Project managers deal with numerous factors impacting success, including budget constraints, stringent timelines and technical issues. Yet one of the most common issues is communication breakdowns among different personality types on the team. By identifying and codifying different personality types, project managers can enhance the effectiveness of their teams, balancing team member strengths and weaknesses, and improving the overall project outcome.

Based on the work of Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is the most widely used personality assessment tool. It enables people to identify their natural preferences that guide decision-making, determine how they gather information, structure their lives and understand how they derive their personal energy.

To determine their MBTI type, individuals complete a multiple choice questionnaire that asks them to choose their preferences in a wide variety of situations. The results translate into a four-letter type, based on four dimensions, each with two preferences: Source of Energy (Extraversion or Introversion); Information (Sensing or Intuitive); Decisions (Thinking or Feeling); and Structure (Judging or Perceiving). For instance, in terms of how one makes decisions, some people use a more logical, objective thought process (called “Thinking”) while others focus on the impact the decision will have on the people involved (called “Feeling”).

Navigating personalities

The brain dictates how an employee engages with projects and approaches his or her responsibilities. Psychological type preferences can either complement each other, actively supporting success, or interfere with progress by clashing with one another. We’ve all been on teams where one or two personality types dominated; it can be very unpleasant and undermine the success of team’s effort.

But it’s not just about individuals getting along. Preferences don’t only clash or mesh with one another - they can have degrees of harmony or dissonance with the project itself. For different types of projects, different personality types can be a real asset to the team. In her article "Optimizing Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Training: Practical Applications," Jennifer Tucker, Ph.D., outlined the ranging personalities that can impact success.

For instance, some projects are more externally-focused, and can draw on the strengths of extraverts. Other projects may focus more on possibilities, not just the facts. Intuitive types are a real boon in those situations. Likewise, having Feeling types on a project that focuses on the consumer can help the team really understand the end-user in a way that a Thinking type - who relies on logic and objectivity - might miss. A project in the beginning phases can benefit from the Perceiving type, who is open to new information, and resists quick decisions. But, then again, when you need structure and closure, the Judging type is your go-to person.

Planning projects around personalities

For leaders, the trick is to discover the balance that benefits the project and mitigates risk. Managers have to decide how to utilize each personality to their project’s advantage. For example, teams that lean toward introversion may lack the continual communication needed to maintain support from senior leadership. On the other hand, projects heavily influenced by Perceiving types might struggle with expectation management, such as meeting proposed deadlines. To find the right balance, managers should pick team members that bring both preferences to the table, engaging stakeholders while making swift project decisions.

While leaders can benefit by applying personality types to project management, the MBTI isn't the only tool for determining team selection. With the right balance of personalities and effective communication skills, managers can identify individuals who bring the necessary experience for a successful project.

Managing Different Generations in the Workplace: Part One

The eclectic mix of employee personalities and working styles can be challenging in itself. However, with roughly three different generations working together at one time, multiple perspectives, and varying levels of experience, compound the complexity of training.

Generation X - birth dates ranging from the early 1960s to the early 1980s - has worked for more than two decades. With Generations Y and Z entering the fold, what's the most effective method of communication with this cohort? As the first of a four-part series, let’s break down Generation X.

The Concept of Authority

According to annual surveys administered by the Longitudinal Study of American Youth, Gen Xers are defined as people who are highly educated, active, balanced and family-oriented. The study gathers data using various questions and responses from roughly 4,000 participants who were surveyed each year from 1987 through 2010.

The LSAY is a project funded by the National Science Foundation that began in 1985 and is designed to measure the development of student attitudes toward achievements and career paths in a range of subject areas. The participants are surveyed during middle school, high school and the first four years of post-high school.

Forbes magazine explained that Gen Xers view their superiors as experts whose work experience and skill levels demand a high level of consideration and respect. They believe that being an authoritative figure in the workplace is a substantial achievement and earned through hard work and dedication. They also like structure and direction from senior leadership but are self-reliant when completing a task.

The Perception of Balance

According to Training magazine, Gen Xers strive to find a balance between the office and home. Because baby boomers are usually loyal to their workplace, Gen Xers might view their older colleagues as workaholics who are afraid of change and lack adaptability. Being brought up during a shift in technological advancements, Generation X learns from a range of modalities – from traditional, instructor-led training to online classroom environments.

Leaders should understand how Gen Xers operate and incorporate various methods to effectively engage them in the training environment. These include a mixture of visual activities, like PowerPoint presentations combined with virtual quizzes and polls. The best communication balance for managers is to provide adequate feedback to Gen Xers: It can serve as a viable motivator for continuing - or improving - their strong work ethic.

The Power of Engagement

Caught in-between two very different generations - baby boomers and millennials - Gen Xers are a blend of the old and new guards. They can endure the nitty-gritty grind of completing projects, but they also appreciate working autonomously on various assignments.

Knowing this, managers should leverage the Generation X motivators and accommodate their unique perspectives on the workplace. Direct and immediate feedback keeps them engaged and happy, contributing to the company’s success and maintaining high employee morale as well. For example, exploring monetary bonus plans for completing assignments can provide Gen Xers with the encouragement they need for optimal performance.

To work efficiently on bolstering productivity and engagement, managers need to understand the characteristics of Generation X. But with Generations Y and Z in the workplace as well, they have to accommodate for varying personalities. Stay tuned for our next feature on the Millennials and their own specific intricacies.

Review a course list or contact Merit today for more information.

What is really happening in our brain when we learn?

The way our brains process information has huge implications for those of us who design corporate training and other adult education experiences. Our awareness of the principles of neuroscience, and their application in "brain-friendly training" can make the difference between a program that is simply enjoyable and one whose content is retained and applied to improve job performance. Improved performance usually brings financial success and recognition by a company that their investment in training was worth it. "In order to achieve the desired ROI on training, we must design and deliver training that becomes integrated into long-term memory," explains John Juzbasich, D.Ed(c), MLD and CEO of Merit Career Development.¹

Learning produces physical changes in the brain

What does learning look like?

Research has shown that information we receive goes through four distinct regions of the brain; indeed, using modern imaging techniques we can actually see information moving through the brain.

The four regions are:

1. Sensory Region - Information is first filtered here. Incoming data is processed by our five senses. This is the region for gathering information.
2. Back Integrative Region - Here, bits of data are connected over time, associations become apparent, and understandings grow. This is where our brain makes meaning of the information we receive by connecting the new information with our past experiences and beliefs. This is the region for reflecting on the information we gathered.
3. Front Integrative Region - Here, we consciously manipulate data to plan what we'll do with it. We are creating new ideas.
4. Motor Region - This part of the brain sends signals for the body to act on the information it has received. This is the region for testing our understanding.

In addition, there are chemicals in the brain that produce emotions that affect the four regions and hence modify the strength of each step of the learning cycle. According to research by James E. Zull², professor of Biology and Director of the University Center for Innovation in Teaching and Education at Case Western Reserve University, the frequent firing and exposure to the chemicals of emotion lead to great change in neuronal networks; that change is the physical evidence that learning has taken place.

If learners gather, reflect, create and test, and if their emotions are engaged at each step with fun, memorable activities, they will have used their whole brains!

Now that we know about how the brain learns, how can we produce those physical changes in learners’ brains? How can we maximize their participation to make our training stick?

Gathering

• Keep changing what the learner sees.
• Include as many senses as you can.
• Limit the amount of content to only what is needed, because they will not make sense of the information until subsequent stages.

Reflecting

• Know your audience.
• Provide many opportunities for them to connect the new information and challenges to what they already know and care about.
• Use multiple analogies and examples to help recall of prior knowledge.
• Ask them to put their thoughts into writing, or to predict the outcome of a scenario.
• Learners will attach new things to their existing neuronal networks to generate more complete understanding. Juzbasich says that from the learner’s perspective, what is not connected, or not relevant, gets thrown out!

Creating

• Draw out the connections the learners are making and enable them to create deeper knowledge from the new information.
• Use examples that are relevant and suggest comparisons with their daily work.
• Tell stories that resonate with what’s important to the group. Perhaps ask, "How will you use what you’re learning with your client?" "How did you handle this situation in the past and what has changed now?" "What does this make you think of?"
• These strategies help learners to call upon their prior knowledge and create tests for the new concepts.

Testing

• Offer opportunities for meaningful practice that involve moving the body in some way. Don’t forget, talking is a motor activity. Neurons that fire a lot during activity tend to form more connections and strengthen new connections.
• Don't stop at drilling and repetition, because neurons stop firing when something simply becomes habit.
• Ask learners to share their thoughts with others. Ask progressively more complex questions.
• Have pairs or groups act out a scenario; play increases retention.
• Provide simulations that engage them and test whether their understanding of the information will be adequate in the "real world."
• Provide encouragement and feedback.

Merit Career Development offers professional courses planned with close attention to how learners’ brains work. Every in-person, web conferencing, or computer-based experience can be customized for your specific situation and can incorporate elements from your workplace. Review some of our offerings and contact us to learn more.

References
¹ Juzbasich, John, D.Ed(c), MLD “Make Training Stick”, American Society for Training and Development Philadelphia Chapter Meeting, King of Prussia, PA, March 12, 2014, (Invited Speaker).
²Zull, James E., "The Art of the Changing Brain"
Fernandez, Alvaro. "The Art of Changing the Brain: Interview with Dr. James Zull"

Just published May 2014
The New York Times bestselling Freakonomics changed the way we see the world, exposing the hidden side of just about everything. Now, in their latest book, Think Like a Freak, Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner take us inside their thought process and teach us all to think a bit more productively, more creatively, more rationally-to think, that is, like a Freak. (amazon.com)

This Giveaway is Now Closed

Within every organization, employees range in personality types from professionally outgoing to socially reserved. Managing a mix of extraverts and introverts can be a challenge, but encouraging each personality type’s strengths and encouraging both groups to understand these dynamics is key.

Extraverts

By nature, extraverts are energized by being around others and that enthusiasm translates as an outgoing personality. Roughly 75 percent of the US population is extraverted.

Common extravert traits:

• Directed outward toward people and things
• Relaxed and confident
• Gregarious, want to be with others
• "What you see is what you get"
• Process outward: Speaks to think ("shoots from the hip")
• Seek variety and action
• Often act quickly, sometimes without thinking

Introverts

On the other hand, although introverts can interact with people skillfully, over time their energy will deplete faster than an extravert. They then need "down time" to "recharge their batteries."

Common introvert traits

• Directed inward toward concepts and ideas
• Reserved and questioning
• Seek quiet for concentration
• Need time alone to recharge and think
• Have valuable contributions, but may hesitate to speak
• Process inward: Thinks to speak
• Likes to think a lot before acting, sometimes without acting!

Understanding different perspectives is critical to effective team building

Extraverts often see themselves as actionable people who work successfully with others but they can be quick to implement tactics that are untested or poorly thought out. Introverted employees often view their extraverted counterparts as noisy and impulsive, actively working to solve a problem, but making many mistakes along the way.

Introverts often perceive their thought processes as more complex, and they often think deeply before sharing their thoughts. More outgoing employees might think their quiet coworkers aren’t spontaneous enough or are slow to respond, leaving them hard to integrate into solution-oriented discussions and team projects.

Because each personality type has a different perspective of the environment, managers should approach meetings with each in separate manners to promote success. Catering to both introvert and extravert tendencies serves to facilitate teamwork, creating better-prepared employees, communications and outcomes.

So how do you manage these two different types of personalities?

Extraverts: Let 'em talk

When meeting with extraverts, managers should allow time for discussion without the necessity of reaching conclusions. Extraverts learn and retain information better when there are active conversations. They tend to "think out loud."

During a team meeting, managers should greet everyone as he or she comes into the room and conduct introductions. Because extraverts typically think faster - although not thoroughly -and tend to have shorter attention spans, it's useful to break up presentations with questions and answer or discussion periods and other exercises. After it's over, leaders should allow time for feedback and conversations with presenters to encourage input.

Additionally, putting extraverts into groups and planning active outings can facilitate their professional development.

Introverts: Let 'em think

Contrary to extraversion, managers should allow introverted employees more time before expecting an answer. Because introverts spend more time reflecting before responding, team leaders may want to hold back before asking for possible solutions. Instead of forcing introverts into groups, leaders could sit one-on-one with them.

To ensure that the opinions of introverts are captured during meetings, managers should provide all participants with an agenda and conduct polls before the meeting, especially regarding important matters. Anyone who hasn't responded in discussions can be prompted for input with lead time to encourage eventual participation. Once the meeting has ended, leaders can summarize the next steps and distribute the materials via email.

A useful tip: Always call on introverts last when soliciting comments during or after a meeting. This gives them additional time to consider other participants' responses and formulate their own with more confidence.

Finally, it's important for managers to realize that people who are outgoing aren't always extraverts, and shyness doesn't necessarily indicate introversion. Most people display a range of these characteristics, although they lean toward one type or the other. The optimal brainstorming teams are comprised of people with diverse skills and perspectives.

It's up to managers to engage each type of team member, regardless of personality, to ensure their optimal contributions are realized.

For more information about how Merit Career Development can help with your teams, please contact us.

In just the few minutes it will take you to review these graphically presented facts, you will gain a good sense of the factors and issues that impact our decision-making. When we pause to understand these, we can literally improve the outcome of our decisions.

Feel free to share this graphic on your own website, through social media or by email. Just click on the code below the graphic to copy for your own use. Of course, there is a lot more detail and guidance available for your team or organization on decision-making and other leadership enhancing strategies. At Merit Career Development we offer on-site, virtually-led and on-demand programs that help improve communications, productivity and impact the bottom line. For more information, contact us.



References

• www.nytimes.com/2011/04/24/business/24unboxed.html?_r=1&
• hbr.org/2011/06/the-big-idea-before-you-make-that-big-decision/ar/1
• https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/flaws-in-strategic-decision-making-mckinsey-global-survey-results

Feel free to share this infographic on your website by copying and pasting the code below. To share this on social media, please see the links below the post. Thanks!

<p><strong>(c) 2014 Merit Career Development. Please include attribution to www.meritcd.com with this <br /> graphic.</strong></p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> <p><a href='https://www.meritcd.com/blog.php?/archives/26-Infographic-Keys-to-Improving-Decision-Making.html'> <br /> <img src='https://www.meritcd.com/blog/uploads/images/Merit_DecisionMaking_without-references.jpg' alt='Keys to Improving Decision-Making' width='540px' border='0' /></a></p>

Although the wrong frame in the wrong situation can lead to bad decisions, using the right frame can be beneficial in closing sales with prospective customers.

In her seminal 1996 book, “The Power of Framing: Creating the Language of Leadership,” Gail Fairhurst, Ph.D., explains that when we communicate through framing, we shape the reality of a situation. Our past experiences and perspective create a frame through which we perceive the world and which guide our decision-making. However, the wrong frame in the wrong situation can lead to bad decisions. As Fairhurst explains, through effective framing and use of language, we can become better leaders because we are relating to our followers better and, therefore, being more persuasive.

When it comes to selling products and services to prospective customers, frames can interfere with making the sale. But they can also have a positive effect when used appropriately.

Framing for Positive Outcomes

During the sales process, associates need to be cognizant of the potential buyer’s own frame and how it affects how he or she makes purchases. Many buyers may be hesitant to commit, and these objections can result in failures and frustrations. To navigate the buyer’s hesitations, salespeople need to frame their interactions—drawing on the customer’s wants and needs—to make the customer care about what they’re selling.

Appealing to emotions is essential to the sales process, the buyer should feel good about his or her decision to purchase the product. The salesperson should focus on putting positive twists on perceived negatives, as they can affect how customers react to a sales pitch.

“The Framing of Decisions and the Psychology of Choice,” written by Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky and published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, touched upon the psychological principles of framing. The authors’ posit that people are more influenced by the pain of loss rather than the rewards of gain and will take greater risks to avoid loss than to see potential gain. By framing a pitch around eliminating the threat of loss, salespeople have a greater chance at success.

An effective framing sales pitch puts an emphasis on the outcome, showing prospective clients that they will experience a positive change from purchasing the salesperson’s product or service. While framing can be problematic when used inappropriately, with professional coaching it can be leveraged during the sales call. Creating context for the potential buyer can be the difference between losing or closing the deal.

At Merit, we read a lot. From current thought leaders, to the latest research on critical management skills and adult learning theory. The concepts in these books inform our professional education programs. This month we will give away another of our favorites.

In the international bestseller, Thinking, Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman, the renowned psychologist and winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics, takes us on a groundbreaking tour of the mind and explains the two systems that drive the way we think. System 1 is fast, intuitive, and emotional; System 2 is slower, more deliberative, and more logical. The impact of overconfidence on corporate strategies, the difficulties of predicting what will make us happy in the future, the profound effect of cognitive biases on everything from playing the stock market to planning our next vacation-each of these can be understood only by knowing how the two systems shape our judgments and decisions. Engaging the reader in a lively conversation about how we think, Kahneman reveals where we can and cannot trust our intuitions and how we can tap into the benefits of slow thinking. He offers practical and enlightening insights into how choices are made in both our business and our personal lives-and how we can use different techniques to guard against the mental glitches that often get us into trouble. (Amazon.com)

The deadline for entries is May 15, 2014.

At Merit, we read a lot. From current thought leaders, to the latest research on critical management skills and adult learning theory, the concepts in these books inform our professional education programs. This month we'd like to give away another of our favorites, The Checklist Manifesto.

Through a gripping story-telling narrative, acclaimed surgeon and writer Atul Gawande, illustrates the value of checklists in multiple scenarios. We learn how the simple idea of a checklist can make the difference, literally, between life and death, and how it's crucial for any high stakes environment. The Checklist Manifesto is an easy read, so don't miss it.

The deadline for entries is April 15, 2014.

Current, practical business ideas

At Merit, we read a lot. From current thought leaders, to the latest research on critical management skills and adult learning theory. The concepts in these books inform our professional education programs and have often helped drive our own business growth. How we'd like to share them with you by giving a book away each month.

For this month's book, Merit recommends Decisive: How to Make Better Decisions in Life and Work.

Following their best sellers, Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard and Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, authors Chip Heath and Dan Heath explore why so many of us make poor quality decisions. This very readable book shares the latest research on decision-making, and examines both corporate and personal case studies on how we can improve our decision-making by following the authors' four step WRAP model.

The deadline for entries is March 14, 2014.