Is Your Behavioral Style a Mis-Match for Your Career?

We are living in a tough working market, where unemployment rates are creeping up to all time highs. Many people have found their positions cut, companies once strong in the market are now closing their doors; others are beginning to get nervous and their fear levels are rising. People are finding themselves in unfamiliar territory, trying to reinvent themselves in a down job market.

So, how do you separate yourself from the pack? What can you do to increase your personal value? What do you have control over? When the budgets get cut, you don’t want to be the one eliminated. Here are three simple strategies to protect your job, improve your professional reputation and prove that you are a valuable team member that is irreplaceable.

Increase your Value:That’s not my job, eliminate these words from your vocabulary. With all the downsizing and budget cuts, everything just became your job. Take the initiative to learn everything you can at the position you are in, which includes your boss’s duties as well. You want to become indispensable. You want to become the go to person when someone has a work related question or a problem; become the specialist.

Recreate your position, adapt the job description to the current market. Analyze the current processes in your office, are there things that can be streamlined or eliminated all together. Develop a plan and present it to your managers. This will show initiative and that you are concerned with the bottom line.

Make it a point to be sure your employer is getting good value with you. Eliminate as much overtime as possible. Show that you can work hard and get your tasks done within the eight hour day. Help out where needed, answer phones, take orders, help others and work on new projects. What other services can you provide?

Increase your Visibility: Don’t bury your head in your work, it isn’t enough these days. You need to be seen as well as heard. Make yourself know, not just by those that are in your direct working area; those higher up need to know who you are and the contributions that you make. Do not be shy about your accomplishments and skills; be your own PR firm.

Showing up early for work, meetings and appointments shows punctuality as well as dedication, but make sure that your thoughts, opinions and great ideas are heard. When attending an industry event be sure to network and share ideas. Upon returning to the office summarize the event for your department and managers with what you learned and how it can be used in your office.

Remember, you are a company’s ambassador when attending conferences or any function outside the office. Refrain from gossiping and speaking badly about the company or fellow workers.

Increase your Ease: What are you like to be around? Moods are very contagious and positive optimistic people are more pleasant to be with. Understand this isn’t just about smiling and being happy; be the leader in your group. Mentor and encourage those you work with. Be willing to share what you know with others, along with sharing the praise and accomplishments.

Be flexible and dependable. This means doing what is in the best interest of the company. Are you needed to work various hours or in other departments? Volunteer for various projects that others hesitate on and finish projects and reports in a timely manner.

Being successful at your job today, is not enough in today’s market. You have much more to consider and improve on than just your actual work. You need to work on yourself each and every day. Demonstrate your value constantly, use every opportunity to get visible and seen by the people who make decisions about cuts and be easy to work with. These steps will improve your reputation and hopefully prevent you from holding your own pink slip.

Laurie-Ann Murabito is the founder of Results 2 Success, LLC, a business and executive coaching company that helps clients improve their leadership and communication skills while developing strong teams. Laurie-Ann is available to speak on a number of topics for your group or upcoming event. She can be reached at www.LA-Murabito.com or 603-765-6145.

Permission is granted to reprint this article in print or on your web site as long as the paragraph above is included and contact information is provided to LA@LA-Murabito.com Thank you. Is Your Behavioral Style a Mis-Match for Your Career?20624Is Your Behavioral Style a Mis-Match for Your Career?Many times we pursue a job or career with great intensity, only to find out that once we actually get the job we either hate it, or are not very good at it. We might have invested years of schooling and have gained experience but we don’t enjoy getting out of bed in the morning and going to work. Often the response is to wonder,What’s wrong with me? Or ask,Why can’t I just be happy doing what I am doing?
The answer often lies in the fact that our natural behavioral style is a mismatch for the job we are doing. What’snatural behavioral style? Researchby William Moulton Marston, the inventor of the lie detector test over 30 years ago discovered a process that has been validated for over 30 years in over 35 different countries. There are four basic scales of behavior problems, people, pace and procedures (often shown as D, I, S and C). D for Dominance is how one handles problems and challenges. I for Influencing is about how one interacts and gets energized by people. S for Steadiness is about how one approaches a steady work pace, change and work environment and C for Compliance is how one handles rules and procedures specifically set by others.
The behavioral scale is like the polarization of opposing magnets trying to come together and connect. The more they push together, the more strongly they push apart. When someone ishigh on one of these scales, but the job they are in requires behavior that islow, there is a mismatch of style and requirement and an opposite polarization ensues.
For example, someone might not naturally be arules-oriented person, but rather a person who is more creative, more open-minded and more interested in finding new ways around things. Rather than having a natural ability to comply with the rules as laid before them, the person may want to do things their own way. If one chooses a career as an Entrepreneur, this could work fine. However, if one is low on the rules scale and finds themselves in a job of Auditor, or Compliance Officer, that person will struggle mightily trying to adapt and do the job well.
People high on the problem scale tend to be fast-moving, fast-thinking and they move very quickly toward results. They are fearless and want to accomplish whatever task has been put in front of them. If a person like this finds themselves in a role where they can’t influence results, or they have a boss that moves very slowly, or a job that doesn’t allow them the freedom to do what they see needs to be done, they will experience stress and frustration.
The people scale is about people if one gets energized by being around people and loves to verbalize and engage but finds they are in a job sitting in a backroom somewhere just checking and cross-checking data or information, that person is going to feel very depressed at the end of each day. They’ll want to get out and socialize and interact with people in order to recharge the batteries.
And a person high on the Steadiness scale who likes structure, a systematic approach and a logical order to things who finds a job where they are working for someone who likes to shake it up, who changes things all of the time and who doesn’t seem to have any process or any order, will find tension and stress resulting.
And, the opposite is true for anyone low on the scale for example, if one is not a people-person but is in sales, it’s a very draining job and by the end of the day, they are depleted and want to go home and probably just go to bed!
We can all modify our behavioral style in order to be a better fit for the role we are in, but it takes work. The research shows we can successfully do this for about 24 months and then the stress becomes so great we experience a lack of effectiveness, health issues, stress or other difficulties. For most people, we are happiest and perform at our best when we are in a job for which we are a natural fit and we don’t have to modify much on a day-to-day basis.
Whether you are currently working, going to school or looking for employment, consider your own behavioral style and preferences and match them against any job or career you are considering. Most people are unaware of the impact of behavioral style. Being aware gives you more options for finding a role that is a natural fit for you.