Ready for the loony bin!

Ok so I have been catching a lot of flak lately about not blogging. So here I am. I sit down to write this and I think to myself, I need a little taste to loosen me up. So I put a couple of ice cubes in a glass and grab a bottle of 10 year old Talisker Single Malt Scotch. (it was bottled after ten years aging, I’ve had it for about 5 so it is 15 years young). Anyway, like all fine single malts this has a cork. I twist the cork and pull and the cork breaks into two pieces, one in my hand and one still in the bottle. Shit! I lookk through my inventory and I have an Isle of Jura, Single Malt that has about a shot left in it. I sip that, now I have an extra cork. I get a cork removing tool and only manage to push the half a cork into the Talisker. Oh well, I guess it won’t hurt anything except the occasional piece of cork in my whiskey. Some things are never easy!

Anyway, I was chatting with my good friend 10-8-ious recently and we discovered that we had both been taking personality profiles recently. We made a pact that we would each blog on our profile. She has already posted hers on http://10-8-ious.blogspot.com/, so now it is my turn.

First I should make note that we didn’t do the same profiles. She took actually two different profiles, a Kolbe A Index and a Myers Briggs Type Indicator. I on the other hand took a DiSC Classic 2.0 profile. Despite the disparities, we thought it would be fun to throw these out for the world to see.

My DiSC profile was very revealing, though it was not surprising. I thought it was very accurate. DiSC is a series of 30 ratings. It gives you four terms and you are to rate them base on what you feel is most important and what is least important. Like most profiling systems, there are no right or wrong answers. DiSC stands for Dominance, Influence, Steadiness and Conscientiousness which you are ranked into each for a score. The DiSC rating then classifies your profile into one of 15 unique patterns. One of the interesting things is that it gives personality traits for the person in that corresponds to particular pattern, and things that that a person in that pattern needs to work on or be conscience of. Lastly, it should be noted that the answers to the questions are applicable to you at work, and not necessarily socially. I found this last point important, because I might act differently at work than I would in a social situation.

So cut the crap Mike! What did it say? I ranked high on the Dominance Scale (6). I had a secondary high of influence of (5). My lowest was on the Steadiness Scale (2) and next lowest was the Conscientiousness Scale (3). The classic pattern I line up with is Results Oriented. So I can buy that, but what the hell does it mean. Here is the profile as described in the report:

Result-Oriented people display self-confidence, which some may interpret as arrogance. They actively seek opportunities that test and develop their abilities to accomplish results. Result-Oriented persons like difficult tasks, competitive situations, unique assignments, and important positions. They undertake responsibilities with an air of self-importance and display self-satisfaction once they have finished.

Result-Oriented people tend to avoid constraining factors, such as direct controls, time-consuming details and routine work. Because they are forceful and direct, they may have difficulties with others. Result-Oriented people prize their independence and may become restless when involved with group activities or committee work. Although Result-Oriented people generally prefer to work alone, they may persuade others to support their efforts, especially when completing routine activities.

Result-Oriented people are quick thinkers, and they are impatient and fault-finding with those who are not. They evaluate others on their ability to get results. Result-Oriented people are determined and persistent even in the face of antagonism. They take command of a the situation when necessary, whether or not they are in charge. In their uncompromising drive for results, they may appear blunt and uncaring.

Scary isn’t it? Well not really. It is pretty close to the mark. Especially the parts about actively seeking opportunities to test their ability to get results, prizing independence, and avoiding routine work. Yes I can be extremely determined and persistent. I do have to really watch not coming off as aloof, blunt or uncaring.

So what about those undesirable traits? Yes I have to admit, they are me also. I can be self-confident to the point of arrogance. I can be blunt. I find fault. I despise slow workers and committees that get no where fast. Teams? I have little use for them if they are nothing more than a feel good exercise that goes now where fast. However, I enjoy teams that have a defined goal and competent enthusiastic members. Yes the good and the bad both accurately describe me.

I look at this kind of evaluation as a measuring stick. I take it seriously as I know I have some character flaws. We all do. But to me, the Results-Oriented person, the ultimate challenge is one’s self. How can I take my character flaws and correct them? Can I not be blunt, condescending or arrogant? Can I keep the good parts about being a Results-Oriented personality, the tenacity, the drive, the ability to solve difficult tasks, and correct the flaws that this personality type includes?

I have taken this as the ultimate challenge. Can I truly recognize my flaws, admit them, see them for what they are, and adjust my behavior to eliminate them? After all what better task to turn that persistence, that drive, and that tenacity on to?

I like to look at these kind of things as a test, a learning experience from which I can grow. I’m not perfect, none of us are. And thus I think there is great value in understanding who we are. What we are like? Kind of like standing on the outside looking in. We can all benefit from this type of evaluation, especially if we are honest with ourselves. When we understand who we are, the good the bad and the ugly, then we can really make improvements on ourselves.

Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you why I took this DiSC profile. I have my staff going through a team building exercise the next 3 days. And everyone took them, and me being the boss get to look at the summaries for all of my people. It is interesting as it starts to explain some of the conflict I have been seeing. The rest of the Team building should be a lot of fun. I keep you posted on my Blog.