be seen as somewhat unpredictable
at times. He is interested
in new experiences and new
situations, and while this
adds a degree of resilience
to his behavioural style,
it also means that he finds
it hard to apply himself to
a project in the long term,
unless it provides sufficient
variety and interest for him.
Communication
Style
John combines a socially extrovert
element with a more direct
and assertive side. In practice,
this will usually mean that
he is an effective and open
communicator as long as a
situation remains free of
conflict or pressure, but
that he is quite capable of
switching to a more demanding
and direct approach when necessary.
This less friendly side is
also seen in particularly
formal situations.
There is a strongly dominant
side to his character, in
both personal terms and in
the wider sense that he likes
to feel in control of a situation;
this dominance will often
manifest itself in his relationships
with others. He is demanding
and difficult at times, but
the problems that these attitudes
can cause are modified by
the fact that he is also capable
of open, even warm, behaviour
at other times.
Decision
Making
This active and energetic
individual will not typically
wait for decisions to be presented
to him, but will prefer to
independently assess a situation
and work out for himself the
decisions that need to be
reached. John's high levels
of personal confidence means
that he feels at ease reaching
conclusions on only limited
information. Indeed, even
where more detailed facts
are known, he may be tempted
to disregard them and follow
his own instincts. He is outgoing
and persuasive, and this will
aid him in convincing others
that his decisions are the
right ones, and in persuading
them to follow his conclusions.
Organisation
And Planning
John's innate sense of self-confidence,
coupled with his preference
to respond immediately to
a set of circumstances, means
that he is not naturally oriented
towards planning and organisation.
He tends to take a very broad
view of events, and correspondingly
pays less attention to fine
details.
Motivation
John can be characterised
as driving, assertive and
openly communicative. His
sense of motivation comes
primarily from the opportunity
to exercise these elements
of his style. He will want
to feel that he is able to
act independently, according
to his own view of a situation,
without being bound by what
he sees as unnecessary constraints.
One of John's strengths is
his ability to motivate himself
and those around him. For
this reason, he is often at
his best in a position of
leadership, or at least in
a role where he can directly
influence events.
Managing
Style
John's managing style derives
from his more general sociable,
open approach. He likes to
enjoy positive working and
personal relationships with
his staff, but he will still
attempt to maintain an air
of receptive authority. He
has an enthusiastic, and somewhat
impulsive style, and this
can sometimes make him appear
unpredictable. Nonetheless,
he will endeavour to spread
an atmosphere of relaxed camaraderie,
and prefers to persuade those
working for him to a course
of action, rather than impose
direct instructions.
Style
of Management Required
A challenging candidate from
a manager's perspective, John
has a competitive and driving
attitude that will need to
be carefully handled. In particular,
he will find it difficult
to work for a manager whose
abilities he does not respect,
and so it is important for
a manager to earn this respect
if they are to receive the
benefits of John's assertiveness.
He also has a rather competitive
nature, and will wish to feel
that he is earning appropriate
rewards for his work.
Guidelines
in Management
John has an active style and
an interest in people, so
he can be expected to take
a 'hands-on' approach to management.
His particular management
style will tend to revolve
around building positive relations
with his team, though he is
capable of more direct and
assertive action when a situation
demands. He has a positive,
motivating style, and indeed
the ability to use his enthuastic
nature to motivate his team
is one of his particular strengths
in the context of management.
Management Style
Summary
- He develops strong lines
of communication with the
members of his team.
- He tends to manage through
personal charm and persuasion,
rather than direct assertiveness,
wherever possible.
- He has the ability to convince
his team of a decision where
necessary.
- He can sometimes act in
unpredicable ways, or lead
his team in unforeseen directions.
- His team sometimes find
it difficult to anticipate
or adjust to his rapid pace.
Guidelines for
Development
John might
consider the following suggestions
to develop his management style.
The effectiveness of these suggestions
will naturally depend on his
current situation, and will
need to be weighed accordingly.
Taking this into account, John
might consider:
- Using his highly communicative
style to its best advantage
in a management role.
- Using his charismatic style
to help build a positive working
relationship with members
of his team.
- Being prepared to assert
his requirements forcefully
in situations where his persuasive
approach is not effective.
- Standing by his decisions
where practical, and clearly
signalling changes of direction
to his team.
- Holding back and taking
time to make sure he does
not act without thinking through
the consequences.
Exploratory Questions
Exploring Positive
Aspects of the Profile
- Can you think of
a time when you found an original
solution to a difficult problem?
(John has an exploratory approach,
and is open to new ideas,
so it's likely he will have
a positive response.)
- If you found that
a supplier was consistently
late with deliveries, how
would you approach the problem?
(John has an uncompromising
and dynamic style, and would
be expected to propose some
kind of direct action.)
- Have you ever been
part of a team that overcame
a serious obstacle? What part
did you play?
(It is likely that John's
highly assertive style would
have led him to play a significant
part.)
- What would you say
motivates you most strongly?
(John is highly motivated
by achievement and success,
and so is a self-starting
individual.)
Exploring Possible
Training Needs in the Profile
- If you found yourself
in a completely unfamiliar
situation, how would you react?
(It's likely that John will
be pro-active, and try to
take immediate control, rather
than make cautious investigations.)
- If you were called
on to make a presentation
to an audience about a technical
subject, how would you go
about it?
(John's confident style means
that he would have little
difficulty making the presentation,
but his approach to the technical
subject matter - something
his style is not well suited
to - will be interesting.)
- If a confrontation
were to arise with a work
colleague, how would you normally
deal with that situation?
(John has a dominant and rather
tempestuous approach, factors
that would be expected to
show themselves in this situation.)
- Can you recall an
occasion where another person's
suggestion or idea made a
significant difference to
your work?
(John prefers to follow his
own approach, and tends not
to place importance on input
from others.)
Career
Directions
Careers to suit John's behavioural
style will be those in which
he can exercise and develop
his outgoing and dynamic approach.
Whatever career path he follows,
his ambitious and enthusiastic
nature should provide natural
advantages, but this will be
rather more the case in roles
that take real advantage of
his active nature. Sales is
one particularly clear avenue
where he could expect to do
well, but there are many others
- his style would be well suited
to work in journalism or public
relations, for example.
Relationships
John combines an outgoing and
sociable side with a dynamic
element that thrives on change
and variety. For that reason,
his most effective working relationships
will be with colleagues who
can appreciate and adapt to
his rapid pace. Steadier, less
hurried types will find this
sense of urgency difficult to
work with. One specific consequence
of his approach is the fact
that John is not a very consultative
type of person, a fact that
will clearly have an impact
on his conduct in relation to
others.
Relationship Keynotes
for John
- He will tend to take a leading
role in his relationships
with colleagues.
- He has a tendency to act
impulsively, and will therefore
tend to work better with equally
expressive individuals.
- He can be rather impatient
with others, especially in
more pressurised working environments.
- He takes direct and active
steps to develop relationships
with colleagues.
- He shows little patience
with those less direct and
motivated than himself.
The Team
John has flexible style that
is above all energetic, especially
in a social sense. His strong
social confidence means that
not only can he be expected
to integrate easily into the
team, but that he will likely
make a noticeable difference
to the way the team operates.
John is active and immediate,
and tends to prefer to act directly
than consider or plan. As such,
the team as a whole can be expected
to take on some of his personal
flexibility and pro-active style,
though the extent to which this
happens will depend on the particular
details of the team in question.
Team Keynotes for
John
- He is ready to express himself,
and will make his ideas clearly
known within the group.
- As an expressive and communicative
individual, he will offer
the team an effective figurehead.
- He has the persuasive ability
to bring others to his point
of view.
- He can have a tendency,
on occasion, to act without
consulting with other members
of the team.
- He can sometimes show a
tendency to act independently
of the team as a whole.
Pressure
Frustration for John comes from
enforced inaction. He is a person
who likes to feel in direct
control of a situation, and
when that control is limited
or removed, he cannot be expected
to react positively. A related
trait is the fact that he is
also highly competitive in nature,
and the feeling that he might
be outmatched by others is also
one that he does not accept
easily. Where he does feel pressure
of this kind, he can be expected
to express his frustration in
a very direct and unmistakable
manner.
Ambition and Development
John is a person who has the
personal motivation to succeed
in life, but also the extrovert
nature to look for visible trappings
of that success. People such
as John tend to have a clear
view of their personal goals,
and he has the combination of
drive and persuasiveness that
should help him to achieve them.
Patience is not a strongly represented
feature of John's style, and
this will apply to his ambitions
as well as more generally -
he will be impatient to achieve
his targets in life.
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