Are You Response-ABLE or Response-IVE?

Are you the kind of person who holds tightly to a plan and conscientiously sees it through? Or are you the kind of person who adapts quickly and can turn on a dime?

Do you prefer playing offense in the game of life by researching a plan and executing it to the best of your ability? Or do you prefer playing defense, honing your agility and ability to read an opponent?

Responsible people tend to be more intrinsically motivated. They get up in the morning because they have a plan, purpose or mission in life. They turn their eyes inward, consult their conscience and calendar, and make deliberate choices about how to spend their energy.

Qualities of Responsible People:

• Finish what they start
• Have an internal compass
• Set goals
• Make plans
• Think ahead about consequences
• Can get upset when something interferes with their plan
• Can get so focused on their own agenda that they miss external cues
• Criticize others for being lazy, stupid, irresponsible, uncommitted, and uncaring

Responsive people tend to be more extrinsically motivated. They get up in the morning because the alarm went off. They are highly tuned into the world around them, ready to respond and react depending on what happens. They may not have specific goals or plans, but are really good at going with the flow. Their energy and focus varies dramatically throughout the day based on what’s going on around them.

Qualities of Responsive People:

• Shift easily from thing to thing
• Spontaneous, adaptable, creative, imaginative
• Live in the moment, focused on the short-term
• Easily go with the flow
• Can get distracted and lose focus on their task
• Often fail to consider long-term consequences
• Get upset when things are structured and deliberate
• Criticize others for being boring, rigid, slow, thinking too much

Did you know that of the six Kahler Personality Types, three of them are gifted in being Responsible and three are more endowed with Responsiveness? What a nice balance! And, it can easily lead to miscommunication and misunderstanding.

Maximizing Individual Differences

By reading the list of qualities for each type above, you can probably anticipate some conflicts already! Responsive people like to go with the flow while responsible people prefer structure and plans. Responsive people can change focus and energy very quickly, while responsible people have a tough time with change. Responsive people can come up with some pretty amazing concepts, while responsible people thrive on organizing and implementing these concepts. Responsive people can have tremendous “initiative” while responsible people shine in “finishative.”

Learning how to appreciate and utilize both responsibility and responsiveness is a key to happy and productive workplaces. Different personalities have different strengths. That’s great. The next steps is learning how to communicate with and motivate these different personalities.

The Process Communication Model (PCM®) is our ace in the hole. It not only describes precisely the characteristics of these six personality types, it also gives explicit behavioral communication strategies to connect, motivate, and minimize unhealthy conflict with each one. Find a trainer near you to experience the power of PCM, or contact us for train the trainer certification programs. Try it for free by downloading our PocketPCM app for Apple or Android.

Copyright 2016, Next Element Consulting, LLC,  All rights reserved

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