Are you considering the relationships you are welcoming into your life? Do you carefully and consciously choose your business or life partner?!

When you have a great idea for a business, consider carefully if you should go it alone, or take on business partners. If you manage a team, consider how the team dynamic is affecting the bottom line. If you have a family, consider how your behaviours affect your relationships.

I’ve learned the hard way on this subject. It’s important to understand yourself. How you behave and what you believe. You must acknowledge your strengths AND your limitations. The easiest way to do this is to have a personality profile assessment which will clearly show your behavioural strengths. It will also your limitations. Please make sure you then receive guidance from a trusted Business Coach, or preferably a Mentor to signpost you in how to interpret the report correctly to maximise your potential.

Coach vs Mentor?

The difference between a Coach and a Mentor is simple. A qualified Coach will have received specific training in various coaching models and tools to help you. A Mentor will have walked your journey and have experienced first-hand how to run a business, they may also be a qualified Coach too.

In every business I have run for myself, or as a consultant/trouble-shooter for others, I have used the DISC model of behavioural profiling to ascertain who has what behaviours within the team. Over a 25-year period of using this tool, I have become a ‘go-to’ expert and can assess behaviour very quickly. This wasn’t always the case.

What is a SQUEG?

To illustrate the importance of why we need to understand behaviours of those we partner with or who we employ, look at the example of what I call a SQUEG. A SQUEG is a square peg in a round hole. In other words, someone who is not behaviourally suited to the role they are undertaking. For example, don't hire a puppy dog if the role requires lion behaviours to be effective.

If a candidate doesn’t match the behaviours required for a specific organisational role, they will not be successful in that role and the organisation will suffer as well as themselves.

Imagine the disruption to the business, financial cost and emotional stress this causes at so many levels?! Not only is the SQUEG directly affected in terms of poor performance (being expected to perform in a role they are ill-suited to), they affect everyone around them both at work and at home through their high stress levels.

Good Matches Save Money, Time and Stress

Contrast this with a good match role for an individual who is ideally suited to their role. They will hit the ground running, be effective immediately and fit in straight away.

Training and induction costs will be lower than someone who is unsuited to the role, and there will be less management time spent with them because they will be self-motivating, responsible and accountable.

What happens in practice, especially at interview, however, is that the person sitting opposite you, is not necessarily behaving in their natural style. They are potentially putting on a mask. 

How do you know if you are meeting the true person or the mask? You don’t!

When we don’t behave in an authentic manner consistently, not only do we under perform, we can easily become ill. 

This is more obvious with individuals with a sensitive nature who worry about anything and everything. 

Typically, the cracks start to show around 3-6 months after they start a new role. It is no coincidence that recruitment agencies won’t refund fees after this time frame if the person is not working out.

I can guarantee that the person will become ill if their behaviour continues to be out of character. Their performance at work will be poor, their confidence and self-esteem low, and they will take their unhappiness home with them.

So, if you are starting your own business, or managing one, then please make sure you choose wisely. If you are considering marriage or are having difficulty in your existing personal or family relationships, then take a moment to think about the behavioural dynamics and give me a call as I can probably help you.

Let's Talk - I Can Help!

How we behave affects our health. I can tell if someone is struggling mentally and/or physically by reviewing their DISC profile without even meeting them – ask me how by scheduling a free call https://calendly.com/elainegodley or emailing elaine@discplus.health