Keep Things Light and Show Their Value!

As I posted the last blog, I thought it was only fitting to use an image of The Incredible Hulk; that’s certainly how I felt during much of the eight hours tied up with one company and four more the following day with another… Now that we’ve looked at some steps we can take in mending fences with the more DIRECT and DETERMINED folks, let’s jump to the next primary behavioral style - the INSPIRING and INFLUENCING ones.

While a blind spot for this group is that they can be ILLOGICAL at times, that’s almost always because of their desire to be INVOLVED in a lot of exciting projects and activities where they can help the people around them have a great time. But when things get really tense, they can show signs of being INFURIATED just like that last group!

The one thing these two groups have in common is their Outgoing and Fast-Paced approach to nearly everything they do. Be it good or bad, that certainly spills over into how both groups handle the most frustrating situations. Where the DRIVEN group we looked at last typically doesn’t care if you like them or not, the INTERACTIVE folks do! They value how they’re perceived by the people they deal with. If we degrade them in front of others during that stressful situation, there’s a strong chance we’ll see a side of them that we don’t want to see. (Let’s be honest here, degrading the other person - publicly or privately - isn’t ok regardless of how they may or may not react…) And in one on one situations, showing disrespect or being condescending is still likely to light a fire in them.

In those high stress situations, our best approach with this INFLUENTIAL group is to be intentional about showing them that they’re valued. We’d also do well to keep the mood as light and as fun as we can while still accomplishing that task at hand. If we handle the situation poorly, this INSPIRATIONAL group often has a very bright light to shine on where or how we’ve dropped the ball. But when we can turn a bad situation into a great customer experience, they may just end up being some of our more loyal supporters!

In the next blog, we’ll slow it down a bit and start looking at the more Reserved folks. Until then, don’t miss all that comes with being part of the first ever virtual LIVE2LEAD:Harrisonburg experience!