400 of my piers (Association Executives) from across the nation in one room. "Interactive Styles" were being assessed. The object of this session was to learn to interact and lead people with different personality profiles. The idea was to gain the ability to recognize the way others respond to communication, therefore, adapting to better communicate with them. Is this all making sense so far? Good. Let's move on.
There are 4 styles (I promise you, this will not be boring).
A - The Expert. Experts are detailed and very thorough. They ask lots of questions, and expect that you know your stuff, because they know theirs. Experts are extremely conservative and won't take risks. They thrive on a more technical approach, not logic, and are respectful of policies. Experts keep their promises, are on time and don't miss appointments. They are more concerned with accuracy than speed, and itemize tasks with checklists to ensure that no stone is unturned. As a linear thinker, they like everything laid out in front of them.
B - The Romantic. Romantics have a very emotional though process. They are very good with non-verbal communication, are compassionate and very caring. Romantics are loyal & self sacrificing & show gratitude often. They value relationships, smile a lot, love to make small talk, and are personable. When working with a romantic, remember to be friendly, respect their feelings and show appreciation.
C - The Mastermind. The Mastermind has the attitude "if it ain't broke... break it." They love projects, and don't mind making mistakes -- they learn best from their mistakes. The Mastermind is fearless and loves taking risks. The are very conceptual & systematic thinkers and are always looking at the "bigger picture."
D - The Warrior. Oh, the Warrior. Warrior's don't want world peace -- they want world domination. They are very logical thinkers and just want to get to the bottom line, as quickly as possible. They've got a "get 'er done" kind of attitude. Warriors hate small talk and tend to be very impatient. They prefer to be left alone to get their work done. Warriors are intense, direct and not interested in details or stories. They value status and the deal. They are impatient, but decisive and are competitive.
You are dying to know what I am, aren't you.
So, we were asked a series of questions to determine our primary interactive style and secondary. It was said that most people obviously interact well with people similar to them, but can easily transition to communicating with people of their secondary interactive style. Very few however, interact well with every interactive style. It was said that it causes emotional stress.
My primary interactive style is A - The Expert with a secondary style of B - The Romantic. Surprised? I wasn't at all.
However, either I'm unique -- or a freak, because when the instructor stumbled on my combination (I was one of 3 in the room), he felt the need to put it on display. I had to stand up in front the the room while he described personality traits about myself that I'm fully aware of, yet like to keep hidden. Yes, this has happened before. This time however, I didn't run to my hotel room and cry. I was prepared this time around.
I took an extra quiz, thinking it would be prefect to know the interactive style of my husband. I was certain that he would have some strange combination of Expert/Mastermind (lacking in the Romantic side). The results were not at all what I had expected. Every score in each category was was perfectly balanced. What the crap? He's that one in a million guy that communicates well with every personality type. I assure you, he enjoyed this information.
Oh, and I prefer to be thought of as unique, not some kind of freak.
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