Stefan Taylor's Green Team 2015 Blog - Session 1 - Social Styles

Stefan Taylor

02/20/2015

Green Team 2015

Green Team Blog Post - Session 1 Homework

There exists a myriad of interpersonal frameworks from which organizations utilize. Within the Green Team Fellowship, Social Styles & Versatility by TRACOM GROUP is the interpersonal style platform that is focused on. It is quite apparent that utilizing such a tool illuminates certain aspects of oneself/the group that would otherwise be unrecognizable or typically not confronted. While speaking to why this may be viewed as having positive outcomes throughout this reflection, I will be also be entertaining the impact of this, how it affects my work relationships, and how it affects the output I produce in tandem with co-workers. Before discussing how Social Styles benefit my output and work with others, a brief understanding of the different styles as well as some highlights of the utilized interpersonal style tool will be mentioned.

It has been explained that four quadrants of different social styles exist and everyone fits into a portion of at least one, in varying levels. Analytic/Driver and Amiable/Expressive seem to group easily together. The Analytic/Driving styles most easily could be described as 'type A;’ these are the folks that push fast for results with little time designated for personal reflection, other's emotion or opinion. The difference between these two social styles is that those who are Analytic tend to uncover all facts via inquiry, taking more time to come to a conclusion than those who are Drivers. Drivers are the folks who seem to always be rapidly getting to the point. Analytic/Driver style folks are those who most often assume the leadership role. On the other-hand, Amiable/Expressive styles are those that have the sensitivity to take a situation to an emotional level; these are the type of people you want to be on your team and servicing your customers. The main difference between Amiable and Expressive styles is that the Expressive style tends to get lost behind the facts as they make decisions based off of emotion and don't seek out the right questions at the right time. On the contrary, something that makes the Amiable Social Style different than Expressive is the tendency to hold tight to what is the perceived norm for fear of conflict. These different social styles are all unique and we all fit into the 'spectrum' of one/many of these styles. It is important to understand that some of these styles combat each other.

Keeping in mind that it is very possible to fall between the lines of one style into another, it is natural to share contention with the opposing social styles. After taking the initial assessment, I was able to determine that I have a highly versatile Amiable style. Naturally, as an Amiable social style, I am very sensitive to other's emotional/social states. Because of this, I think that it is safe to say that I get along and work pretty well with almost anyone. Even though this is the case, it doesn't mean that it comes easy all across the board. I've been able to perceive that there is a breakdown between my social style and another social style (Driver). When I say 'breakdown,' I really mean that our approaches to work/interpersonal relationships are different. Because of this difference, I believe that there are certain things that can be done in order to most effectively work together. I find it interesting to compare some of the differences between the Driver and Amiable Social Style.

The difference between Driver and Amiable Social Styles are nearly polarized; similar to that of the Analytic and Expressive styles. The way that Drivers may often approach a task and chose to work with someone or not is very different than the way I, as an Amiable Social Style, would. From my experience and learning in class, Drivers navigate through tasks based on power and assertiveness. They say, 'let’s get the job done NOW,' without much concern for past/future/other's opinions. This is very different than the way I approach a given task. As an Amiable Social Style, I address the situation, the parties involved, and work with my colleagues. I take my time to address the different components before diving into execution; it is easy to see that has a positive effect on work and work relationships. This approach is contrary to the approach of a Driver; nevertheless, there are things that can be done to bridge this gap. I feel the need to mention that a Driver's style definitely has many positive attributes that lead to business success; their process leading up to execution is just different. Now that I've spoken about why, in my experience, Amiable and Driver Social Styles differ, I'd like to highlight how this relates to my own interpersonal and work related success.

What has really assisted me the most in working with Drivers specifically is understanding how they operate, what their work preferences are, and how my style conflicts. By being aware of these things, it has allowed me to better cooperate and work more efficiently with Drivers. For example, instead of informally consulting the Driver about the project and talking through where I believe we should go, I instead schedule a meeting. Prior to the meeting I hand over the facts about the project and where I see a path forward. During the meeting, the Driver has more ownership of the material and comes to the table with already formulated discussion points/vision of execution. I do this in attempt to make sure to not waste their time with irrelevant information and not interrupt their natural flow of work day-to-day. The result leads to faster outcomes that gain the buy-in of all parties involved, raising the quality of output. By being aware of how different Social Styles 'tick,' I can work better/smarter/faster with my colleagues; consequently, using their Social Style to the advantage of the projects/task at hand. Here-in lies success. Because of my ability to consciously cater my work habit to the recipient's Social Style preferences, I believe I have been able to rise to different opportunities that are more client facing; expanding the scope of my work.

Being aware of Social Styles positively affects the way I work with others and the success of my professional career. Over the past year or so working for Computer Aid Inc., I have been able to work with all different sorts of people with all different kinds of social styles. Through evaluation/education of Social Styles, I have been able to strengthen my intuition as to how various people will act/react in relation to the projects I work on. I am able to accomplish this by studying the various preferences and patterns of other Social Styles and reinventing my natural approach to cater to all different parties. This 'situational awareness' opens doors to new projects and builds stronger relationships.