Managing With Style

Good managers often have an innate ability to understand people. This helps them respond well to the unspoken individual requirements of staffers and goes a long way toward keeping their teams focused and motivated.

Cahners Tracom Group, a human resources consulting firm, coaches its clients that people usually fall into one of four “social styles”: analytical, driving, amiable or expressive. It stresses the importance of how best to communicate with each style.

Analytical people love facts, principles, logic and consistency. They don’t make decisions without all the facts.

Driving-style people know what they want and have little difficulty expressing their conclusions. Cutting to the bottom line is important in communicating with drivers.

Expressive styles tend to focus on the future, are generally more spontaneous and tend to generate enthusiasm within the staff. They also thrive on personal approval.

Amiable styles focus on relationships. They like to feel important to the team and in turn help everyone within the team feel important.