Balls and Walnuts
more than you ever wanted to know
Expressive me
Last two days I’ve participated in a workshop for training Unit Based Team co-leaders. I am now a trained co-leader. We will be using something called RIM, Rapid Improvement Model, to affect rapid improvements in our day-to-day processes in the office. RIM is big, I’m told. Tiger Woods used RIM to improve his golf game, and no doubt also to improve his ability to score floozy ass.
You must know that I have a low tolerance for WUABATs (Wanton Use of Acronyms By Administrator Types) so of course I had to grab my diversion where I could. And they’re not even administrators, these people who run these workshops. They’re . . . I don’t know what they are. Process Improvement Experts, I suppose. PIEs.
So when I had to answer the question, How will your team make decisions? I of course said, “Magic 8-Ball,” and when I had to answer the question, How will you provide feedback to your team members? I said, “With a flaming paper bag full of dog poop.”
That’ll get my message across!
We had to take a quiz to assess our “working style.” It’s a five question quiz. For example, in the following question, you’re supposed to assign a number 1 to 4, 1 being “most correct” and 4 being “least correct.”
1. When performing a job, it is most important to me to
a. do it correctly, regardless of the time involved
b. set deadlines and get it done
c. work as a team, cooperatively with others
d. demonstrate my talents and enthusiasm
You do this for five questions. After totaling your points for each of the a, b, c, and d responses, you look to see which has the lowest value (the ‘a’ answers, the ‘b’ answers, etc.) and that determines your working style.
Mine is expressive.
D — Expressive
*Spontaneous actions and decisions, risk-taker
*Likes involvement
*Generates new & innovative ideas
*Tends to dream and get others caught up on the dream
*Jumps from one activity to another
*Works quickly and excitingly with others
*Not good with follow-through
Then, like a horoscope, we have a little grid that shows how we’re going to get along with our co-leaders, depending upon their working style. My co-leader is a Driver.
Be patient and try to work with a flip chart to harness creative spirits. Emphasize time lines and due dates. Build in flexibility to allow the free reign of creativity.
Alternatively, I could have saved fifteen minutes of my life and consulted Astrology.com.
You feel better able to handle your people today — in fact, you may decide that the best thing for you to do is to let them wander off on their own while you take care of the stuff that’s better done alone.
Granted, I am indeed Expressive. When asked the question, How would you like to receive recognition? I responded, “From Salma Hayek.”
A fellow Expressive.
How’s that for a new and innovative idea? Or does Salma fall under “tends to dream”? Hmm.
D.
Hmmm… if I were a patient, I might be concerned that you like to take risks. 🙂
MY problem at work is admirably summed up in the first two responses to your question:
1. When performing a job, it is most important to me to
a. do it correctly, regardless of the time involved
b. set deadlines and get it done
I like A, management likes B because they set the deadlines.
I’m down with the Selma, although my trendy-Latina-dreamboat is Penelope Cruz.
Someone is making money off these surveys; doesn’t THAT bother anyone? I had a workshop on my campus Thursday about COLORS and how the color you are (based on a survey of course)determines how you get along with your co-workers. I didn’t attend that one. I don’t need a dumb ass survey to tell me about people I work with.
However, I am in agreement with Dean…I’m a 1 and a 2.
If I were a guy? Selma…Penelope, feh.
Without seeing any of the other styles, I can say pretty confidently that I, too, am expressive. Especially that bit about follow-through.
Phrase of the week in my office was “That’s just the dead cat bounce.”, which amused me greatly.
I ranked ‘a’ first, ‘d’ second. Never have liked deadlines.
Yeah, Sis, someone makes money off these things. I had hoped to find a link to an online version so that others could take the test, but you can’t get it without forking over some scratch. It amazes me that people pay money for such things.
Most of the people in the room were “drivers”:
. . . which really is not too far off the mark for me. Indeed, all four descriptions seemed a fair depiction of yours truly, which is why I immediately thought of horoscopes. Always right a horoscope so that it applies to anyone in any situation.
Total BS.