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.

People Patterns™ are so revelatory in understanding why people do what they do. Remember that 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 informative as far as determining how competent a given individual is going to be in the execution of a certain job. I insist on reminding you of an important point. It is that the best predictor of future behavior is past history. What determines a person’s suitability for a job is best reflected by what the person has done in the past in similar situations. It is these very factors relating to past and present behavior that are revealed through People Patterns™.

In this article let’s focus on the second element of the Change People Pattern™: Qualified Sameness, as it relates to personnel and hiring. There are obviously certain tasks that are much better suited for individuals who are qualified sameness in orientation.

Interestingly, the average business person in the world is qualified sameness. Chances are that if you are the typically successful business person, you probably see the world and conduct your business through qualified sameness filters. Also, the military often appeals to those who are qualified sameness (as well as sameness people). If there is a lot of variety of task, as in special forces units or with the French Foreign Legion, for example, you will more likely find individuals who tend to have marked difference traits in their behavioral profiles.

What distinguishes a qualified sameness person from a pure sameness person is that although the former likes jobs in which there is some repetition of task, the qualified sameness person needs some elements of variety to be part of the task from time to time. Each qualified sameness person is unique in the manner in which the element of variety comes into play. For example, in sales, the individual may enjoy the sameness in terms of selling the same product line, although he or she may like to expand the customer base so that they are always seeing new people rather than focusing on the same list of customers they see all the time. Or else, they may be selling the same product and experience the difference element by traveling to different cities.

Secretarial jobs and executive assistant jobs are well suited to qualified difference in that there is usually a set routine of certain tasks that need to be performed on a daily basis such as going through mail, taking phone calls, making appointments, etc. The element of variety may manifest in the planning of events, in receiving different visitors.

In the typical business, most managers tend to be qualified sameness and they well suited to handle different types of people because they feel comfortable with repetition and variety to different degrees. I mentioned assembly work in a prior article about sameness and personnel selection. Often, it is the supervisor on a given shift who tends to be the qualified sameness (or qualified difference person depending on the tasks at hand) because he or she is the one who has to be able to deal with changes that may come up. These unexpected elements of variety may take the form of glitches in a system that have to be corrected or changes in scheduling, etc. Generally speaking, good supervisors of sameness employees tend to be qualified sameness (or qualified difference depending on the context and task in question).

The so-called seven year itch cycle applies to qualified sameness people when it comes to staying at a given job for a certain period of time. Unlike the classic sameness person who may stay in a job for years or for life, the qualified sameness person will remain at the same position or job from seven to nine years approximately. Often the time factor is dependent on how much variety the person likes to experience in the job.

The other factor that determines how long a qualified sameness person stays at a given job is often based on how long it takes the person to learn a new set of skills and increase his or her knowledge base in performing the task. As long as the qualified sameness person continues to learn new things on the job, he or she is more likely to stay at the same job. The moment that boredom sets in, then the qualified sameness person is likely to want a change of jobs.

Finally, remember that in the typical business world, most people will be qualified sameness in orientation. They will be most happy and most productive in their jobs when they have a combination of repetition and variety. The context in which the variety manifests will be different for each job and for each person, as will the duration needed for the difference factor to appear.

For practical purposes, when it comes to hiring someone who best fits a given position, it is not about a particular People Pattern™ being good or bad. It is simply a question of finding the right person with the appropriate Change People Pattern™ to fit the task or tasks needed for the job to be done with competence and ease.

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HIRE RIGHT THE FIRST TIME:

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.

Non-behaviorally based interviews do little to predict future job performance. I can’t stress this enough. Conducting behaviorally based interviews is the key to successful hiring. People Patterns™ are highly effective in the process of personnel selection and hiring because they enable an employer to filter out and to match the right person or people to the right job. The hiring is based on solid criteria behavioral rather than on fluff or irrelevant information when it comes to hiring right.

This means hiring the right person for the appropriate job that fits his or her particular skills and People Patterns™. If you ask most employers how they hire people, they will say that their hiring is based on resumes and on interviews. So from the get go, the most effective filtering process is not even considered. There are several reasons why traditional hiring practices don’t work.

First, resumes do not reveal a clear picture of the job candidate since resumes simply summarize job history, tasks performed and perceived skills. Most individuals are not aware of their true competencies to execute a given task.

Second, many individuals out there have become quite skilled at interviewing well. On the surface, they may appear to be charming and articulate. These traits do not reflect behavioral patterns connected to the success or failure of executing a particular task. The latter is a critical piece of the puzzle.

Third, an interviewee’s “espoused theories of action” have nothing to do with what he or she actually does. Besides, what people think or say about their skills or why they want to work is not necessarily credible. When interviewed for a job, a person will often tell the interviewer what he or she thinks that the interviewer wants to hear.

The bottom line is that People Patterns™ will help you to hire right the first time. People Patterns™ will help you, thus, to avoid having to let go of someone and to have to go through the hiring process once again because you didn’t hire right the first time. Furthermore, your hiring right the first time will make a huge difference in your bottom line and in your overall productivity. Over time, I will delve into how each of the People Patterns™ that make up Personality Language™ will help you to refine and to improve upon your hiring process, and in turn, your bottom line.

IT’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.

For example, a given business person may be more of a structurist at work out of necessity because traditional business runs according to structurist rules. And yet in the context of his or her personal life, the individual chooses to be free spirit in orientation, with no advanced planning whatsoever, and at all times completely ensconced in the present moment, in the now. Neither perspective is about right or wrong choices. Again it is a question of preference and/or what works in a particular context. After all, it’s all about context.

Balance is actually a healthy place out of which to operate. For example, even if you are a structurist, why would you choose to be thinking about tomorrow’s meeting in the middle of a special dinner with a loved one? In such a case, enjoying the present moment from a free spirit perspective would be much more desirable. On the other hand, there are times when being a structurist is more helpful, such as when meeting deadlines or when scheduling appointments or important meetings. Again, context is everything. It is all about context. And you will know whether it is more appropriate or beneficial to achieving your goal to be planning ahead as a good structurist versus being totally in the present moment and relishing every second of it, as a good free spirit.

If you are a person who is distinctly either structurist or free spirit, it is highly likely that you will find it to be excruciatingly painful to find yourself in the presence of someone who is the polar opposite of you. Free spirits consider structurists to be rigid robots who don’t know how to have fun being spontaneous. Structurists, on the other hand, view free spirits to be unreliable flakes who can’t make decisions. Each thinks that the world would be a far better place without the other in it. Now you can decide for yourself.

No matter where you are, remember that the bottom line is context!

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?

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.

There are several questions that you can ask to determine whether a person is global or specific in his or her orientation. Here are just a few of the questions that you could ask someone to find out where they are coming from. It is helpful to frame the questions around a particular context. For example, you could frame the questions around a product you are selling or around a work project with which you would require assistance.

1. “If you were going to work with me on this project, what would you like me to tell you?

2. “What would you like to know about my product (service, program, etc.)?”

3. “Would you like more information about ….?”

4. “Would you like an overview of my product’s benefits or do you prefer specific information?”

The most important thing is to listen to how the person responds to you. LISTEN TO THE AMOUNT OF DETAIL OR LACK THEREOF THAT THE PERSON GIVES YOU in response to your question. There are some tell tale clues here. Specific people will often chunk down several levels in their response to you, giving more and more detail as they go along. They will answer with multiple layers of detail. Global people will be the total opposite in their response. They tell you what they want to know in a general way without asking for details. In fact, they will be quite uncomfortable with lots of detailed information about the product or project.

Also, when it is you who are speaking, be aware of whether the person seems bored by the amount of detail that you are providing, or whether the person asks you for more details. Obviously, the latter is a specific person and the former is a global person.

There are a few specifics I’d like to share with you about the linguistic approach used by each one. It is that specific people tend to use lots of proper nouns with extra modifiers because doing so hones in more specifically on the topic of discussion. This proclivity also manifests in their sentence structure which is more complex in nature than that of a global person. Global people will prefer to use simple sentences without the need for prepositional phrases. They also have a tendency to not use extra modifiers in their communication.

We are merely scratching the surface when it comes to the different facets of the Chunk Size People Pattern™. There is so much more that we can say about it and we could literally chunk down to another level. For now, however, remember once again, that the important thing to know is when enough is enough or not enough as the case may be; and tailor your communication accordingly.

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.

This becomes obvious in sales and is one of the reasons that a knowledge and application of this pattern can certainly influence your sales in a positive way. So to best utilize the Chunk Size People Pattern™ in sales, it is important to be aware of how much information you are giving and to what type of individual you are giving the information. (And, of course, most important is knowing when to stop talking once you’ve made the sale.) The general rule is to match specific to specific and global to global. If you are dealing with someone one on one, it is easy to tailor your communication based on whether the person is global or specific in orientation. If you are involved in on line sales, then it would be best to have both aspects covered.

So how do you customize your communication to fit each type?

If you are selling to a global buyer, what you have to do is to present an overview of your product or service and forget the details. With global customers or prospects, you want to avoid sequences. Also, be sure to use generalities. As soon as you delve into details, you are going to lose the customer and you won’t make the sale. Be prepared to handle general objections and to deal with them broadly. And for the close, it is important that you keep it general. Keep your language simple throughout your interaction when dealing with global customers or prospects.

With specific customers, the opposite is true. With this type of person, you must be prepared to present lots of details about your product or service. Be sure to avoid using simple sentences. Furthermore, be certain to make your presentation sequential. If you resort to using fluff, you will instantly turn off the specific buyer. When it comes to handling objections, be ready to handle specific objections and avoid generalizations. And for the close, it is important that it be explicit. Make sure that the specific customer or prospect understands that you are asking him or her to now buy your product.

As for complaints, global buyers tend to dislike a product overall and not just an aspect of the product. Specific buyers tend to have specific complaints about some feature of the product with which they are not satisfied or with which they are not happy. With an understanding of the Chunk Size People Pattern™, you will be better equipped to deal with complaints should they arise.

Remember that specific people never have enough information. They want more and more details so with them you chunk down and provide the trees for the forest. Global people are interested in the big picture. They are satisfied with less and can be told too much if you are not aware. So with them you chunk up and provide the forest for the trees.

Thus, the key in applying the Chunk Size People Pattern™ in a sales context or to any communication for that matter is to know what level of information will satisfy the other person. This means knowing at what level to chunk the information. This means knowing when enough is enough or not enough.

WHEN 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.

What we have found in working with salespeople in different firms over the years is that salespeople either tend to give too many or too few details. There are particular scenarios that often crop up. It is that some salespeople have a great deal of product knowledge and are so excited about telling their prospect or customer so much about their product or service. This thrills the specific people and totally annoys and/or turns off the global people. Global customers view salespeople who give too many details as boring and at times irrelevant. They literally tune out of the specific sales presentation.

On the other side of the coin, if a salesperson doesn’t have a lot of product knowledge, then he or she will not be able to please the customer or prospect who has a specific orientation. Each side perceives the other side as an “idiot.” The specific customer will consider the global sales presentation to be fluff and will tend to think that the salesperson is clueless. The global salesperson will come across to the specific customer as someone who doesn’t know what he or she is talking about.

In short, when it comes to selling anything, specific product knowledge is really important, and the key is for the salesperson to know:

1. To which type of customer or prospect to give the information

2. How much information to give the customer or prospect

AND MOST IMPORTANT

1. When to shut up.

This is where a knowledge of the Chunk Size People Pattern™ is so critical in sales. In sales, you must be able to recognize whether your customer is global or specific, and then be able to customize your communication accordingly. Remember that people who are specific always want more, and global people often think that they are given too much.

So the question is: When is enough, enough? Now you know.

Next time, we’ll discuss how to present your information to each of these two types of customers: global and specific.

George 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.

All of these qualities exemplify certain behavioral patterns which I refer to as People Patterns™ (which comprise what I call one’s Personality Language™). In the case of Mr. Steinbrenner, the unique configuration of People Patterns™ and other typological traits, together, created a powerful, brilliant, successful, passionate and driven business man on one side, and a caring, compassionate, giving and generous humanitarian on the other side.

As a life-long Yankee fan and original New Yorker, I thought that it would be a fitting tribute to talk briefly about George Steinbrenner from a typological perspective of People Patterns™ among other things.

First, Mr. Steinbrenner personified to the core of his being what we call the ultimate power person. He exemplified what we call the Power Motive People Pattern™. A motive is what drives us to do what we do in our lives. (It corresponds to the particular stick or carrot that we use to motivate ourselves and others.) His title of the “Boss” was so fitting of his typological profile. A power person is driven to do one thing: to WIN. Winning and/or not losing is what takes center stage in the mind of a power person.

This was Mr. Steinbrenner to a tee. His never-ending drive and innate passion to win is what set him apart from other owners and not just in baseball, in all sports. And it was this same drive to win and his burning desire to have the best team in baseball is what helped catapult the New York Yankees back to dominance and to win seven World Series Championships under his tutelage.

Power people such as Mr. Steinbrenner like to be the bosses of the world. They tend to give orders and they expect obedience. They like to be in control…control of their environment, whether it be people, things or situations. I heard the “Boss” once say in an interview that he liked to do things “my way,” as in Sinatra’s song. Mr. Steinbrenner always made his presence known when it came down to motivating the players, coaches, the management, etc. to be in the right mindset to win. He had his share of clashes with managers and other people in his efforts to create the best and most powerful teams to win. Power people happen to view life as contests of will and Mr. Steinbrenner always made sure that he would come up on top whenever possible in his business dealings.

Meanwhile, the press seemed to relish their role in spotlighting his “power plays” and skirmishes. Mr. Steinbrenner didn’t seem to mind too much in the context of sports. In fact, he was a master in handling the press; and he certainly knew how to goad them and to push the right buttons to “win” his interaction with them. In stark contrast, however, in his role as philanthropist, he often preferred to remain anonymous in his charitable gift giving.

George Steinbrenner also personified what we refer to as Internal Referential People Pattern™. This means that he would base his decisions on what he knew inside to be right. He didn’t need feedback from other people about how well he was doing his job, as do External People. At the same time, he had what we call an External check in that he would listen to people who were experts on a given subject or had savvy concerning an issue or situation. However, as an Internal person, the “Boss” would evaluate people, things and situations based on his own internal criteria when making a decision. He certainly didn’t need to ask for the opinion of others.

Mr. Steinbrenner also had what we call a Difference People Pattern™. He was a successful entrepreneur and visionary who did not like the status quo. He liked to do things differently especially if doing so would help him be in control and win. He welcomed change as a way to become even stronger and to make the Yankees even more successful. After all, just think about how many times he changed managers for the team! His difference orientation is one of the reasons behind his success.

George Steinbrenner also had what we call a “Specific (Small Chunk) Information People Pattern™. This pattern deals with the amount of information as well as the specificity of information presented in a communication exchange. Mr. Steinbrenner was a Specific person in that he focused on depth of information. He was extremely detail oriented in all that he did and his love of details is what enabled him to fine tune and to refine things to increase the chance of success in a given endeavor.

There is so much more I could say about Mr. Steinbrenner’s typological profile and People Patterns™, as I am merely scratching the surface. I will simply discuss one more aspect at this time. It has to do with what many people see as an unusual combination of attributes that made him so loved and disliked at the same time by different people. I am referring to him being what we call a Venge. This type of person is totally power oriented and wants always to be in a superior position in relation to others. They view interactions with others as a battle of weak versus strong. At the same, they are quite protective of those they care about. That is why Mr. Steinbrenner “took care” of his players so well.

Because of his Venge personality, he would respect those who were daring enough to stand up to him. That is one of the reasons that Billy Martin and he had the relationship that they did, at times quite contentious as we all know. And yet the “Boss” cared a great deal for Mr. Martin.

In addition, a Venge is one who will usually make his or her opinion known no matter what others may think particularly in the face of what they perceive to be injustices in all contexts of life, whether in society, on the field, in the boardroom, etc. And beware if a Venge thinks that someone or a situation is unfair to him/her or to someone in their circle of loyal friends (or within his team, i.e. the Yankee players). That is why Mr. Steinbrenner gave Darryl Strawberry a second chance after his bout with substance abuse.

Fairness is a big issue for Venge. This is the reason why they also champion the underdog and those who are less privileged or downtrodden. His Venge typology is why George Steinbrenner was such an amazing and dedicated philanthropist who genuinely wanted to help those who were less fortunate, or those who were of ill health or those who found themselves in dire situations of some sort.

Last but not least, George Steinbrenner changed the way in which people perceived winning. He made winning an art in itself. His contributions to the sport of baseball and his countless contributions to improve the lives of those less fortunate will remain as his amazing legacy to all of us. Our world is certainly a better place thanks to the visionary who will always be known as the “Boss.”

Marilyne Woodsmall