DISCingOutAHappyThanksgivingMeal

Ira S Wolfe, founder of Success Performance Solutions, was selected as one of the Movers and Shakers in Central PA for 2007. (Turn to page 35)

Ira was also featured in The Sentinel (Carlisle, PA) following his Perfect Labor Storm 2.0 presentation at the Carlisle Chamber of Commerce's Business Expo.

In a just a little over twenty-four hours, many of us will have our bellies full of turkey, stuffing, cranberries, pumpkin pie and who knows what other goodies. How we will get that way is the topic of today's column.

Many of you are familiar with personality tests, particularly the CriteriaOne DISC Behavioral Type assessments. DISC is an acronym standing for Direct, Influencing (or Interacting), Steady, and Compliant (or Conscientious) - in other words, how people respond to problems, people, pace and procedures. While many people try to avoid "taking these tests" in an attempt to hide what they feel are their deepest, personal secrets, let the truth be known that these behaviors are very obvious even to the casual observer.

DISC is the universal, observable language. Even if you never have heard of DISC before, you willl certainly recognize a few relatives, friends or acquaintances who exhibit these classic behavioral styles, representing D-I-S-C.

D Style

To High D behavioral types, Thanksgiving dinner is an event. The guest list is figured out on the fly, most likely on the back of a napkin or on whatever writing surface is handy. The list likely will include several strategic business guests. In fact, Thanksgiving dinner is the perfect venue to discuss a few business deals that just can't get done during working hours. High D behavioral types shop for groceries without a list. The fact of the matter is they don't have any idea what they'll serve for dinner - they'll know a good deal when they see it. If the long lines at checkout are too long, they may decide to make reservations at a local restaurant or country club or even order take out. Where ever and whenever they eat, they chose the place, meal and time. To high D's recipes are only guides. They add and substitute ingredients at will and use gravy and sauces to cover up the "mistakes". Microwaveable foods are a staple. If D-types actually do any cooking, the kitchen may be a mess but they know exactly where everything is. They will be in control. If your host is D behavioral style, don't be surprised to get a call on your mobile while on your way to stop for ice. When the D is ready to eat, he/she tells his guests where to sit. During dinner, expect a blow-by-blow description of each course. You'll hear how much time, money or effort it took to prepare. Recipes are described as "best", "special", "can't be beat", and "great deals."

I Style

High I behavioral types don't prepare dinner, they plan a party. They insist on only one rule - NO business talk! Grocery shopping is an experience - they go to the store at the busiest time so they can socialize and meet people. I-behavioral types may spend more time in the party store picking up holiday table cloths, napkins, dishes and decoration more than they do in the grocery store. They carry dozens of coupons, torn (not cut) from newspapers and magazines, stuffed in no particular order into an envelope or purse. I-behavioral types know where everything is in the store, whether you ask them to tell you or not. The guest list includes family, friends, neighbors and anyone who might otherwise have to eat dinner alone. The list resembles the yellow pages. I-types can't remember everyone they invited so they set extra places just in case extra people drop by. What time is dinner? Just drop-in. A menu? You've got to be kidding. The menu is potluck and the I-type just asks everyone to bring something along. I's use recipes but never measure ingredients and substitute freely. They may even experiment with a new recipe. Foods are selected for color, texture, and whatever looks good in their favorite bowls and dishes. They describe each course by how much fun it was to make it or a history on who gave them the recipe. Seating? Sit wherever you'd like. When it comes time to clean-up, guests will be scooted out the door - you'll hear, "I love to clean up." As soon as the last guest leaves, the I-behavioral type host plops down on the couch and "wishes" the dirty dishes away. "They will still be there tomorrow", the I-type thinks aloud, and puts off today what can be done tomorrow - still wishing for the "dish fairy" to come along while he/she is sleeping!

S Style

High S behavioral types prepare dinner for the entire family. In fact, they will prepare enough food to feed a neighborhood. You never know, a guest may not like a particular food or course, so the S prepares back-ups. "Family" for an "S" may include neighbors or anyone who doesn't have family to share the holiday with. "How terrible to spend the holiday alone" they think. They begin planning dinner weeks ahead by preparing a list. Next, they begin to clip coupons, even ones they don't need, just in case they meet someone at the store who doesn't have the right one. This list takes weeks to prepare. Finally the cooking begins. S-behavioral types begin making the feel-good foods first, desserts and appetizers, weeks ahead of time. Personalized invitations are prepared for guests, a few S-types preferring the hand-written invitation, taking the time to personalize each note. Every course is prepared from scratch using his/her favorite recipes, including special foods for the kids and anyone on a special diet. Often times the recipes are family traditions, handed down through the generations. They rarely use the microwave except for warming things up. Guests are seated in groups by family and friends. During dinner the S-behavioral type offers to share his/her recipes with everyone and likely have copies already prepared for distribution. There is always extra food for guests to take home in doggy-bags. The doggy bags may even have each guest's name on them including a label with what's inside and the date.

C Style

High C behavioral types prepare dinner for just the immediate family or may even prefer to eat alone. Dinner is more like a tradition or ritual than a celebration. Guests receive a formal invitation and an RSVP is required. C-types shop with coupons which are organized by aisles. They have a budget and click off items on a calculator as they work their way up and down the aisles. C-types have a practice run of each course throughout the preceding week. Recipes are followed exactly as written using measuring cups, utensils and timers. C-behavioral types would never think of substituting an ingredient, not even one brand for another. Guests have assigned seats and name cards are typed at each setting. (The cards are saved after each meal and re-used at future family events.) Rarely do C-types have any food left over - that would mean they made a mistake. If food is left over, they store it by meals in compartmentalized containers, just like the old "TV dinner". If asked about a recipe, C's describe each course in excruciating detail including the cost of the ingredients, the best place to purchase them, the best time to shop. The recipes are available upon request, which are stored in alphabetical order on computer printouts in the filing cabinet. After dinner, C's refuse everyone's offer to clean up - they have an unchangeable routine and a special place for everything. If by chance you get to peek inside their cabinets, don't be surprised to see the canned goods alphabetized and sized. If the C-Behavioral type does allow you to help, expect explicit instructions how to wash, dry, and put things away...and criticism when you don't do it exactly the "right" way. No one can clean up or put away the dishes as good as the high C behavioral type- so they think!

A most important take-away from understanding behavioral types is that no one style is right or wrong. Likewise there is not one right way or one wrong way to prepare Thanksgiving dinner.

There is, however, a right way to celebrate Thanksgiving - be thankful for the opportunity to share Thanksgiving with friends and relatives, be thankful for the food you enjoy, be thankful for whomever prepares your meal, and be thankful we can laugh at our behavior!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Sixty-two percent of employees who said they have an effective manager also said they planned to stay with their job versus 17% of employees who said their manager is ineffective who plan to stay with their job, according to a survey of 10,000 U.S. workers, plus 1,000 workers each in India, China, Brazil, the U.K. and Germany.

Kenexa Research Institute conducted the survey. The Institute is a unit of Wayne, Pennsylvania-based Kenexa, a recruitment and retention consulting firm.

Where do managers go wrong? "A lot of it has to do with treating employees with dignity and respect," Mr. Wiley said.

He has found that often "employees were simply asking to be recognized, for the manager to say 'hi' to someone in the morning, to say 'thank you' for the work performed," Mr. Wiley said. "It doesn't really cost you anything in many respects to be considered a more effective manager."

Read more about skilled worker shortages in the NEW Perfect Labor Storm 2.0 (soft and hard cover versions)

NEW Chapters! Generational Conflicts in the Workplace, Managing the Future Workforce, Attracting Young Employees in a Seller's Job Market plus hundreds of new facts, trends and stats.

To order Perfect Labor Storm 2.0, call 800.803.4303. Discounts for orders of 10 or more. Specify hard or soft cover.

As early as 300 BC, Aristotle observed that the images speakers create of themselves are their strongest persuasive tools. Each person has various traits, abilities, and personality characteristics that influence these messages. Effective impression management means accenting some of those characteristics and de-emphasizing others. It involves putting on one's "best face" but not necessarily putting on a false face.

DISCovering the Styles is 162-pages filled with everything you need to know about:
- How the DISC Behavioral Styles Learn
- DISC Styles Approach to Decision Making
- DISC Styles Approach to Leadership
- DISC Styles Approach to Work

We all have a basic behavioral style that affects how we work, play, communicate and build relationships. CriteriaOne® DISC Behavioral Style reports produce an overview of four basic behavioral styles based on an individual's responses to a short 10 to 15 minute questionnaire. Each report then describes how an employee will deal with problems, interact with people, comply with rules and procedures, and the pace at which he or she will work.

CriteriaOne® DISC also provides management with a powerful new business tool to accurately measure the cores behaviors and skills that drive workplace performance using a proprietary job fit and team building Style Insights Map. Read more about CriteriaOne DISC reports.

E-Net Hire enables any hiring authority, from any location, to administer an overt integrity assessment that has been custom-tailored for that particular position, and to receive the results instantly over any phone line. Through the use of these assessments in position profiling, the likelihood of matching candidates to the position and creating an effective development strategy is enhanced.

Stand back all bosses! A new breed of American worker is about to attack everything you hold sacred: from giving orders, to your starched white shirt and tie. They are called, among other things, "millennials." There are about 80 million of them, born between 1980 and 1995, and they're rapidly taking over from the baby boomers who are now pushing 60.

They were raised by doting parents who told them they are special, played in little leagues with no winners or losers, or all winners. They are laden with trophies just for participating and they think your business-as-usual ethic is for the birds. And if you persist in the belief you can, take your job and shove it.

As correspondent Morley Safer reports, corporate America is so unnerved by all this that companies like Merrill Lynch, Ernst & Young, Disney and scores of others are hiring consultants to teach them how to deal with this generation that only takes "yes" for an answer.

Permission is granted to consultants, managers, business owners and HR professionals to reproduce content from this newsletter for your internal publications, or to distribute copies to your workforce, on the condition that you reproduce the credits and contact information as follows: "Reprinted with permission from Ira S Wolfe and Success Performance Solutions. Copyright 2007 Ira S Wolfe." We also hope you will forward the newsletter in its entirety and recommend to others that they subscribe.