Ohio National Financial Services, T.E.A.M. Dynamics, Course II, Assessing Client Personality and Communication Adjustments

The Roots of Stress in the Workplace

Once it becomes clear that a person's actions and reactions are traced to core personality, our approach toward co-workers, employees and clients shifts from blaming and manipulating to negotiating compromises — or, simply meeting at the halfway point of our two personalities.

Each person's core personality is like the DNA that drives their behavior. If you attempt to alter the DNA of an individual's core personality, you will meet resistance, frustration and even hostility. Certain modes of behavior are so far outside the comfort zone of their personality that they cannot enter those modes without becoming tense and stressed in the process. Advisers who constantly force these modes, or employees who constantly resist these modes soon become the focal point for conflict.

Resolving core-personality-based conflict plays a significant role in both compliance and production issues. Following are some examples of how core personality-based conflict comes into play:

Scenario One: The Enterpriser manager who barks orders at a Togetherness adviser or agent, who is highly sensitive by nature.

Scenario Two: This same Enterpriser client will frustrate an Analyzer adviser or agent by pushing for closure on a project but not providing necessary details.

Scenario Three: The Analyzer manager who takes an impersonal approach focusing only on process (to the neglect of personal relationship), risks alienating the relationally focused Togetherness and Motivator personalities.

Scenario Four: A Togetherness client who is easily offended by the high Enterpriser's candor and that same Enterpriser is frustrated by the Togetherness client's indecisiveness.

Scenario Five: The Motivator agent or adviser who feels that the Analyzer client impedes progress with pessimism, need for detail and constantly second-guesses.

(Note: the inverse of the above scenarios would also be true.)

To diffuse conflict in these scenarios, it is important for each personality involved to meet the other halfway in establishing a comfortable mode of working and relating. For example, we have seen individuals in similar scenarios improve their workplace relations by:

Confronting personality-based tensions

Establishing halfway-point personality compromises

Ohio National is not affiliated with, nor does it endorse or sponsor, any particular prospecting, marketing or selling system.


Whose Fault Is It? The Roots of Stress in the Workplace Once it becomes clear that a person's actions and reactions are traced to core personality, our approach toward co-workers, employees and clients shifts from blaming and manipulating to negotiating compromises — or, simply meeting at the halfway point of our two personalities. Each person's core personality is like the DNA that drives their behavior. If you attempt to alter the DNA of an individual's core personality, you will meet resistance, frustration and even hostility. Certain modes of behavior are so far outside the comfort zone of their personality that they cannot enter those modes without becoming tense and stressed in the process. Advisers who constantly force these modes, or employees who constantly resist these modes soon become the focal point for conflict. Resolving core-personality-based conflict plays a significant role in both compliance and production issues. Following are some examples of how core personality-based conflict comes into play: Scenario One: The Enterpriser manager who barks orders at a Togetherness adviser or agent, who is highly sensitive by nature. Scenario Two: This same Enterpriser client will frustrate an Analyzer adviser or agent by pushing for closure on a project but not providing necessary details. Scenario Three: The Analyzer manager who takes an impersonal approach focusing only on process (to the neglect of personal relationship), risks alienating the relationally focused Togetherness and Motivator personalities. Scenario Four: A Togetherness client who is easily offended by the high Enterpriser's candor and that same Enterpriser is frustrated by the Togetherness client's indecisiveness. Scenario Five: The Motivator agent or adviser who feels that the Analyzer client impedes progress with pessimism, need for detail and constantly second-guesses. (Note: the inverse of the above scenarios would also be true.) To diffuse conflict in these scenarios, it is important for each personality involved to meet the other halfway in establishing a comfortable mode of working and relating. For example, we have seen individuals in similar scenarios improve their workplace relations by: Confronting personality-based tensions Establishing halfway-point personality compromises Back \| Top \| Home \| Next Ohio National is not affiliated with, nor does it endorse or sponsor, any particular prospecting, marketing or selling system.

Whose Fault Is It?

The Roots of Stress in the Workplace