Your leadership style- Teaches you a lot about you and others
Read the following statements and figure out which ones best relate to your work style. Remember, this isn't your personality, but how you react in work situations. I did this last year with City Year and again at a meeting the other day with the Presidential Service Club. I think it's neat how people can be so easily categorized.
1) NORTH
Approaches to work/work style:
- assertive, active, decisive
- likes to determine the course of events and to be in control of professional relationships
- enjoys challenges presented by difficult situations and people
- thinks in terms of the "bottom line"
- quick to act or make decisions; expresses urgency for others to take action
- perserveres, not stopped by hearing "no", probes and presses to get at hidden resistances
- likes variety, novelty, new projects
- comfortable being "in front"
- values action-oriented phrases, "Do it now!", or "I'll do it", "What's the bottom line?"
2) SOUTH
Approaches to work/ work style:
- Understands how people need to receive information in order to act on it
- Integrates others' input when determining the direction of what's happening
- Value-driven regarding aspects of professional life
- Uses professional relationships to accomplish tasks, interaction is a primary way of getting things done
- Supportive of colleagues and peers
- Willing to trust others' statements at face value
- Feeling-based thoughts and actions; trusts own emotions and intuition; intuition regarded as "truth"
- Receptive to others' ideas, builds on others' ideas, team player, noncompetitive
- Able to focus on the present
- Values words like "right" and "fair"
(When it comes to work i have absolutely no south in me!)
3) EAST
Approaches to work/ work style:
- Visionary who sees the big picture
- Generative and creative thinker, able to think outside the box
- Very idea-oriented
- Makes decisions by looking towards the future (insight/imagination)
- Insight into mission and purpose
- Looks for overarching themes and ideas
- Adept at, and enjoys problem solving
- Likes to experiment and explore
- Appreciates a lot of information
- Values words like "option", "possibility", "imagine"
4) WEST
Approaches to work/ work style
- Understands what information is needed to make decisions
- Seen as practical, dependable and thorough in task situations
- Provides planning and resources, is helpful to others in these ways and comes through for the team
- Moves carefully and follows procedures and guidelines
- Uses data analysis and logic to make decisions
- Weighs all sides of an issue, balanced
- Introspective, self-analytical, critical thinker
- Skilled at finding fatal flaws in an idea or project
- Maximizes existing resources- gets the most out of what has been done in the past
- Values words like "objective" and "analysis"
(I am most definitely a west)
So now that you know what you are. Take a second to read what some of the symptoms of overuse of the different directions. I can assure you that if you had a direction that you identified with completely the next thing will hit home, too.
1) NORTH
Overuse (style taken to extreme)
- Can easily overlook process and comprehensive strategic planning when driven by need to act and to make decisions
- Can get defensive, argue, may attempt to "out expert" others
- Can lose patience, push for decisions too early, or avoid discussions to a significant extent
- Can be autocratic, want things done his/her way, has difficulty being a team member
- Sees things in terms of black and white, not much tolerance for ambiguity
- Gets compulsive, disregards practical issues
- Not heedful of others' feelings, may be perceived as cold
- Has trouble relinquishing control- finds it hard to delegate, thinks "If I want something done right, I have to do it myself!"
2) SOUTH
Overuse:
- Can lose focus on goals when believes that relationships or people's needs are being compromised
- Has difficulty refusing requests
- Internalizes difficulty and assumes blame
- Prone to disappointment when others see relationships as secondary to tasks
- Difficulty confronting or handling anger (own or others'); may be manipulated by emotions
- Can over-compromise in order to avoid conflict
- Immersed in the present; loses track of time; may not take action or see long-range view
- Can become too focused on the process at the expense of accomplishing goals
3) EAST
overuse:
- Can put too much emphasis on vision at the expense of action or details
- Can lose focus on tasks
- Poor follow-through on projects can develop a reputation for a lack of dependability and attention to detail
- Not time-bound, may lose track of time
- Tends to be highly enthusiastic early on, but then burns out over the long haul
- May lose interest in projects that do not have a comprehensive vision
- May become frustrated and overwhelmed when outcomes are not in concert with vision
4) WEST
overuse:
- Can be bogged down by information, continues doing analysis at the expense of moving forward
- Can become stubborn and entrenched in a position
- Can be indecisive, collect unnecessary data, become mired in details, "analysis paralysis"
- May appear cold, withdrawn, with respect to others' working styles
- Tendency to remain on the sidelines, watchful, observing
- Can become distanced from other people
- May be seen as insensitive to others' emotions
- May be resistant to change
(And anyone who's worked with me in the past knows that that describes me almost to a tee)
Well I hope you learned something about yourself or someone you work with.
1) NORTH
Approaches to work/work style:
- assertive, active, decisive
- likes to determine the course of events and to be in control of professional relationships
- enjoys challenges presented by difficult situations and people
- thinks in terms of the "bottom line"
- quick to act or make decisions; expresses urgency for others to take action
- perserveres, not stopped by hearing "no", probes and presses to get at hidden resistances
- likes variety, novelty, new projects
- comfortable being "in front"
- values action-oriented phrases, "Do it now!", or "I'll do it", "What's the bottom line?"
2) SOUTH
Approaches to work/ work style:
- Understands how people need to receive information in order to act on it
- Integrates others' input when determining the direction of what's happening
- Value-driven regarding aspects of professional life
- Uses professional relationships to accomplish tasks, interaction is a primary way of getting things done
- Supportive of colleagues and peers
- Willing to trust others' statements at face value
- Feeling-based thoughts and actions; trusts own emotions and intuition; intuition regarded as "truth"
- Receptive to others' ideas, builds on others' ideas, team player, noncompetitive
- Able to focus on the present
- Values words like "right" and "fair"
(When it comes to work i have absolutely no south in me!)
3) EAST
Approaches to work/ work style:
- Visionary who sees the big picture
- Generative and creative thinker, able to think outside the box
- Very idea-oriented
- Makes decisions by looking towards the future (insight/imagination)
- Insight into mission and purpose
- Looks for overarching themes and ideas
- Adept at, and enjoys problem solving
- Likes to experiment and explore
- Appreciates a lot of information
- Values words like "option", "possibility", "imagine"
4) WEST
Approaches to work/ work style
- Understands what information is needed to make decisions
- Seen as practical, dependable and thorough in task situations
- Provides planning and resources, is helpful to others in these ways and comes through for the team
- Moves carefully and follows procedures and guidelines
- Uses data analysis and logic to make decisions
- Weighs all sides of an issue, balanced
- Introspective, self-analytical, critical thinker
- Skilled at finding fatal flaws in an idea or project
- Maximizes existing resources- gets the most out of what has been done in the past
- Values words like "objective" and "analysis"
(I am most definitely a west)
So now that you know what you are. Take a second to read what some of the symptoms of overuse of the different directions. I can assure you that if you had a direction that you identified with completely the next thing will hit home, too.
1) NORTH
Overuse (style taken to extreme)
- Can easily overlook process and comprehensive strategic planning when driven by need to act and to make decisions
- Can get defensive, argue, may attempt to "out expert" others
- Can lose patience, push for decisions too early, or avoid discussions to a significant extent
- Can be autocratic, want things done his/her way, has difficulty being a team member
- Sees things in terms of black and white, not much tolerance for ambiguity
- Gets compulsive, disregards practical issues
- Not heedful of others' feelings, may be perceived as cold
- Has trouble relinquishing control- finds it hard to delegate, thinks "If I want something done right, I have to do it myself!"
2) SOUTH
Overuse:
- Can lose focus on goals when believes that relationships or people's needs are being compromised
- Has difficulty refusing requests
- Internalizes difficulty and assumes blame
- Prone to disappointment when others see relationships as secondary to tasks
- Difficulty confronting or handling anger (own or others'); may be manipulated by emotions
- Can over-compromise in order to avoid conflict
- Immersed in the present; loses track of time; may not take action or see long-range view
- Can become too focused on the process at the expense of accomplishing goals
3) EAST
overuse:
- Can put too much emphasis on vision at the expense of action or details
- Can lose focus on tasks
- Poor follow-through on projects can develop a reputation for a lack of dependability and attention to detail
- Not time-bound, may lose track of time
- Tends to be highly enthusiastic early on, but then burns out over the long haul
- May lose interest in projects that do not have a comprehensive vision
- May become frustrated and overwhelmed when outcomes are not in concert with vision
4) WEST
overuse:
- Can be bogged down by information, continues doing analysis at the expense of moving forward
- Can become stubborn and entrenched in a position
- Can be indecisive, collect unnecessary data, become mired in details, "analysis paralysis"
- May appear cold, withdrawn, with respect to others' working styles
- Tendency to remain on the sidelines, watchful, observing
- Can become distanced from other people
- May be seen as insensitive to others' emotions
- May be resistant to change
(And anyone who's worked with me in the past knows that that describes me almost to a tee)
Well I hope you learned something about yourself or someone you work with.