Welcome To The Science Of Idiots
By · CommentsWelcome to “The Science Of Idiots”
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HIRE RIGHT THE FIRST TIME: Part II Qualified Sameness
THE CHANGE PEOPLE PATTERN™ – SAMENESS
By Marilyne Woodsmall
HIRE RIGHT THE FIRST TIME:
THE CHANGE PEOPLE PATTERN™ – QUALIFIED SAMENESS
Remember that now more than ever, given the present state of the global economy, it is so critical in your hiring practice to choose the right job candidate who best matches the tasks to be performed. Employers cannot rely on traditional resumes and a person’s physical appearance in hiring the best people for specific jobs. Instead, when you use People Patterns™ in your hiring, you will save you time, money, and valuable resources. You will enhance your productivity since you will be hiring right the first time rather than wasting time looking for new people to replace bad hires the second time around.
Over twenty years ago, we created Profiling Plus™, our own behavioral assessment instrument that specifically targets hiring and personnel. This effective and practical behavioral tool is one that synthesizes our knowledge of behavioral change and typological research and models. In the context of these articles, we are simply focusing on one aspect of work. Read More→
Hire Right The First Time
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THE CHANGE PEOPLE PATTERN™ – SAMENESS
By Marilyne Woodsmall
As I mentioned in a prior article, nowadays, given the current economic crisis, it is all the more critical to hire the right person for the right task or right job the first time. Doing so will save you time and money and will increase your bottom line. In this light, remember that basing your hiring on traditional resumes and on someone’s appearance is not the best way to know whether a given candidate is best suited for a particular task. This is where knowledge of People Patterns™ can make a huge difference in hiring the right person for the right job.
Knowing how a person thinks and how he or she behaves in a particular context in the execution of a given task is going to be much more revealing as far as competency and suitability are concerned. Also, as I mentioned at an earlier time, the best predictor of future behavior is past history. It is important to realize that it is not what a person says that he or she will do that matters. Instead, it is what the person has done in the past in similar situations that matters. There are critical factors connected to past and present behavior that are revealed through People Patterns™.
Today in the context of personnel and hiring, let’s focus on the first element of the Change People Pattern™: Sameness. There are obviously certain tasks that are much better suited for individuals who are sameness in orientation. In general, any job that involves routine in any way is perfect for a sameness person. These individuals prefer to be in jobs that require them to repeat specific tasks every day. For them,
“No variety is the spice of life” is their tantrum. Sameness people thrive on repetition and will seek it out whenever and wherever they can. Continuity is the key word for jobs that are best suited for sameness people.
Jobs in assembly lines are perfect for sameness people because they require the repetition of a set of specific tasks and which often are performed during the same shifts every day as well. In fact, the sameness element, the ability to consistently repeat a task in the context of an assembly line is critical to creating quality and defect free products. It is no coincidence that the major car manufacturers are located in the mid-west which is highly sameness in orientation. Sameness workers really take pride in their work and in the products and/or services with which they are involved.
Connected to the element of repetition is the notion of job security. Sameness people need to know that their jobs are secure and that there are no changes in their work environment. It is important that their work conditions remain the same. That is why sameness people have a much harder time dealing with new management, or with new rules that break from the routine that they are used to following in one way or another. Management needs to be aware of how to incorporate policy changes or how to present and frame any modification in an aspect of the job that changes the way in which sameness people are used performing it.
Several years back, we had a modeling project with a firm that manufactures self-adhesive labels. Most of the workers in the plant were sameness (and some qualified sameness). When management wanted to impose a new structure called “High Performance Organization” (recommended by some outside consultant) on the plant workers, it was not only poorly received, it was basically rejected by the sameness workers. They couldn’t deal with a change in the way things had been done there for years. The plant was fortunate to have a really competent and intelligent manager with whom we worked who understood the importance of behavioral elements in a management context. And because of his knowledge of the Change People Pattern™, he quickly understood why the new system would not work as presented, given the mindset of the employees.
As well as repetition of task, sameness workers also work best in jobs that involve a regular time schedule. They work best at 9 to 5 jobs in which they take lunch breaks and other breaks at the same time. They also tend to spend vacations at the same time every year or as close as possible to that time frame. If the requisite sameness element is found in their job, a sameness person tends to remain in the same job from 15 years to an entire lifetime.
Another job that is a good fit for sameness people is telemarketing. In a modeling project that we had modeling top telemarketers, the best ones were sameness in orientation (unless they were supervisors, as we shall see at a later time). Repetition of task is important to them as is job security. Basic jobs in bureaucratic structures such as the Postal Service or the DMV are suited for sameness (and also qualified sameness people).
In sales, sameness people will thrive if there is an element or several elements of continuity in their job. For example, if they are selling the same product to the same customer base without change, they will prosper. As long as these salespeople are following a given routine without deviation, they are quite content to remain at the same job for years if they are really happy and in their sameness comfort zone. What I have found over the years is that sameness individuals will instinctively come up with strategies that promote and support their sameness mindset to the tee. They will unconsciously eliminate any “difference” or change factor that may show up in the workplace that disrupts their routine so that they are surrounded by continuity and sameness.
In short, if you a have a job or task that requires constant repetition, and one in which pride in workmanship and continuity are key, then you had better find a sameness person for the job. You will have someone who will be happy doing the same thing over and over again to his or her delight. And you will be happy in the long run, having hired the right employee for your business.
Finally, in hiring, it is not about a particular mindset or orientation or People Pattern™ that is good or bad in itself. It is simply a question of finding the right person with the appropriate Change People Pattern™ to fit the task at hand.
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Resumes Don’t Matter!
In these challenging economic times, focusing on sales is not the only way to get ahead. One of the areas that some business people forget to consider has to do with the realm of hiring and personnel selection. In light of the fact that so many companies are downsizing and laying workers off at the present time, it is all the more critical that when you do hire someone, that you hire right the first time. The best predictor of future behavior is past history. It is important to realize that it is not what a person says that he or she will do that matters. Rather, it is what the person has done in the past in similar situations (as the job for which he or she is applying) that matters.
IT’S ALL ABOUT CONTEXT
By · CommentsIT’S ALL ABOUT CONTEXT
In the prior post, I briefly discussed the interesting twist to the structurist/free spirit dichotomy of the Organization People Pattern™ when it comes to time management. The concept of time management (and time management seminars) was created by structurists who don’t need it and was developed for free spirits who don’t want it. There is another aspect to this pattern to consider as well, now that you understand the distinction between the two types.
It is that the Organization People Pattern™ and all People Patterns™, for that matter, are highly contextual. Over the years, we have met all types of different people in a variety of situations and contexts in work and at home. Most individuals are either decidedly, proud structurists or else are at the other end of the spectrum as blatant, in your face free spirits. There are some cases, however where individuals exhibit one proclivity in one context of their lives, and the opposite pattern in another context of their lives.
WHY ARE TIME MANAGEMENT SEMINARS A WASTE OF TIME?
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Did you know that time management seminars and classes are a waste of time for part of the population? From our behavioral perspective, the eternal question that we ask: “How is this possible?”
The reason that time management workshops or seminars are a waste of time for some is that structurists don’t need them and free spirits don’t want them. Where you are coming from is based on the Organization People Pattern™. As you may recall from past articles, this People Pattern™ determines how an individual deals with structure. This critical pattern reveals how we organize time and space in our lives and becomes really important because the place out of which we operate happens to affect how we make decisions.
As a quick review, remember that there are two distinctions or types to know as part of the Organization People Pattern™: 1) structurists and 2) free spirits. Structurists are people who lead very organized lives. They like to plan things in advance because they need some type of structure to guide them in their lives. They have a sense of past, present and future. Structurists also like to organize their space and they tend to be neat and orderly. Free spirits, on the other hand, prefer to live their lives spontaneously, as the wind blows, so to speak. They focus on the present moment. They detest structure and avoid planning ahead because it interferes with their unstructured nature. They don’t mind piles and untidy spaces around them. Some free spirits even say that they are more motivated by a mess rather than by a neatly organized space.
So when it comes to time management, which of these two types would need to learn time management skills? It is the free spirits of the world, of course; and yet, they are the ones who frown upon structuring their time and space in any shape or form. Time management courses end up teaching the structurists who take these classes how to be even more organized. Often time management seminars will teach you how to use some kind of planner. Franklin Planners were designed to be used by free spirits who actually need them and it is they who don’t want them. Ironically, it is the structurist who is already organized who ends up buying planners and agenda books and it is they who don’t need them.
The structurists of the world created time management courses to proselytize their fellow free spirit counterparts. Of course, this is to no avail because structurists mistakenly assume that free spirits aren’t organized because they don’t know how to be organized. Furthermore, structurists erroneously believe that free spirits simply need their own system by which to organize their time in order to become good structurists. This is definitely not the case. The truth of the matter is that free spirits choose not be structured. For them it is simply a matter of personal preference and not a matter of ignorance. (In our own workshops, we have ways to enable people to experience both types of time/space orientations, that of structurist and that of a free spirit. There is a distinctive difference the way in which each one internalizes these preferences.)
If you happen to be a good structurist, remember that giving your free spirit friends or colleague a planner is a waste of time. You may think that you are doing a good deed when, in fact, the free spirit person couldn’t care less. The planner may be the structurist’s bible, yet it is meaningless to the free spirit person.
As you begin to understand the distinction between a structurist and free spirit orientation, you will come to realize why time management seminars and classes are a complete waste of time for so many. They are created by structurists who don’t need them and for free spirits who need them yet don’t want them. There will be more about this all important Organization People Pattern™ at another time
WHEN IS “ENOUGH” ENOUGH OR NOT ENOUGH IN SALES?
By · CommentsWHEN IS “ENOUGH” ENOUGH OR NOT ENOUGH IN SALES?
THE CHUNK SIZE PEOPLE PATTERN™ – PART III
Now that you know what the Chunk Size People Pattern™ is all about, it will be helpful to know what types of questions to ask in order to identify whether a person is global or specific. First, let’s have a quick review. Remember that in communication, people will either show a preference for scope or for depth. We refer to those who prefer scope as global people and we refer to those who prefer depth as specific people.
Global people decidedly prefer to communicate the overview or the big picture. They chunk up which means that they go into less and less detail or inversely, consider greater scope and less depth. They don’t like details. Specific people, on the other hand, prefer to communicate all the small details no matter how minute. Furthermore, specific people often like to have the particulars or details presented to them in some kind of hierarchal order.
WHEN IS “ENOUGH” ENOUGH OR NOT ENOUGH IN SALES? Part II
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THE CHUNK SIZE PEOPLE PATTERN™ – PART II
In the last article, I briefly introduced the concept of how much is enough when it comes to the scope and depth of your communication as it relates to sales. As I explained, one of the biggest challenges in communication is to know when enough is enough in terms of the level of details which you are giving or not. The question of when enough is enough can be understood and explained by the Chunk Size™ People Pattern of the Information People Pattern™.
The two components that correspond to Chunk Size People Pattern™ are 1) global and 2) specific. They correspond to the two ways in which we take in information and communicate it back. Global people look for the broad overview and specific people look for details. These two opposing viewpoints represent both sides of a continuum that have inherent challenges in communicating with the opposite orientation.
When Is “Enough” Enough In Sales – Part 1
By · CommentsWHEN IS “ENOUGH” ENOUGH IN SALES? – PART I
Wouldn’t it be helpful to know how much detail to provide your customer or prospect regarding your product or service? One of the biggest challenges in our sales communication and in communicating with others in general is to know when enough is enough. This has to do with the amount of detail one interjects in a given communication and more specifically how much detail with which to begin and to end a conversation or a sales presentation, whether in person or online.
The amount of detail we use in communication is based on the Chunk Size People Pattern™ which is one element of the Information People Pattern™. A good knowledge of the Chunk Size People Pattern™ is critical in sales. Chunk size has to do with the scope and depth of information that we give in a communication exchange. There are two types of people that comprise the Chunk Size People Pattern™: 1) global and 2) specific.
Global people have a preference for scope. They are interested in the big picture and see the forest for the trees. They are most comfortable with large chunks of information. Specific people, however, prefer to communicate details and specifics. They are interested in the trees rather than the forest. They are most at home with small bits of data and information.
George M. Steinbrenner -The “Power” behind the Man
By · CommentsGeorge M. Steinbrenner…The “Power” behind the Man
Who was the “Boss”?
With the passing of George Steinbrenner an era has ended. Mr. Steinbrenner was more than the owner of the New York Yankees. He transformed the sport of baseball into a billion dollar business for other owners. The “Boss” as he was known, singlehandedly raised the competitive drive to levels not seen before and didn’t care what people said about his actions. Furthermore, he became a cultural icon. And perhaps most important, George Steinbrenner was a behind the scenes angel whose generous philanthropy helped many in times of need, often unknown to those very individuals whose lives he touched so profoundly. Read More→
