March 2010
March 2010 Newsletter
Greetings
It would be difficult to guess just how many times we have been told of situations where an efficient employee has been promoted and failed to perform to expectations in his/her new role.
It is a common mistake made by management and can so easily be avoided by the use of behavioural style analysis reports. One of our affiliates has told us of a recent example of just how painful such an outcome can be for the employee and for the employer and we thought that it is worth sharing the experience in this month’s newsletter.
Last month we took a look at some interesting research completed by Extended DISC International on stress in various countries. It is perhaps timely that we repeat an article we wrote some years ago on identifying the signs of stress in behavioural styles. One must be careful when evaluating the level of stress, because different behavioural profiles have different tendencies to recognise, react and reveal stress. Similarly, people’s understanding and definition of stress is often very different. The profiles detailed in this newsletter are taken from actual reports.
Why promoted Team Members do not perform to expectation
There have been books written on the subject of dealing with poor performing staff members but sometimes the reasons are so obvious that one wonders how the situation was allowed to develop in the first place!
We were told of a recent experience by one of our consultants which could well have been avoided.
Joe (not his real name) was a very conscientious staff member working in a large retail chain as an assistant branch manager. He was a typical “IS” behavioural mix and he was popular with his fellow employees. The “S” characteristics meant that he was a good team player and his “I” traits gave him that touch of outgoing personality that endeared him to his immediate manager. He was the type of person who was always punctual, responsible and trustworthy, - an altogether ideal employee.
His immediate manager identified him as a prospective middle manager, and considered him capable of leap-froging a branch manager position to take on a role as a regional manager. The position meant that branch managers would be reporting to him and he would need to report to the general manager.
Relying on the judgement of the branch manager, the general manager promoted Joe to regional manager. There were no psychometric reports or behavioural style analysis reports on Joe’s file but he had been with the company for some three years and had an impeccable record.
It was only a matter of some three months that it became obvious that Joe was out of his depth. The company had not been using behavioural style analysis reports but had they done so, it would have been glaringly obvious that Joe was not a hard nosed competitive, demanding, controlling person.
He was always going to find it difficult to change his behavioural style to demand results from his branch managers or handle situations that demanded tough discipline.
When he accepted the position, the firm had been trading well and sales were at a consistently high level.
This all changed with the downturn in the economy and Joe had to start becoming more decisive, goal-oriented, demanding and sometimes blunt to get his message across to poorly performing branch managers.
This caused him huge stress. It was completely foreign to his natural behavioural style and he would leave his office late at night feeling completely exhausted. Worse still he struggled to take a tough line with his branch managers and avoided making tough decisions. This simply meant that his failure to act on pressing matters compounded an already difficult situation.
The general manager became frustrated with Joe’s apparent reluctance to deal with tough issues and this was when our consultant became involved.
The very first thing the consultant did was to obtain Personal Analysis Reports from each of the management team as he was initially told that there appeared to be a breakdown in communication between the executives. In fact, as he subsequently found, it was not really a communication problem between in the management but simply a poor performing regional manager.
As in so many similar cases, the general manager was looking for a way of relieving Joe of his role but because he recognised Joe’s strengths he did not want the firm to lose him. To some extent the general manager himself lacked the courage to demand results from Joe. Joe’s natural personable style made this difficult for the GM.
Regrettably it was all too late. The Profiles taken from Joe’s report are shown opposite and the huge adjustment in the diamond taken from the report is obvious. Soon after the consultant was appointed and Joe received his Personal Analysis Report, Joe recognised himself that the role did not suit his style and he resigned. He probably hadn’t thought about his behavioural style while grappling with his daily challenges but when he received his Personal Analysis Report he quickly realised that he simply was not suited to the demands of his current role.
The outcome was that the firm lost a valuable employee and the general manager and his team spent a good deal of time agonising over a problem that was never going to be solved. The cost of hiring and training a new regional manager was only a fraction of the real cost to the company.
We have not been told what happened to Joe and can only guess that he and his family have gone through a very difficult time in view of the job market at the time he resigned. The loss of self-esteem and self-confidence must have been devastating for him and of course the company lost a valuable employee.
Too often good performers are promoted into a role that does not suit their behavioural style. Joe was stressed to the max as is so often the case and this impacted heavily on his performance. It is essential that the candidate’s behavioural style is understood before appointing him/her to a new role.
Signs of stress in different Behavioural Styles
One must be careful when evaluating the level of stress, because different profiles have different tendencies to recognise, react, and reveal stress. Similarly, people’s understanding and definition of stress is often very different. The phenomenon can nevertheless be studied as a defence mechanism to a change in the environment. It is therefore more a reflection of a change in the environment and the adjustment process it causes than anything to do with the psychological effects or “stress”.
Let’s look at the main behavioural styles, remembering however, that Extended DISC recognises that most of us have two or more basic traits in our behavioural style.
For people with major “D” (Dominance) traits in their unconscious behavioural style:
Stress sources are
- Inability to achieve goals
- Losing the decision making power
- Losing power of authority
- Not being able to influence what happens
- Losing position
- Inability to make independent decisions
Signs of stress are
- Becoming aggressive and pressuring
- Pressuring people
- Focusing on immediate results and action
- Becoming impatient
- Changing things hastily, becoming irritating, blunt stubborn, inflexible and demanding
Relieving the stress for “D” behavioural styles
- Let them function independently
- Let them contribute
- Give them responsibility
For people with major “I” (Influence) traits in their unconscious behavioural style:
Stress sources are
- Losing people’s attention
- Becoming non-interesting
- Being not involved
- Strict rules, inflexibility
- Silence
Signs of stress are
- Becoming overly concerned with relationships
- Talking a lot
- Seeking attention from everywhere
- Being too interested in other people’s attention
- Having strong opiniated views that they defend emotionally
Relieving the stress for “I” behavioural styles
- Give them the opportunity to move, travel, meet people
- Do not force them to lose face
- Get closer to them
- Praise them
For people with major “S” (Submission) traits in their unconscious behavioural style:
Stress sources are
- Sudden changes
- Insecurity
- Unstable environment
- Possible future problems
- Injustice
Signs of stress are
- Becoming overly cautious
- Wanting to retain current situation
- Objecting aggressively to any attempt to change things
- Basing everything on justice and avoiding risks
- Distancing themselves and opposes everything
- Becoming difficult to approach and stubborn
Relieving the stress for “S” behavioural styles
- Create a predictable environment
- Involve them in planning
- Create a familiar and safe environment
- Talk to them and explain everything
- Show that you care
For people with major “C” (Compliance) traits in their unconscious behavioural style:
Stress sources are
- Lack of information
- Uncertainty about their own role and position
- Conflict
- Chaos
- Not being able to control what one is meant to control
- Having to show weakness in emotions
Signs of stress are
- Questioning everything
- Becoming overly considerate
- Becoming interested in cause-effect relationships
- Trusting only facts, and doubts even them
- Being afraid of the worst
- Witrhdrawing oneself, becoming aloof
Relieving the stress for “C” behavioural styles
- Give them information
- Avoid public loss of face
- Make the instructions and rules as clear as possible
- Don’t force them to make decisions
The profiles shown in this edition of FactSheet are taken from actual reports. Those who have completed Extended DISC training will recognise the indicators, but the Present Situation page together with the Interview Questions, which form part of the Extended DISC Personal Analysis Report, identify stress indicators as well as insecurity, uncertainty and provide other vital information for consultants, recruiters and employers.
Personal Analysis Report Format can be changed
Some of our affiliates prefer to present the Personal Analysis Reports in a different page order than the default option on EDOS. Others prefer to have the Reading Instructions as the first pages while some prefer to show the Profiles Pages and Diamond first followed by the Reading Instructions and then the Text Pages. It is simple to change the page order when printing the reports but if anyone requires help with this, please call us on 1800 254 094 (Australia) or 0800 333 668 (New Zealand).
Special tailored reports are also available through EDOS. The system has the flexibility to produce specific style reports as well as co-branded with your company name and logo. Again please contact us on one of our toll free numbers if you require any further information on out tailored reports.
New Birth
We are thrilled to inform you that Saffi Curran, our Client Liaison Manager, gave birth to a baby girl Kayda Marie, in February. Saffi and Kayda are happy and doing well. They wish to thank everyone for their lovely gifts and wishes. Saffi will rejoin us later in the year.
New Awards
Madeleine Hathaway, who joined us in January as our new Sales Manager, was presented with the award for Best Oral Presentation at the psychology symposium in Brisbane. Madeleine has been working with DISC for several years and holds a Master of Arts majoring in psychology and a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in linguistics. We are delighted to have her working with us.
