Analyzers are the most thorough, perfectionistic, and factual thinkers among the four Behavior Styles. For these reasons, they are often considered the brains of the operation.
Analyzers Have a Deep Need to Get Things Right
Their work is typically well-thought-out and accurate, for they enjoy figuring out the “best” approach. Being task-focused, Analyzers appear to be uncommunicative and guarded in relationships. This does not mean they do not like people but rather that they tend to socially interact only when they are not focused on a task. Analyzers can worry and appear critical or overly-sensitive when they believe others are not handling a task in the best way. This is a reflection of a tendency to judge others based upon their own high standards and need for perfection.
The ability to apply consistent reasoning and logic is one of the Analyzer’s greatest strengths. When listening to others, considering information and making decisions, they are adept at separating facts from emotions and may have difficulty understanding or working with people who are unable to do the same. By extension, Analyzers perceive people who express emotion in business situations as less reliable or trustworthy.
They also have a remarkable ability to remember what has been done in the past and can quickly produce documentation to support past actions and discoveries. This strength relates to their need for detailed explanations when working with new information or a novel issue. It can take a considerable amount of time for Analyzers to gather the facts and verify the data, which in turn makes them appear to be slow to change. They rarely make decisions or take actions before identifying and evaluating all risks.
Below are some helpful practices to employ when working with an Analyzer, which should help you maintain a healthier professional or personal relationship with them.
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Do’s
Use a deliberate, diplomatic approach. Analyzers have a special ability to see issues or challenges from multiple angles. Being hard-nosed or helter-skelter with them can become very frustrating.
Take your time, but stick to business. They appreciate context and consideration of all contingencies but be careful not to bog them down with distracting stories about how the task reminds you of something that happened to you last weekend.
Have your presentation thoroughly prepared; know your subject. If there’s an error or you have misspoken, odds are they’ve already taken notice of it and are thinking through all the other potential holes in your ideas.
Be organized, specific, and precise. These are key standards for how they judge their work. Display them yourself and they’ll be impressed.
Use tables and charts; give sufficient information to support your ideas. If you don’t have data, did it actually happen?
Provide concrete examples for your claims. There’s a time and place for idealism but reality requires that which works. Give a clear picture as to exactly how something is going to manifest.
Keep all promises. It shows that you’re reliable and that they can trust you with future projects.
Build credibility by listing the benefits and drawbacks to your suggestions. It shows that you’ve thought through what could go wrong and understand that everything has its pros and cons.
Give them time to verify the accuracy of your information. It will ensure higher success in your projects and they’ll deeply appreciate you for being patient while they research and validate assumptions.
Point out long-term outcomes and options available in the future. Their go-to response to a question is “it depends.” By providing them with a list of possible scenarios, it saves them time from having to walk you through all the contingencies. Plus, they’ll enjoy trying to find other ones you haven’t considered yet.
Present differing points of view when you disagree. It’s a game for them to uncover competing viewpoints, to weigh which ones are most reasonable or most likely to lead to success.
[Read “What to Do When Working with Persuaders“]
Don’ts
Be disorganized or uninformed. You’ll lose credibility and could compromise their willingness to trust you with forthcoming projects.
Be put off by their cautious attitude toward you. They are observers and investigators at heart, which means they’re likely assessing and reassessing the situation before choosing how they want to relate to you.
Focus only on short-term gains and immediate benefits. It frustrates them to no end when they have to clean up the mess made by somebody else who refused to take into account their foresight.
Attempt to persuade them by becoming overly personal or expressive. Lean more on facts, figures, and data—that which holds more objective weight.
Appeal to their personal trust in you. They’re there to get a job done, and done well. You may have a close friendship with them but that doesn’t compensate for a failure to do your job the right way.
Provide questionable sources or exaggerate. Precision is a sacred aim. If your sources are dubious or squishy, where else might you be failing to meet their standards of excellence?
Apply time-pressure or attempt to rush the decision-making process by offering special incentives. They are intrinsically motivated to create high-quality work. Providing them with rewards for doing their job—which, of course, they’re supposed to excel at—might suggest you question their work ethic or dependability.
Leave things open to unknown future influences. In order to ensure the predictability and success of a project, they need to be able to account for all possible factors that might impact its current trajectory.
Be ambiguous about expectations and forget to follow through. Work to identify your own assumptions about a task and make them known. This includes voicing what you hope will happen and what you intend to do to ensure it is actualized.
Dismiss or minimize their comments. Analyzers pride themselves on their erudition, deliberation, and uncanny ability to foresee problems before they happen. They’re intentional and capable of seeing things from many perspectives. To disregard their insight is a major offense.
Analyzers can be challenging in that they hold us to high standards, but if you can lean into their commitment to excellence and celebrate their precisional successes, you will realize the many assets they bring to a team and to friendships.
[More detailed Behavior Styles Quick Reference Cards are available here.]