Page 18 - Kindness - No Forward

Direct individuals (LIONS) tend to like direct people; upbeat folks
(POPOISES) tend to like upbeat people; calmer people (KOALAS) like
calmness, and cautious thinkers (FOXES) like the detailed style.

It makes sense, then, to get people to like and relate to us, sometimes we
have to adapt to THEIR style.

I was called in once to do some team building with a successful cloud-
based management organization. The company was very marketing-driven
and the senior management consisted of a combination of LIONS and
PORPOISES. Driven, active, expressive, competitive, and “rah-rah”; all the
ingredients one might expect in a high-powered sales organization.

However, the Chief Financial officer was a FOX. Lower-keyed and not as
expressive or vocal.

Turns out he was often uncomfortable around the others because he felt
pressure and stressed to try to be more like them. They likewise often took
his questioning and low-key style as an indication of lack of support for
their ideas and criticism of the way they ran the company.

He experienced great relief when they all learned together that THIS WAS
HIS STYLE- and they learned that his style was EXACTLY what was needed
in that role. Someone who would challenge them regularly with questions,
while at the same time keeping close reigns over the details of the
company.

He saw his strengths and soon eliminated the pressure to be like the
others.

They all learned to celebrate the differences.