Did you know that you could help your team get out of the doghouse just by hanging out at the local dog park on a Saturday morning? If you take some time to observe the different behaviours of dogs, individually and collectively, you can learn a lot about behaviour and pack dynamics. By observing dog owners, you may just be surprised at what you can learn about behavioural tendencies.
If you are like me, you may not have the spare time to hang out at the dog park. You can still fast track your understanding of the behaviours of individuals and teams with a little help from our furry friends. I co-authored the book “Getting Out of the Dog House” to help individuals learn to better understand themselves and for teams to work better together.
When I am working with businesses, I’m often asked “How do we improve our teamwork when we are all so different?” For a start, I help the individuals better understand their own behavioural styles, and then we build skills to assist them with adapting their style based on the needs to the situation. There are four primary styles:
- Dexter – Dominant Style – self confident, appears dominant, direct, forceful, risk-tasker.
- Izzy – Influential Style – charming, sociable, outgoing, talkative, enthusiastic and always optimistic.
- Sally – Supportive Style – patience, good team player, calm and approachable, good listener.
- Charles – Cautious Style – attention to detail, precise, tends to be shy, sceptical and reserved.
Why is it so important for your team members to know their style?
Some people have an initial resistance to behavioural or personality profiling out of a fear of being labelled. It’s important to note that there are no “good” or “bad” profiles. Whatever your style, it is just perfect for you (and your natural style doesn’t change – you have been “you” since birth!). But once you have a clear understanding of your natural preferences, you can learn how to adapt your thinking and behaviour for a more positive result. Knowing how to do this is one of the keys to answering the question, “How do we improve our teamwork when we are all so different?”
What style do you most identify with?