In 1978, The Who released their album title track “Who Are You” that went from a #1 hit back then to the theme song for a #1 hit TV show today. In our life, for ourselves, we need to determine the answer not only to the question, “Who Are You”, but we need to know the answer to “Who You Think You Are”. As a manager, you need to know both answers about yourself, but you need to know the same things about the people you manage. How do you answer both of these questions??
As Managers, knowing ourselves and knowing the people we manage has never been more important. To have the information to be able to effectively coach, manage, and motivate ourselves and the people we work with is vital. We need information to not just treat people the way WE want to be treated; we need information to treat people the way THEY want to be treated.
In today’s business environment, here are some of the things we need to know:
- How will people adapt to changes in the workplace??
- Who are my best team players??
- Who will pay attention to detail??
- Who are the most productive people in the department??
- Is everyone equally motivated, or is individual attention needed??
- Is there any stress in the workplace…and how is it affecting people??
Of the many tools available from Profiles International, there are two assessments that can help us as managers and as individuals. The ProfileXT® tells us “Who Are You”. It is our “owner’s manual” and it answers the questions about how we learn, how we behave, and what we enjoy doing. The Profiles Performance Indicator® (PPI) tells us “Who You Think You Are”. An individual’s perception of the world is greatly influenced by their personal characteristics. An individual will typically act as guided by their perceptions. The PPI can help us understand why individuals act as they do. The Profile Performance Indicator provides personal and professional insights by listing information to improve interpersonal success through more effective communication, understanding, and tolerance.
Studies indicate that people learn to manage, in other words, they develop a management style. If you are like me and have been in the workplace for many years, the management “style” has changed many times, much like the “flavor of the month”. One thing was for sure, the “style” did not encourage a manager to know themselves and their people. Whatever style you adopt, you are taking a one-size-fits-all approach with you and your people. With assessments, managers can adapt their management “style” to fit the people in their group.
Managers can learn to be “chess” players rather than “checkers” players. In checkers, all the players move the same way. Basically, a manager has a single style, views all his players as checkers, and only has a few basic moves available to him/her. In chess, a manager can utilize the unique moves of all his/her “pieces”, so there is much more strategy, flexibility, and options. Your optimum management “style” is to utilize the unique features of your people, rather than a one-size-fits-all management strategy.
To summarize —
“Who Are You” (PXT) is used for:
- Placement, promotion fit, and succession planning
- Coaching
- Developing Performance Models
- Job description development
“Who You Think You Are” (PPI) is used for:
- Learning how to create rapid rapport and connection with people
- Reducing conflict
- Better understanding what motivates people and to recognize how to be able to effectively deal with others
Two questions, two assessments, two ways to make you a more effective manager and individual…