Lori Smith, Vice President of Human Resources at Western National Mutual Insurance Company, explains how the message of Versatility within their teams and management has impacted the conversations happening within their company.
“We’ve opened up the opportunity for people to have a conversation about similarities, differences and preferences. Along with the permission to have those conversations and the language and the words to use, I think that will be more impactful to us than just about anything else.” — Lori Smith, Vice President of Human Resources, Western National Mutual Insurance Company
Benefits of Versatility
Individuals who have mastered Versatility, have greater success in:
- managing conflict
- developing positive relationships
- performing at a higher level
Versatility is the path to individual and organizational excellence! To learn more about TRACOM’s SOCIAL STYLE training, click here! To watch a video on Versatility Tips, click here!
“What are you gonna do with this gift that you’ve just been given? Of information and feedback from others about how they’re receiving you, independent of your intentions? And then rolling that out through management and leadership groups so that they have a chance to try it and think about how they would use it in their team interactions, while giving the same content and language to our employees as a reinforcement.” — Lori Smith, Vice President of Human Resources, Western National Mutual Insurance Company
The Four Styles
With the SOCIAL STYLEs assessment, you can observe a person and determine their preferences or Style. You can then use that information to moderate your behavior and make that person more comfortable. This is called Versatility. There are four SOCIAL STYLEs:
- Amiable Style: They openly display their feelings to others. They appear less demanding and generally more agreeable than others. They are interested in achieving a rapport with others who often describe them as informal, casual and easy going. To learn more about the Amiable Style person, click here.
- Driving Style: Seen as direct, active, forceful and determined, they initiate social interaction. They focus their efforts and the efforts of others on the goals and objectives they wish to get accomplished. To learn more about the Driving Style person, click here.
- Expressive Style: They tend to be more willing to make their feelings known to others. They can appear to react impulsively and openly show both positive and negative feelings. Typically, they’re described by others as personable, talkative and sometimes opinionated. To learn more about the Expressive Style person, click here.
- Analytical Style: They are typically described as quiet, logical and sometimes reserved or cautious. They tend to appear distant from others and may not communicate, unless there is a specific need to do so. To learn more about the Analytical Style person, click here.