During the last two months, we have been talking about the different behavioral styles of your employees and how they impact the success of your company. Anyone can make money when things are going well – sometimes in spite of themselves. To be successful, you need let go of those employees that are a drain on the creative energy and productivity of your team. You need to have employees who make a real contribution to your company. Keep in mind that when that next potential candidate walks into your door for an interview, chances are, they will be adapting to be the person they think you want them to be.

This month we will take a closer look at another of the four behavioral styles - the influencer. You need to know this communication style and how your employees with this style will interact with their coworkers and your customers. Remember, everyone has a combination of all four styles, but one or possibly two will be dominant. These dominant traits will dictate how the person will interact with others. As a review, the four styles are: 

D – Dominance – How you deal with problems and challenges
I – Influencer – How you deal with people and contacts
S – Steadiness - How you deal with Pace and Consistency
C – Compliance – How you deal with Rules and Procedures set by others
 
It is important to remember that one style is not better than another. There is no good or bad – there just is. It’s also difficult for some styles to understand why others don’t think the same way they do. For example, a person who is a high D may not understand why everyone else in the world doesn’t see things the way they do. Everyone should view the world the way they do and if they don’t, their missing something. Remember, there is no right or wrong, there just is.
 
Again, this month we’ll take a closer look at the Influencer communication style. Here are some of the traits of the High I.
 
The Need to Interact

The High I has an inherent need to interact with others. They love to talk and they do it often. They have a tendency to talk smoothly, and are comfortable doing so at a moment's notice. They love to be the life of the party and enjoy having fun with others. They will verbally try to promote a team effort and will consistently try to convince you of their point of view. I, personally, am a high I. When I got out of school 25 years ago, my first job was in research and development for a manufacturer that built ice cube machines.  Part of my job was to build an ice cuber from a set of drawings, then test its performance which consisted of putting this machine in a climate-controlled room and letting it run. Every 12 minutes,  it dumped out a batch of ice that I had to catch, measure, and then run a number of calculations to determine the machine's performance. Then I’d sit and wait for another batch of ice. Ten hours per day, six days per week, all by myself. I lasted a total of three months. After that, I left for a job that had a lot more people interaction.
 
Need to be liked

Fundamentally, the High I wants to be liked and usually likes others. They prefer not to be alone. They like to be around other people. They tend to be very trusting of other people and sometimes will do so too quickly. In fact, since they do place so much trust in others, they may sometimes be taken advantage of by others.
 
Social rejection is the fear of the High I. I am a firm believer in "Praise in public and chastise in private," but this is especially true for the high I. These employees are incredibly optimistic and will build on the good in other people and will always see the positive side of any negative situation. The glass is always half full for these people.
 
Need Involvement

You can expect the high I to be involved in just about anything and everything. At their best, they will promote trust and confidence and feel that they can persuade people to the kind of behavior they want. The downside of this involvement is that they may take on too much.
 
There is a lot of value in having a High I on your team.  A well-blended team needs to have a mixture of all four styles. Too many of one style is not a good thing and will only end up in disharmony, which is why some companies get into trouble with their typical hiring practices. The owner simply hires people just like themselves and as a result, ends up with a team that will not function as smoothly as it should.

Here is some of what the High I brings to the table:
 
Optimism & Enthusiasm – The High I is very much a people-person and has the ability to motivate and get the team excited. When the going gets tough, the optimism and enthusiasm of these employees will keep the team together.
 
Creative Problem Solvers – High I’s have a very creative mind and, if you allow them, will be ingenious in their ability to come up with new, creative ideas and solutions to problems. Take advantage of this strength.
 
Motivates Others Toward A Goal – Leadership is the ability to move people toward a common goal. Although all four styles can do this, the High I motivates people through positive interaction and persuasion. They cause others to want to work together as a team. They have a positive sense of humor and add fun to the team and the task. When teams have fun, productivity increases. 

Negotiates Conflict – Coworkers who have this as their primary style are natural mediators. They don’t like conflict and can persuade both sides of a disagreement to come together. Part of this is due to their ability to focus on the bright side of any issue. When you tie this into sales within your company, remember that people buy from people they like. If your sales team consists of people with this style, they can negotiate disagreements between those husband/wife teams and make them feel good about buying from you.
 
It’s all about communication

If there is a presentation to be made, an argument to be won, someone who needs to be persuaded to do something that is good for all, send in the High I. They will be able to paint an optimistic picture of the possibilities and have a greater chance of achieving the desired results, not to mention the fact that they will enjoy the opportunity and will be energized by it. Just make sure they have the facts needed to make the presentation. They are a tremendous asset to your company. Although this will not be the primary trait that you want for every position in your company, all employees should have some level of this trait. Remember that every person in your company is in sales and the High I is a great sales person. 
  
When communicating with the High I, you will need to be clear without dwelling on the details. They are not great detail people. Make sure that you are friendly and not short. You will want to get to the action items on your list. Ask them for their opinion and let them contribute. You will want to work with these workers when it comes to time management. Since they can take on too much, they can get overloaded. Here are a few other things to keep in mind when working with High I’s:

When you look at your customer base and coworkers, can you identify the High I’s? Are you a High I? Once you understand how to deal with a High I style, you will find it much easier to get things done and provide happier, more satisfied customers.
 
Next month, we’ll take a look at the High S – Steadiness communication style. In the meantime, spend some time getting to know how the High I person thinks. The success of your company depends on it.
 
If you want more information regarding behavioral communication styles, and the assessments that you can use to determine where your current employees and staff fall, contact me at 877-202-8891 or visit  the Hiring Solutions Informational page on our Website.