The Challenges of Not Really Knowing Your Co-Workers

Why is she so quiet in meetings? Why is he so aggressive? Why does she need so much detail? Why does he talk so much?

Some common behaviors we see in the workplace are frustrating and can be annoying until we have a basic understanding of human behavior. These small things can turn into big issues and sources of frustration affecting productivity, creativity, and innovation.

Helping people understand each other on a different level is a step you can take to help people work together in a much more harmonious way. One way to help build better relationships at work is to have people complete a personality assessment that will help them understand themselves and their co-workers better.

There are a lot of assessments out there, and no they are not going to fix all of the problems of the world, but they can help your organization, that I know for sure. So, what assessment should I use you might be asking.

Yes, there are a lot of them out there, and they are all fine assessments. In my experience with assessments I look for simplicity – is it going to stick, and will people apply the learning in the workplace.

I use DiSC (Wiley) due to its simplicity. I find that people remember it and can immediately apply it in the workplace. In workshops I find that as people learn more communication styles, as well as different personality types and behaviors, people start to relax more as they learn why their co-workers do what they do.

It allows people to talk about the different styles and behaviors in a more open and accepting way; it reduces conflict in the workplace.

Organizational life can be challenge on a good day, and misunderstandings about basic human behavior adds even more unnecessary challenges. By helping a team learn more about each other and productive ways of working together helps an organization get to that next level.

Give it a try, I guarantee you will see positive results.