It’s Not You… It’s You

How knowing your primary work style can help your team be more effective

by Maria Iams

During a coaching session last week, my client told me that her boss repeatedly hurts her feelings. “The way she asks questions… they’re so sharp. I am always tongue-tied in my answers. I’m not showing up the way I want.” I asked her to give me an example—to pretend that she was her boss and ask me a few questions. The questions were direct, to the point, yes/no, and spoken with conviction.

I proposed a theory: could it be that the boss was more “tell” and “task” oriented, and my client was more “ask” and “people” oriented? My client considered this for a bit. “That’s it,” she agreed. So should she be taking this personally? Or is it a difference in work style and, thus, communication preferences?

Suzanne M. Johnson Vickberg and Kim Chrisfort propose that there are four work styles and that understanding one own’s work style—and the work styles of members of the team—can improve working together towards a common goal. Their article introduces the styles (pioneers, drivers, integrators, and guardians), offers typical patterns of behavior, then proposes suggestions on how to work better together by knowing the different work styles.

You’ll see yourself in one or two of the work styles, and you’ll most likely see other members of your team in one or two work styles as well. To no surprise, the “opposite” work styles—the pioneer/guardian and driver/integrator—find each other to be challenging to work with, but the opportunities lie in the gray space in between how the four different styles operate in the workplace.

Once you see yourself in your preferred work style, you understand what invigorates you—and what zaps your energy. You probably noticed that what motivates one style can be demotivating for another. This has huge impact on team dynamics and team effectiveness.

So what can you do about it? Provide opportunities for every style to communicate in their preferred way. But awareness is the first step—and for my client, realizing that she identified with “integrator” and her boss was a “driver” offered her a sigh of relief. There’s a choice she can make about how she communicates with her boss, and productive communication is the foundation for a high-performing team.