February 17, 2021

What’s Your (Behavioral) Style?

As human beings, we all see the world differently. Our experiences, beliefs and even our moods impact our perspective. So when we’re working with people who have different viewpoints and ways of thinking, it’s helpful to be self-aware of our own behavioral style as well as the style of others.

There are four main behavioral styles: controlling, analyzing, promoting and supporting.

No one style is better than the other and each has their own strengths and challenges. Most importantly, all styles can be effective. And while many people fall squarely into one of these behavioral style quadrants, it’s not uncommon to be a combination of more than one style. Do you know your behavioral style? How about the behavioral styles of your coworkers?

Self-awareness of your behavioral style and understanding the styles of those around you can make a world of difference when working together. So next time you face a challenging situation, try to understand and appreciate the behavioral style of others. It can help explain why someone is approaching the situation the way they do. Like anything, it takes practice, but can help you resolve issues more easily and make decisions faster.