LIVING INTEGRAL COACHING

How do you show up to others? Do you know? How would you like to show up? Grid International provides a self-assessment to evaluate the leadership style that you value the most. It is not necessarily the actual behaviors you utilize with other people.

The test results are useful for establishing your own understanding of where you want to be as far as ideal behaviors, and are not meant to be an assessment of your actual style.

VALUES TEST RESULTS

My leadership values results reportedly reflect my preferences which express themselves as a dominant and backup style. The dominant style is the approach I value as the most effective way to work with others, and the backup style is the one I prefer when the dominant approach temporarily will not work.

The 9,9 Style: Sound (Contribute and Commit)

Excerpt from the book, The Power to Change.The 9,9 style is located on the top right corner of the Grid figure and integrates a high concern for people with a high concern for results. The difference between 9,9 and the other six Grid styles is that the 9,9 person sees no contradiction in demonstrating a high concern for both people and results. He or she feels no need to restrain, control, or diminish the concerns for people or results in relationships. The consequence is a freedom to test the limits of success with enthusiasm and confidence.The 9,9 attitude leads to more effective work relationships based on “what’s right” rather than “who’s right.”The full integration of concern for people and results is in contrast to the levels of control evident in each other style. The 9,1 person feels that a high concern for results disables the expression of a high concern for people. The 1,9 person feels the reverse-that a high concern for people is more important than results.The 5,5 feels that a high concern for either is too risky, and prefers to remain at a middle level to maintain the status quo. The 1,1 sees any high concern as unrealistic and too demanding.The paternalist expresses a high concern for results and for people, but is unable to relinquish control and allow others to make their own contribution. The opportunist sees a contradiction in working with others in the first place and so uses people and organizations to further selfish goals.The 9,9 style is firmly entrenched in logical reasoning and common sense business thinking: If you have a problem, get it out into the open and work through it. This person is truly objective, and is not afraid to tackle tough issues openly and honestly. This approach brings strength and focus to team resources and potential results, but can also lead to dramatic resistance in a culture unfamiliar with the concept.Although effective, the 9,9 style can come across as forceful and blunt in a team or company where the culture dictates playing politics, smoothing over conflict, or always deferring to one or more people in authority regardless of how sound or unsound their actions might be. Over time, however, 9,9 actions demonstrated in a team overcome any fears that prevent people from embracing the style.

The 1,9 Style: Accommodating (Yield and Comply)

Excerpt from the book, The Power to Change.The 1,9 style is found in the upper left corner of the Grid figure. This person demonstrates a low concern for results with a high concern for others. The high concern for people brings a valuable quality to teams for building relationships. This individual maintains a heightened awareness of personal feelings, goals, and ambitions of others, and always considers how proposed actions will affect them. He or she is approachable, fun, friendly, and always ready to listen with sympathy and encouragement. The interdependent low concern for results, however, works against the high concern for others in the workplace by shifting the focus away from work achievement. This makes the relationships, although warm and friendly, too shallow and superficial for synergy to occur because full candor is lacking. This leads to individuals and teams that are ultimately unprepared for the kind of challenges that arise in the pursuit of improved productivity and change. The 1,9 and 9,1 styles are diametrically opposed in their perspectives.Each of these orientations leads in a narrow and singularly focused manner by trying to diminish the other primary concern in the workplace. The Achilles’ heel in 1,9 thinking is, “As long as I’m keeping people happy, they respond by working hard to achieve results.” The evidence shows the opposite: relationships suffer when employees are not challenged in the workplace. People become bored with work and frustrated with each other because something is missing in the relationships. Further, productivity decreases when the concern for results is low.Some cornerstone phrases of the 1,9 attitude are “Let’s talk about it.What can I do to help? Let me know what you think.” The main weakness, however, lies in the focus of the discussions. Instead of focusing discussions in specific terms of causes and solutions, 1,9 discussions include an overwhelming emphasis on personal feelings and preferences. The discussion itself becomes the goal, so conversations can meander in any direction. If an individual is angry, the 1,9 person follows the comments and offers sympathy and encouragement whenever appropriate. If an individual is pleased, the 1,9 person offers compliments and celebration. He or she uses discussions to constantly gage morale levels and quickly offer encouragement, support, and praise as needed.

Click here for more detailed information on Grid Theory.