We recently interviewed Theresa Little, Talent Development Manager at McKinstry, to find out why they chose Effectiveness Institute’s People Skills program as part of their core content. Thank you, Theresa, for allowing us to interview you. We are grateful to be a part of the outstanding work of McKinstry and their excellent People Skills Certified […]
Why Choose People Skills? Read More »
How well do you recognize and adjust to different behavior styles in others? Over the past few weeks, we’ve been discussing simple strategies to help you adapt your approach based on the behavior patterns you observe in those around you. For instance, it’s easy to spot when you’re interacting with someone who’s relationally focused. These
How to “Flex” Your Behavior – Part 4 of 4 Read More »
When you are interacting with someone, what behavior are you seeing, hearing, or reading? These clues give you a good idea of whether flexing your behavior a little could be helpful (and it often is). Learning how and when to modify our behavior to better connect and work with others is the goal of People
How to “Flex” Your Behavior – Part 3 of 4 Read More »
The goal of People Skills assessments and training is to learn how to modify your behavior (i.e., rotate your iceberg) to improve relationships and outcomes. Do you know someone who prefers to carefully think through things before making decisions or taking action? They often speak thoughtfully to make sure they say only what is correct
How to “Flex” Your Behavior – Part 2 of 4 Read More »
We are excited to announce a new partnership with Reality Break Escape that combines an enlightening escape experience with a Behavior Style Assessment. Enhance collaboration, improve communication and watch individuals discover their strengths and how they rely on each other (or not) as they work together to unravel the mystery and solve an exciting escape game!
“Escape & Engage: Team Dynamics in Action” Read More »
What do you think of when you see this grid? Some people view this visual as a tool for understanding an individual’s personality. Some see a model they have seen before, possibly many times. Some just see four different colored boxes. For me, this is: However, I also recognize how it can be: It’s essential
While going through a behavior style workshop, participants often ask if behavior styles should be used to help make hiring decisions. It’s an understandable question because it seems like it would be best to hire certain Styles for certain types of work, or to hire someone if you need their Style to create balance on
Are You Using Behavior Styles for Hiring? Read More »
We often hear or read about the importance of trust. Research is often cited that reveals how central it is for effective relationships and teams. But while it’s easy to make the connection about how important it is and to talk about trust, it is challenging to build and maintain, even if you believe you
The Challenge of Being Trustworthy Read More »
Recently, a visitor to our blog page responded to Suzi Kalsow’s post about the common misuses of Behavioral Styles. This individual raised some thought-provoking questions and even suggested a couple of ideas for future blog topics. One of these suggestions has become the focus of this post: “What are five ways people can leverage Behavioral
Five Ways People Leverage Behavior Styles Read More »
I’ve noticed an alarming trend in how people communicate with one another—a growing tendency to speak at others instead of engaging in genuine dialogue. This manifests in various ways, such as lacking active listening skills, failing to confirm understanding, and disregarding the impact our words have on others. One particular scenario where this style of
Moving From Speaking “At” to Engaging “With” Others in Conflict Read More »
Have you ever been in a conversation where someone utters the phrase, “I understand”? How does it make you feel? In a friendly exchange, those words might foster a sense of connection or agreement. However, when emotions are heightened, they often evoke frustration. Have you experienced that before? Personally, when I hear those words, my
Do You Really Get it? Read More »
When participants in a People Skills workshop receive their Behavior Style Self report, an intense quietness suddenly falls over the group. This is partly because everyone is reading their results, but it’s also due to a natural curiosity to learn more about ourselves. You may have heard the famous line by C.C. Bloom, a character
What’s So Important About Behavior Styles? Read More »
For many of us, the best humor is based on real-life situations, scenarios, and quirks that we identify with. That’s one reason there’s a lot of comedy in Behavior Styles. They are real, common, filled with humorous quirks, and easy to identify with. In fact, much of what makes shows and movies meaningful, funny, tense,
Laughing at Ourselves: Comedy in Behavior Styles Read More »
Like individuals, organizations and even cultures have Behavior Style preferences. Sadly, these preferences can also manifest as damaging cultural biases.
Don’t Let Your Behavior Style Preference Become a Cultural Bias Read More »
The biggest driving need for Persuaders is people. Remote work creates some unique challenges for them, especially when they can’t leave the house.
Surviving Remote Work as a Persuader Read More »
While personality more closely aligns with who we are, Behavior Style reflects what we do and the impact we have on others. Deeply understanding this distinction makes all the difference in relationships.
Here’s the Fundamental Difference Between Behavior and Personality Read More »
For good reason, distributed teams are on the rise, but doing them right can be a challenge. Here are several principles to keep in mind to ensure that your team culture remains effective and that distributed arrangements work well for everybody involved.
Pitfalls to Avoid When Your Team Goes Remote Read More »
One way to illustrate these problems would be to consider what happens when a client asks for help in the development of a leader in their organization.
Two Problems I Have with Leadership Development Read More »
Receiving feedback often triggers the internal “fight/flight/freeze” mode in each of us because there’s a good possibility that what comes next will not be a positive experience. However, there are some things we can do to make receiving feedback a more productive encounter.
Receiving Feedback Doesn’t Have to Be Painful Read More »
For healthy relationships, it is essential that we know and manage our impact. However, we also need to take responsibility for what we do when someone has a negative impact on us and avoid playing the victim role.
The Limit of Impact Read More »
Intent could be described as what you want others to do, feel, say, or think in response to something you say or do; impact is how your behavior lands on them. This is where the smile test comes in.
Do You Pass the Smile Test? Read More »
By learning to direct your energies toward achievements that can be mutually supported, you’ll find assurance in Controllers’ drive, confidence, and ability to turn conflict into a team opportunity.
A Short Guide to Collaborating with Controllers Read More »
Although reluctant to take risks and slow to change at times, they are friendly, easy to work with, always conscious of what’s going on with other people, reliable, and they excel as active listeners.
Tips for Working with Stabilizers Read More »
IMPORTANT NOTICE: We have transitioned to a new online assessment platform. You will need to make a purchase of (or containing) online assessments to receive an activation link for this new platform, after which you will log in using your store email and a password you create. You can also request that we create an account for you.
To share our excitement and celebrate the launch of our brand-new assessment platform, we’re offering a 50% discount on all store materials for the next two weeks! Use the code platform!
