Stereotypes Get a Bad Rap

People who are comfortable with this style are creative and funny and value the big picture.

To some, Persuaders may be seen frivolous or flighty and may be accused of lacking focus or even being unable to take things seriously. This style feels that they can only be certain that they have been understood when they have had a face-to-face conversation with the other parties.

These people generally bristle at emails, memos and similar impersonal communication techniques.

With little regard for rules or convention, Persuaders are likely to operate outside of normal channels to accomplish their goals whenever possible. They believe that rules were meant to be broken and find it absolutely acceptable to deviate from policy in service of a greater good.

Because this style struggles with organization, asking Persuaders to plan or lead the safety meeting is not something that they will enjoy. They are likely to put off the task and, as often as not, end up disappointing the person who assigned them the task.

Their lack of an eye for detail makes the record keeping end of safety a real burden. Some may even see the Persuader’s ideas as silly or a joke simply because of the demeanor of the person or the out-of-the-box creativity so endemic to this pattern.

STABILIZER
Sometimes called “amiable,” this style tends to be introverted and relationship-oriented. These people are acutely aware of how actions can make others feel and are very concerned that people be treated fairly. Stabilizers believe that rules are the only way we can be sure that people are treated the same (and thus fairly).

This style prefers private recognition. A gesture of sincere gratitude is far more meaningful to them than a grandiose public display, which frankly would mortify them. Stabilizers believe that safety is the right thing to do and are firm believers in awareness campaigns, especially those that strike an emotional cord.

Stabilizers often see Directors as pushy, rude bullies and get frustrated that Directors and Persuaders are seemingly oblivious to hints. Directors, for their part, tend to dismiss the Stabilizers as overly emotional crybabies who can’t make a decision.

This style is genuinely empathetic to the victims of workplace injuries and are sympathetic to the worker’s concern for their safety. This trait — above all — makes them trustworthy and respected safety champions, even as people criticize their difficulty in getting concerns corrected in a timely manner.

Stabilizers not only dislike conflict, most will actively avoid it, which can create problems in the often highly emotional world of worker safety.

ANALYZERS
This style seems obsessed with order and accuracy, and tends to excel at record keeping, injury reporting, and policy writing. In direct communication, Analyzers tend to prefer to make recommendations rather than a decision.

Their reluctance to pronounce a course of action as the “best” option may frustrate persons of other styles who see this as indecisiveness.

Analyzers tend to be drawn to the data analysis and record-keeping side of safety. They value rules and can be strict in their expectations that people follow rules to the letter of the law. This style also tends to see Persuaders as flakey and disorganized, while the Persuaders, for their part, tend to see the Analyzers as uptight and inflexible.

FLEXING
The key to collaborating with those of a different personality style is flexing, which involves stepping out of your own comfort zone to meet the other person half way.

For example, Persuaders need to get to the point and remain businesslike when dealing with Directors and Analyzers, while Directors need to slow down and allow Stabilizers time to process information before making decisions.

Stabilizers and Analyzers need to work on communicating more directly, and rely less on insinuation or hints to get their points across when dealing with Persuaders and Directors.

The most successful organizations learn to capitalize on these differences to build a stronger team and higher functioning workplace.

By understanding our own comfort zones and styles we become more persuasive, easier and more pleasant to work with, and generally more effective all the way around, And in a profession like safety, this boost in efficiency can save lives and dollars.