"I just don't understand why he reacted that way". "When I try to tell her about my ideas, she just brushes me off". "I can't get him to make a decision. Doesn't he understand how urgent this is?" These kinds of behaviors can slow down the progress of an organization … all the way to a grinding halt. But it doesn't have to be this way.

When you bring people into a department or company, you certainly look at their skill base - can they do the tasks involved. Just as important is to look at their behaviors. Both past behaviors ("What did you do when….?") and potential future behaviors ("How would handle…?")

Think about someone you know, who failed at a job. Why did they fail? Was it because they didn't know how to check in a guest? Couldn't cook a steak properly? Or was it something more like "They couldn't get along with their boss." "They were unhappy with someone in their department." These are behavioral issues, not skill issues. It is a critical success factor.

With knowledge of each behavioral type, you can have a discussion of:

Communication Styles

Diverse Perceptions

Motivational and De-Motivational Conditions

Stressors

"So that's why he didn't listen to my whole story." "Now I understand why she needs all the details before she is comfortable making a decision." "OK, I need to talk in 'bullet points' instead of a detailed story."

When John understands the way Frank needs to hear information, it can be delivered with a better chance of being heard, understood and responded to successfully. If Ruth, who works in close quarters with Barbara, understands how her behaviors (extroverted, talkative, inclusive) is perceived by some one whose own style is different than their own (dominant, direct, decisive) she won't be as likely to either take offense to Barbara's seemingly blunt reactions.

The beauty of all this is that is takes a terrific mosaic of behavioral styles to make a team/company successful. If you have talkative people, it helps to have good listeners. If you have intuitive types making some decisions, perhaps other decisions might best be made by analytical folks. You need people who do out-of-the-box thinking to come up with the new ideas, but it helps to have the conformists pragmatically figure out how to make it happen. Without the knowledge of the basic types and an open dialogue however, these folks could miss the opportunities to complement each other.

Would be easier to have a department full of the same type? No, no. Even two people with the same basic profile need to consider how best to work with each other. Picture two extroverts who love to tell story after story. Who would listen? It takes all kinds put together with understanding and open lines communication. That a real team. Those are the people whose behaviors will synergistically lead you to the top.