Re: Leadership & Personality Profiles LO1690

jack@his.com
Sun, 18 Jun 95 11:25:40

Replying to LO1666 --

Ramu Iyer sought advice:

"Put simply, my "preferred" tendencies sometimes tend to block the view
(among others) that I am an action-oriented, change agent. My goal is
to reframe this point of view as quickly as possible. I am looking
for advice that I can use to reinvent myself."

In our work, we have made some effort to integrate several personal
profile instruments with team development exercises to help people
understand that their way is not the only way, and that we all have
"preferred tendencies" which color all our perceptions. I have mentioned
here earlier that I follow Peter Senge's description of "the Learning
Organization" which is to say that I think of it not as a theory, but as
"Art and Practice". Practices identified with the Learning Organization
which get at our differing modes of perception are "dialogue", "sharing
vision" and "suspension of assumptions". Looking at the pages of "The
Fifth Discipline" and "The Fifth Disicipline Fieldbook" which discuss
those topics might be helpful to you.

In my opinion, the reframing you want to do can be an important practice
on the rood to self-reinvention. What this entails in my opinion is
developing a better understanding of "types" and the "comfort zone" of
differing types. I have some familiarity with the Myers-Briggs typology,
but it needn't be anything as complex as that. There are a number of
models for personality types and they are all equally useful (as long as
you don't mistake any of them for real psychological study).

You've done a good job of looking at yourself - always the most important
first step. Unlike you, I tend to be anti-authoritarian in my outlook; I
don't trust directives and regulations unless I have participated in their
creation; I don't think details are as important as a global view; I tend
to be divergent in my thinking, rather than convergent; I prefer being
direct - even blunt - to being "diplomatic"; etc. In other words, you and
I are very different.

If you want me to believe that you are an action-oriented change agent,
you will have to know these things about me first (you're a critical
thinker, so learning how to analyze others - absent the use of
instrumentation - will take study of the literature; whereas, somebody
else might rely more on "intution"). Then, I suggest using the left-hand
column exercise (also described in Senge) as a planning tool. In the
right hand column, write down what you would want to say to persuade me;
in the left hand column, recast each sentence into language more
appropriate to my style, then use the left hand column as your "script".
The trick here is to identify the common ground. For example, you tend to
be "diplomatic", I prefer being direct - but we both want to behave
respectfully toward others. Appeal to my respectr for others. You adhere
to directives, I question (abhor) them, but we may both believe in the
need for organized behavior. By appealing to my sense that boundaries are
valuable - at least as a way to have a fruitful conversation - you may
neutralize any negative feelings I attach to your devotion to the rules.

In my opinion, the critical pathway to "self-reinvention" is practice,
practice, practice, especially the art of conversation.

--
Jack Hirschfeld
jack@his.com

Would you like to swing on a star, carry moonbeams home in a jar and be better off than you are? Or would you rather be a mule?