by Sandy | Jun 17, 2018 | Best Practices
At some point in the development of your business or career the amount of work coming across your desk or in your in-box will require new strategies and delegating can be well worth the effort to let go of something you have done “forever”.
This week I was a visitor to a MasterMind group to talk about finding and operating from your genius (or unique capability). We had a lively conversation about the need to do things yourself either in order to have control or to get them done RIGHT. During the discussion we talked about what to say YES to and what to say NO to in building your business or managing your daily workload. While the goal is to free up more time and energy to do the things that are aligned with your natural creativity, there is still a reluctance to let go of the things that we do well even if someone else could do then just about as well aka good enough.
If you have a preference for Judging, you naturally gravitate to making decisions. Order follows as a result of having things decided. Those who have a preference for Perceiving defer making decisions as they keep options open. These two preferences lead to very different working styles and may be something to negotiate when you are delegating work to others. The focus needs to focus on the success criteria for a job well done rather than managing every aspect of the process the person uses to get the desired results.
I am not talking about policies and procedures that you have established as part of your business brand. I am really talking about micro-managing. As one of the seasoned professionals in this MasterMind group pointed out “It is a lot easier to delegate if you don’t watch.”
Another woman told about deciding to end the procrastination and stagnation that was happening because she hadn’t learned to both say NO to work that didn’t match what she was genius (read great) at. She finally decided to do what was fun and natural for her in a way that aligned with her calling. She was an expert on stress but she noticed that as she read other authors’ books about stress they all had a page that acknowledged the multitudes of professionals who kept them together body and soul during the stress of writing the book. This woman decided to write a book about stress in a stress free way in order to do this she refused to burn the midnight oil and she ended each chapter when it was good enough.
She walked her talk around stress management and because she modeled what she was trying to convey to others she gained trust and found followers of her writing and teaching. I suspect that this was also in alignment with her preference for perceiving.
Are you considering letting some aspect of your work go? The benefits of learning to delegate are well worth any bumps all the way as you transition part of your workload to someone else.
by Sandy | Jun 17, 2018 | Reiss Motivation Profile
Speaking of the Reiss
A desire in the Reiss Desire profile is synonymous with motive – a reason to instigate behaviour. Aristotle first instructed us that motives are divided into ends and means. Means are the steps that we take for getting what we want. They are motivating in that they lead to something else and they cease to be motivating once that end result is achieved.
What we are talking about in the Reiss are end motives. No matter how often or completely they are achieved they continue to be motivating. Take curiosity for example and you can easily see that learning begets the desire for more learning.
What contributes to individuality
Although everybody embraces the 16 basic desires, individuals prioritize them differently. The Reiss Profile is a summary of person’s rankings of the 16 basic desires which for them are strong and which are weak. Generally, at the two ends of the spectrum are the desires that contribute the most to explaining a person’s behaviour. Those basic desires that are neither strong nor weak are less important in explaining a person’s motivation.
Attention matters
Our behaviour makes sense when we understand how our desires (our motives) organize our attention: thoughts, feelings and actions into a coherent whole. We pay attention to stimuli that are relevant to the satisfaction of our desires, and we tend to ignore stimuli that do not satisfy our desires. For instance, a person with high desire for order will automatically pay attention to how neat and clean workspaces are. On the other hand, a person with a low desire for order may not even be aware that things are chaotic as their attention is elsewhere. One is not better than another in and of themselves but may seem so especially in certain work situations.
Some examples at work
You can see the list of all 16 desires but let’s consider how you make use of this information in looking at how you do your work. If the job that you are doing does not line up with your Reiss motivational profile, you can work on how you design your workflow or design a strategy to have that need met elsewhere. People with a high need for physical activity can get that need met by extra-curricular activities such as classes, sports teams and vacation opportuities.
John Gray was a few months short of a PHd in Kinesiology when he recognized that a life of research or teaching was not for him. He likes to be active. Now he sees his own roster of clients, heads the fitness section of a private club and still has many opportunities to continue his passion for learning through specialized courses that he is taking in Europe and the teaching he is doing as a guest university lecturer.
Idealism is the need for Social Justice. On my recent trip to visit my daughter in Victoria British Columbia I met a number of people who had a high need for Social Justice – social workers, lawyers, therapists, organic gardeners and researchers. What I came away with was no matter what work those with a high need for Social Justice were doing they had Social Justice as a filter that operated in their life. Linda Lundstrom is a Canadian fashion icon. She is devoted to Indigenous issues and promotes Indigenous artists in her designs. In addition all contributions from her speaking engagements go toward the Kiishik fund that she established to create awareness of First Nations in the classrooms and communities of the Red Lake District.
In my case the more time I spend looking through the lens of the Reiss I realize just how much the twin motivators of low honour and high independence play a strong role in all things big and small in my life. Honour is the need to be loyal to the traditional values of one’s clan and I don’t have this at all. What I have is the need for expediencey which is how a low need for honour shows up. What this means is that I don’t think to ask for help and anything that I do I want to do it in the fewest steps possible to get a satisfactory result. What this means is that I know I would not do well working in a bank and that I work well on projects where each person has their specified role and I can do my part rather independently.
You can learn more by buying:
1. Dr Reiss’s book “Who am I?”
2.A digital download of my first Inner Landscapes show and guide that has an explanation of the Reiss Desires plus 24 paintings that illustrate these traits and a sample Reiss Profile.
3. The Reiss Profile online.
by Sandy | Jun 9, 2018 | Best Practices
At some point in the development of your business or career the amount of work coming across your desk or in your in-box will require new strategies and delegating can be well worth the effort to let go of something you have done “forever”.
This week I was a visitor to a MasterMind group to talk about finding and operating from your genius (or unique capability). We had a lively conversation about the need to do things yourself either in order to have control or to get them done RIGHT. During the discussion we talked about what to say YES to and what to say NO to in building your business or managing your daily workload. While the goal is to free up more time and energy to do the things that are aligned with your natural creativity, there is still a reluctance to let go of the things that we do well even if someone else could do then just about as well aka good enough.
If you have a preference for Judging, you naturally gravitate to making decisions. Order follows as a result of having things decided. Those who have a preference for Perceiving defer making decisions as they keep options open. These two preferences lead to very different working styles and may be something to negotiate when you are delegating work to others. The focus needs to focus on the success criteria for a job well done rather than managing every aspect of the process the person uses to get the desired results.
I am not talking about policies and procedures that you have established as part of your business brand. I am really talking about micro-managing. As one of the seasoned professionals in this MasterMind group pointed out “It is a lot easier to delegate if you don’t watch.”
Another woman told about deciding to end the procrastination and stagnation that was happening because she hadn’t learned to both say NO to work that didn’t match what she was genius (read great) at. She finally decided to do what was fun and natural for her in a way that aligned with her calling. She was an expert on stress but she noticed that as she read other authors’ books about stress they all had a page that acknowledged the multitudes of professionals who kept them together body and soul during the stress of writing the book. This woman decided to write a book about stress in a stress free way in order to do this she refused to burn the midnight oil and she ended each chapter when it was good enough.
She walked her talk around stress management and because she modeled what she was trying to convey to others she gained trust and found followers of her writing and teaching. I suspect that this was also in alignment with her preference for perceiving.
Are you considering letting some aspect of your work go? The benefits of learning to delegate are well worth any bumps all the way as you transition part of your workload to someone else.
by Sandy | Jun 7, 2018 | Best Practices, MBTI Facts
On the heels of the APA’s, American Psychiatric Association’s, proposed changes that would negatively impact our perception of Introversion, I was asked if Introverts (INFP specifically) can be highly functioning in social situations?
The answer is a YES in capitals. It actually saddens me to think that the myths about Introversion may have contributed to someone asking this question.
Much of my time over last 15 years has been spent in the “coaching” community. While coaches come in all MBTI type flavours, several of the people I have worked with closely have had INFP preferences. The two words that come top of mind in thinking of their social acumen are grace and charm. In watching them work with groups I have seen how they can take the conversation to a deep meaningful level within a short period of time. Perhaps because the inner world of reflection is home turf for the INFP, people sense that they can surrender and trust the INFP facilitator enough to go there with them. In general people with a preference for Introversion can be as outgoing as an Extravert. I personally know many amateur and professional performers who have a preference for Introversion yet love being in front of an audience.
Every personality type comes in every range of psychological health and well-being. In addition type has nothing to do with skill or competency in any area. Whether you are Emotionally or Socially Intelligent has nothing to do with your MBTI type although some would argue that some types are predisposed to it being more natural.
So where does that leave an individual looking for answers to the doubts, fears and challenges that face them in being at ease in the Extraverted world of social discourse? The MBTI and other personality assessments can provide insights into our selves and others and add to our self-knowledge, but the journey to robustness and well-being is truly an individual adventure.
Perhaps a more appropriate question would be “Can someone survive and thrive in social situations after an unsafe or harmful childhood or psychological trauma? Absolutely! In the best case scenario, these life challenges can be fodder for the kind of understanding and strength that makes an individual exceptional. At the same time I will concede that even people with the best of upbringings can be crushed by their reaction to circumstances.
It isn’t any person’s particular “wiring” that dictates their success in a social context, it’s what they do with what they have.
One caveat that may be something helpful to remember is that “No one makes it alone”. So reaching out to others whether they are mentors, coaches or therapists or a trusted adviser, is something we all need to consider. However if you are not naturally resilient SUPPORT is essential. Indeed this is not a one time event. Reaching out, setting up systems and processes that support you on an on-going basis – all need to be integrated into “healthy” living the same way diet and exercise are ongoing day by day.
Commit to daily, weekly, monthly, annual processes that build on what you do well and are comfortable with. Discovering what works for you can either be a hard task and burden or an exciting adventure of discovery. You get to choose!
What do you do on a regular basis to keep you in top form with friends and colleagues? and with yourself?
by Sandy | Jun 6, 2018 | Reiss Motivation Profile
The Reiss Desire Profile can be taken as an online assessment that results in a report that looks at 16 core motivational tendencies. (For an overview of the research behind this profile and a brief description of the 16 desires have a quick look here)
There are several things to remember when taking an assessment tool:
- Perhaps the number one thing to keep in mind is that this is a TOOL and it’s value lies in how you work with it
- Before diving in to apply what is in the report take time upfront to see if the results match with what you know to be true. Does this seem an accurate reflection of who you are?
- What does not fit that you might want to pay attention to?
- What aspect did you expect to see reflected that isn’t showing in the results?
- Take time to compare the results to what is happening now and in the past – “In reflecting on my life and work can I see how what this profile says applies”.
- You get out of these personality tools the investment that you make in understanding and applying them. A superficial “one -time” read through your profile may well be soon forgotten. Returning to reflect trough the lens of the tool deepens your understanding.
- A coach or facilitator trained in that assessment tool will help you to know how to interpret the tool accurately and make the most of applying your knowledge to your work/life reality.
There are also some things that are specific to the Reiss:
- The motivational tendencies that you score either highly on or have a low score (those in the green and red zones) will have the greatest influence
- Those desires that are in the mid-range (yellow) will be neutral
- The desires in the green or red range will reflect things that you will motivate you time after time
- Satisfying these needs (desires) once will not be the end of their influence
- They do not need to be satisfied in your current work or relationships but can be factored in in other ways.
Some examples of application:
Acceptance can be a particularly challenging motivator. Most work situations are not designed to satisfy this desire and may in fact be quite the opposite by requiring a level of detachment and sacrifice of personal concerns. There are groups such as Toppers which is a weight loss program, Mary Kay Cosmetics and some social or special interest groups where recognition is an integral part of the program. A job that comes up short in satisfying the need for acceptance can be balanced by engaging with a group that has affiliative roots and provides Acceptance as part of how they operate.
On a personal note I have come to see how much Expediency plays a role in my decision making. This is the opposite of having High Honour as a motivator. A person motivated by High Honour will be motivated by what’s traditional, what brings in and respects the tried and true approaches. I am consistently motivated to get things done in the most efficient and effective way possible regardless of tradition. I am the Queen of finding ways to reduce 3 step processes to “let’s try this to see if we can get it done in ONE.” Does it backfire? Sometimes. Does that ever stop me from wanting to find the most expedient way? No Never… this particular desire is a double edged sword at times -being both a blessing and a curse. There are a number of jobs in government and other institutions that value High Honour concerns that would be a motivational challenge for me.
Someone with High Physical Activity might want to design some reoccurring exercise or sports activities into their week. In addition they might want to look at how they function at work. A stand up desk or hourly breaks to stand and move around can contribute. Some organizations have a culture that may be more in alignment : sponsoring in house teams and supporting gym memberships.
You can look for a work situation that matches your motivational profile in some important ways. You can also design how you operate in an existing work situation. The important part of this is to use the information to help increase alignment of who you are with what you do.
