gotaKiss ThinkingStylesProfile

DateofCompletion:22May2006

ThinkingStylesisaregisteredtrademarkwhollyownedbyTheCognitiveFitnessConsultancyLtd. ThinkingStyleshasbeendevelopedbyTheCognitiveFitnessConsultancyLtd.andConsultingToolsLtd. 2000-2005TheCognitiveFitnessConsultancyLtd.andConsultingToolsLtd.Allrightsreserved.

Contents
ReportSummary
3 4 5 6 7 Introduction

DefinitionsforeachThinkingStyledimension

SummaryofYourPersonalPreferenceScores

ComparativeSTENscoresagainstaManagerialsample YourPersonalPreferenceScoresinRankOrder

Your12MiniProfiles:YourThinkingStylesinAction
8 9 Introduction YourCognitiveDrivers YourCognitiveDevelopmentAreas HowtoManageYou

10 11 12 13 14

YourMotivationalProfile

YourStyleasaManager YourLeadershipProfile HowtoInfluenceYou

YourAnalysis&DecisionMakingProfile YourPreferredPresentationStyle YourContributiontoaTeam YourChangeManagementProfile

YourCommunicationProfile

YourThinkingStylesinDetail
15-16 17-20 21-27 28

SensoryFocusedDimensions PeopleFocusedDimensions TaskFocusedDimensions

NotesandKeyLearningPoints

ThinkingStylesExercises

ExercisesindevelopingflexibilityinthinkingskillsandmoreinformationabouttheThinkingStylesdimensionsare availableatwww.cognitivefitness.co.uk

ThinkingStylesisaself-reported,self-perceptioninventory.Thiscognitiveprofileandreporthasbeenpreparedwitheverycareandingood faith.TheinterpretationisgeneratedfromthesumoftheresponsestothestatementsintheThinkingStylesQuestionnaire.NeitherThe CognitiveFitnessConsultancyLtd.,ConsultingToolsLtd.oryourfeedbackfacilitatoracceptanyresponsibilityfortheinterpretationofthedata withinthereportoranyactionstakenbyaclientasaresultofthereceiptoftheirprofileorreport.

ThinkingStylesgotaKiss22May2006

Introduction
"The world we have created is a product of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking." AlbertEinstein1879-1955 ThinkingStylesmeasuresandmapsoutyourcognitiveprofilefortwenty-sixdifferenttypesofthinking. Thereareno"right"or"wrong"profilesandThinkingStylesisnotameasureofyourthinkingabilityoryour "intelligence".Itisquitelikelythatyouwillhaveanumberofpreferencesforthinkinginparticularways.Thesewill bereflectedinyourhighestscoresandyoumayalsofindthatyourhighestscoresreflectsomeofyour motivationaldriversatwork.Similarly,yourlowestscoresarelikelytoreflectthosetypesofthinkingthatyouleast preferandwhichyoumayavoiddoingorwhichmayde-motivateyouonoccasion.

KeyfeaturesofThinkingStyles:

Eachthinkingstyleisindependent,althoughsomestylesareoftenmorecloselyassociatedtogetherthan others The26ThinkingStylesaresub-dividedintoaSensoryfocus,aPeoplefocusandaTaskfocus TheSensorystylesidentifyhowyouprefertoprocessinformationviayoursenses ThePeoplestylesidentifyhowyoutendtointeractwithotherpeople

TheTaskfocusstylesidentifyhowyouprocessinformationrelatingtotasksatworkandhowyoutendto approachproblemsolving

Report

YourReportisdividedintothreeparts.ThefirstpartmapsyourPersonalProfile,showingyourpreferencesfor eachofthethinkingstyles.Thesecondpartcomprises12personalprofilesdesignedasstartingpointsfor discussionsbetweenyourselfandyourmanager,yourcoachoryourfacilitator.Eachprofilebrieflyexplainshow yourthinkingstylepreferencesarelikelytoinfluenceanareaofyourworkinglife.Someofthesewillbemore importanttoyouthanothersandsomemaybecriticaltoyourfuturecareersuccess.Thethirdpartdescribes eachstyleinmoredetailandtheimplicationsofyourpersonalpreferencesforthatthinkingstyle.

ScoringMethods

TherearefivekindsofscoringinformationshownwithinyourThinkingStylesReport.ThefirstistheRawScore. TheotherfourtaketheRawScoredataandtranslateitintoanotherkindofscoreasdetailedbelow.Eachtypeof scoreprovidesyouwithdifferentinformationabouthowyouprefertothinkatwork. RawScoresarethesumtotalsofyourresponsesfromtheThinkingStylesQuestionnaireandarethebasis forproducingyour%SpreadScores,yourResponseDistributionScoresandyourSTENScores.

%SpreadScoresmeasurethedegreetowhichyouboth'like'and'dislike'thinkinginaparticularway.Thisis shownintermsofa%rangeonthepositiveandnegativesidesofa100%scale. PreferenceLevelsshowwhetheryouhaveahigh,moderateorlowpersonalpreferenceforeachtypeof thinking. ResponseDistributionScoresindicatehowyourresponsestothestatementswithintheThinkingStyles Questionnairehavevariedacrossthedimensionfromstronglyagreetostronglydisagree.

STENScoresmeasureyourThinkingStylepreferencescomparedtoarepresentativeManagerialsample

ThinkingStylesgotaKiss22May2006

DimensionDefinitions
SensoryFocus:Thewaysyouprefertoreceiveinformationviayoursensesanduseyour senses
Visualthinking:involveslookingandwatching,theuseofpictures,diagramsandvisualimagery Auditorythinking:focusesonlanguageandtheuseofwords,listeningandtalkingthingsthrough Kinaestheticthinking:involvesfeelings,emotions,intuitionandphysicalmovementandexercise Digitalthinking:focusesonfacts,theuseofdataandstatisticsandyourdegreeofdatarationality

PeopleFocus:Howyoutendtointeractwithpeople

Internalthinking:reliesonownjudgementsandstandards,believesoneselftoberightandignoresfeedback Externalthinking:reliesonfeedbackfromothersasmayfeellostwithoutit,believesthatothersareright

SelfReferencedthinking:putsownneedsfirst,ignorestheneedsofothersandmayrefuserequestsfortime Altruisticthinking:isresponsivetotheneedsofothersandisalwayswillingtohelpotherpeople Conformingthinking:wantstofitin,dislikesconfrontationandwilltakeanon-challengingapproach Challengingthinking:dislikesbeingtoldwhattodo,willchallengeandconfront,canbeargumentative

Collaborativethinking:involvesothers,sharesinformation,alwaysprefersateamenvironment Competitivethinking:wantstowin,enjoyscompetitionwithothers,andstrivestobetterownperformance

TaskFocus:Relatingtotasksandactivitiesatworkandyourapproachtoproblemsolving
DetailConsciousthinking:needsthedetail,attendstodetailedinformationandproducesdetailedwork Strategicthinking:focusesongeneralprinciplesandsummaryinformation,oftenintermsofkeypoints Creativethinking:multi-tasks,worksthingsout'backwards',hasanuntidyworkspace,enjoyscreativity Logicalthinking:systematicandsequential,orderedandstructured,completesonetaskatatime

Optionsthinking:exploresopportunities,possibilities,andalternatives,dislikeslimitedoptions,addstowork Proceduralthinking:believesthereisa'right'way,thatproceduresareimportantandfollowsinstructions Towardsthinking:afocusongoalsandtargets,futurefocusedandhasapositiveattitude Troubleshootingthinking:afocusonproblemsorpotentialproblems,makescontingencies,mayworry

Proactivethinking:initiatesaction,wantstogetonwiththings,makesdecisionsandtakesactionquickly Reactivethinking:waits,analysesandplans,reviewsinformationandconsidersconsequences Simplicitythinking:willsimplifycomplexissues,hasaperceptionofsimplicity,prefersthingstobeeasy Complexitythinking:enjoysthechallengeofdifficultyandcomplexissues,motivatedbycomplexity

Samenessthinking:seeksstabilityandprefersthefamiliar,noticessimilaritiesandprefersgradualchange Differencesthinking:seeksvariety,noticeswhatisdifferent,hasahighcapacityandtoleranceforchange

ThinkingStylesgotaKiss22May2006

SummaryofYourPersonalPreferenceScores
%SpreadScoresForgotaKiss
Your%SpreadScoresmeasurethedegreetowhichyouboth'like'and'dislike'thinkinginaparticularway. ScoresontherightarethedegreetowhichyouLikethinkingusingthesethinkingstrategies ScoresontheleftarethedegreetowhichyouDislikethinkingusingthesethinkingstrategies SensoryFocus:Thewaysyouprefertoreceiveinformationviayoursensesanduseyoursenses
Auditory Visual Visual Auditory Digital +100

Kinaesthetic Dislike

Digital -100

Kinaesthetic High -70 Moderate -30 Low 0 0 Low 30 Moderate 70 High Like

PeopleFocus:Howyoutendtointeractwithpeople
External Altruistic Internal Self Internal Self External Altruistic

Collaborative Competitive Dislike

Challenging

Conforming

Conforming

Challenging Competitive +100 Like

Collaborative -100 High -70 Moderate -30 Low 0 0 Low 30 Moderate 70 High

TaskFocus:Relatingtotasksandactivitiesatworkandyourapproachtoproblemsolving
Strategic Detail Detail Strategic Creative Logical Options

Creative Options

Logical

Procedures Troubleshooting

Towards

Procedures Towards Troubleshooting Proactive Reactive

Proactive

Complexity Difference Dislike

Simplicity

Reactive

Simplicity

Sameness -100 High -70 Moderate -30 Low 0 0 Low 30 Moderate 70 High

Complexity Sameness Difference +100 Like

ThinkingStylesgotaKiss22May2006

ComparativeSTENScores
ForgotaKiss
YourSTENScoreindicatesthewayinwhichyouhavescoredcomparedtoarepresentativeManagerial sample. 16%ofthepopulationwillscoreBelowtheAverageRange 68%ofthepopulationwillscoreWithintheAverageRange 16%ofthepopulationwillscoreAbovetheAverageRange 2%ofthepopulationwillscoreatthehighestandlowestendsofthescale,i.eaSTENof1or10 SensoryFocus:Thewaysyouprefertoreceiveinformationviayoursensesanduseyoursenses
Visual Auditory Digital

6 5 5 7

Visual

Kinaesthetic
1 belowaveragerange 3.5 withinaveragerange 7.5 aboveaveragerange 10

Auditory Digital

Kinaesthetic

PeopleFocus:Howyoutendtointeractwithpeople
Internal Self External Altruistic

3 4 4 5 5 6 6 5
10

Internal Self

External Altruistic

Conforming

Challenging Competitive

Conforming

Collaborative
1 belowaveragerange 3.5 withinaveragerange 7.5 aboveaveragerange

Challenging Competitive

Collaborative

TaskFocus:Relatingtotasksandactivitiesatworkandyourapproachtoproblemsolving
Detail Strategic Creative Logical Options

6 4 3 7 5 5 3 6 5 9 3 5 6 3

Detail

Strategic Creative Logical Options

Procedures Towards Troubleshooting Proactive Reactive

Procedures Towards Troubleshooting Proactive Reactive

Simplicity

Complexity Sameness Difference

Simplicity

Complexity Sameness Difference

belowaveragerange

3.5

withinaveragerange

7.5

aboveaveragerange

10 5

ThinkingStylesgotaKiss22May2006

PersonalPreferencesScoresinRankOrder
ForgotaKiss
ThispageshowsasummaryofthefivedifferentkindsofscoringinformationmeasuredwithinyourThinking Stylesreportinrankorder.Ifyouhaveanyhigh%Spreadscorepreferencestheyareshownatthetopofthe pageingreen,yourmoderatepreferencesareshowninblueandyourlowpreferenceswillbeatthebottomofthe pageinred. High %SpreadScore Moderate 0to67 0to67 0to67 0to62 0to62 0to60 0to60 0to56 0to54 -7to52 0to52 0to50 0to48 0to47 -8to44 -12to42 -10to40 -8to39 -10to33 Low -21to29 -17to28 -17to28 -30to27 -25to25 -33to11 0to71 Dimension Options Collaborative Visual Proactive Auditory Altruistic Reactive Challenging Difference Kinaesthetic Troubleshooting Complexity Logical Detail Digital Towards Strategic Competitive Procedures Internal Simplicity Conforming Creative External Self Sameness STEN 5 6 6 5 5 5 9 6 3 5 6 5 7 6 7 3 4 5 5 3 3 5 3 4 4 6 Focus Task People Sensory Task Sensory People Task People Task Sensory Task Task Task Task Sensory Task Task People Task People Task People Task People People Task RawScore 15 12 16 12 15 17 11 11 14 19 17 17 15 23 13 16 22 14 17 15 22 19 19 16 26 22 Response Distribution 0.17 0.00 0.00 0.29 0.17 0.17 0.20 0.37 0.24 0.43 0.36 0.25 0.25 0.25 0.24 0.37 0.41 0.37 0.34 0.32 0.42 0.34 0.34 0.49 0.41 0.24

Your%SpreadScore:measuresthedegreetowhichyouboth'like'and'dislike'thinkinginaparticularway.This isshownintermsofapercentagerangeonthepositiveandnegativesidesofa100%scale. YourPreferenceLevel:showswhetheryouhaveahigh,moderateorlowpersonalpreferenceforeachtypeof thinking.

YourSTENScore:measuresyourThinkingStylepreferencescomparedtoarepresentativeManagerialsample. YourRawScore:isthesumtotalofyourresponsesfromtheThinkingStylesQuestionnaireandisthebasisfor producingyour%SpreadScores,yourResponseDistributionScoresandyourSTENScores.

YourResponseDistributionScore:indicateshowyourresponsestothestatementswithintheThinkingStyles Questionnairehavevariedacrossthedimensionfromstronglyagreetostronglydisagree.(0=noresponse distribution). Yourfacilitatorwillhelpyouintheinterpretationofthesescores.

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YourMiniProfiles YourThinkingStylesinAction
Onthefollowingsixpagesaretwelvemini-profiles.Theyhavebeengeneratedfromyourresponsestothe ThinkingStylesQuestionnaireandprovide"snapshots"ofinformationabouthowyourthinkinginfluences thewaysyouaremostlikelytobehaveatworkincertainsituationsandcircumstances. Thestatementsintheseminiprofilesarenotmeanttobeexhaustivelists,butratherhavebeendesignedto bestartingpointsfordiscussionsbetweenyourselfandyourmanager,yourcoachoryourfacilitator.Each profilebrieflyexplainshowyourthinkingstylepreferencesinfluenceanareaofyourworkinglife.Someof thepointswithintheprofileswillbequitespecific,whilstothersaremoregeneralstatementsabouttheway youwork.Someofthesewillbemoreimportanttoyouthanothersandafewofthemmayevenbecriticalto yourfuturecareersuccess. Theseminiprofileswillhelpyoutoclarifyyourstrengthsandwillalsoidentifythoseareaswhereyoumay becomefrustratedwithcolleaguesortasksatwork. Manyoftheprofilesrelatetoyourpreferredstyleofworkingwithinateamenvironmentandyour contributionsasateammember. YourCognitiveDevelopmentAreasprofilecontainspointersforimprovingyoureffectivenessinordertohelp youandthepeopleyouworkwithmaximiseyourperformanceandpotential. Ifyouwouldliketoexploreanyoftheseareasfurther,yourThinkingStylesfacilitatorwillbeabletoprovide exercisestohelpyoudevelopgreatercognitiveflexibilityineachtypeofthinkingwithinThinkingStyles. Thetwelveminiprofilescomprise: 1. YourCognitiveDrivers 2. YourCognitiveDevelopmentAreas 3. YourMotivationalProfile 4. YourAnalysis&DecisionMakingProfile 5. YourStyleasaManager 6. HowtoManageYou 7. YourCommunicationProfile 8. YourPreferredPresentationStyle 9. YourLeadershipProfile 10. YourContributiontoaTeam 11. HowtoInfluenceYou 12. YourChangeManagementProfile

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YourMiniProfiles
1.YourCognitiveDrivers
Yourcognitivedriversarethosethinkingpreferencesandthinkingstrategiesthatyouscoremosthighlyfor. Theymaybesoimportanttoyouthatallotherinformationisfilteredthroughthemandwillprobablyinclude thosetypesofthinkingwhichyounaturallyengageinmosteffectively.Theymaysometimesbeconsidered tobeyourcognitivestrengthsandwillbehighlyappropriateincertaincircumstances,althoughpossiblynot inothers.Someofthemarequitelikelytobethosedefiningcharacteristicswhich'getyounoticed'atwork. Itisimportanttorememberthat,althoughwehaveidentifiedtheattributesbelowasbeingyourcognitive driversandpossiblyyourcognitivestrengths,incertainsituationsatworkorwithcertaincolleagues,they mightalsobeconsideredtobedisadvantageous.Forexample,someonewhothinksveryquicklymightthink tooquicklyfortheircolleagues.Someonewhoisveryadeptatunderstandingcomplexissues,might over-complicatethemandbeunabletoexplainthemsimplytoothers.Amanagerwhohasahighstrategic focusmightoverlookcriticaldetailsandconversely,someonewhothinksinahighlydetailedwaymaylack strategicunderstanding. Someofyourcognitivedriversarethat: Opportunityandpossibilityareimportanttoyou Youwilllookforopportunitiestoworkcollaborativelywithothers Youarelikelytohaveaclearvisionabouthowyouwouldlikethingstolookatwork Otherpeople'swellbeingatworkisveryimportanttoyou,tosuchanextentthatyouwillsometimes puttheirneedsaboveyourown Thediscussionsandconversationsyouhavewithpeopleareimportanttoyouandyouarevery likelytobeabletorememberthem

2.YourCognitiveDevelopmentAreas

Yourcognitivedevelopmentareasarethoseelementsofthinkingwithinyourprofilewhichyouhave identifiedasyourleastpreferredwaysofthinkingandwhichyouhavescoredleasthighlyfor.Youprobably tendtoavoidusingthesethinkingstylesandyoumayevenactivelydislikeusingsomeofthem.Itisquite likelythatyourcolleagueswillhavenoticedatleastsomeofthecognitiveandbehaviouralattributeslisted belowandmayevenconsiderthemtobe'weaknesses'ofyours.However,whilstitistruethatincertain situationsyoumayavoidusingthesethinkingstrategies,rememberthattheCognitiveDevelopmentAreas wehavelistedherearepotentialweaknessesandmaynot,infact,adverselyaffectyourperformanceatall. Itispossible,evenquitelikely,thatyoumayalreadybeawareofsomeorallofthepointslistedbelow.After discussionswithyourfacilitatororlinemanager,youmaywishtoconsiderdevelopingthoseareasofyour thinkingwhichcauseeitheryourselforyourcolleaguesdifficultiesatwork. Someofyourcognitivedevelopmentareasarethat: Somecolleaguesmayfindyoudifficulttoworkwithduetoyourtendencytochallengeandquestion information Colleaguesmayoccasionallydescribeyouasbeingindecisive Youmaysometimeseitherfailtoseekfeedbackfromcolleagues,ornotlistentoitwhentheygiveit toyou! Attimes,youmaysometimesputothersfirsttothedetrimentofyourownneeds Attimes,youmayneedtotakeamorestrategicapproach
ThinkingStylesgotaKiss22May2006 8

3.YourMotivationalProfile

Yourmotivationalprofilecomprisesthoseelementsofthinkingwhichyougenerallyfindtobemotivatingat work.Thesetypesofthinkingmayberelatedtoyourcognitivedrivers,althoughthisisnotalwaysthecase. Justasyouarelikelytobehighlymotivatedbytheopportunitytousethesetypesofthinkingatwork,you willprobablyfindyourworkingenvironmentdemotivatingifyoucannotusethem.Thefollowingstatements arenotgoingtobeanexhaustivelistastheyarearepresentativesampleoffiveitemsonly.However,they havebeencompiledfromthosestatementswithintheThinkingStylesQuestionnairewhichyouidentifiedas beingmotivationallyimportanttoyouatwork. Ifyouwanttoincreaseyoursatisfactionatwork,considerthetypesofthinkingyoufindenergising, enjoyableandmotivatingandthenevaluatetowhatdegreeyourcognitivemotivationalprofileisbeing fulfilledatwork. Yourcognitivemotivationalprofilesuggeststhat: Youarea'peopleperson'andaremotivatedbypersonalrelationships Youaremotivatedtothinkintermsofopportunitiesandpossibilities Youwillusuallyfinditmoremotivatingtoworkinateamthanonyourown Lookingandwatchingisamotivatinglearningstyleforyou.Ifyoucanseesomethingbeingdone youcanprobablylearnhowtodoit Youlikeexciting,fastmovingprojectsyoucanbeproactivelyinvolvedwith

4.YourAnalysis&DecisionMakingProfile

Youranalysisanddecisionmakingprofileismadeupofthoseelementswithinyourthinkingwhichinfluence thewaysyouconsiderinformationbeforecomingtoaconclusionortakingadecision.Forexample,some peoplerelyonlogicanddetails,whilstothersprefertomakeintuitivedecisions.PeoplewhoareInternally ReferencedandProactivewilltendtomakequickdecisionswhichtheyalsowanttoimplementquickly, whereassomeonewithahigherpreferenceforExternallyReferencedthinkingwillwanttoinvolveothersin theirdecisionmakingprocesses. Bytalkingtofriendsandcolleaguesabouttheircognitivestrategiesyoucanlearnhowotherpeopleanalyse andmaketheirmindsupaboutthings.Byexploringyourownanalysisanddecisionmakingprofileand discussingitwithyourfacilitator,youwillbeabletoimprovethequalityofyourdecisionmakingprofile, therebyhelpingyoutotakebetterqualitydecisions,consistentlyovertime. Youranalysisanddecisionmakingprofileincludesthefollowing: Youmaysometimesgeneratesomanyalternativesthatyoucanhavedifficultydecidingwhich optiontotake Youwilltendtoenjoycollaborativedecisionmaking Youliketogetonwithdecisionmakingandwillbecomefrustratedifprogressistooslowforyou Whentakingadecisionyouaremorelikelytoputotherpeoplefirstthanyourself Youfinditusefultotalkissuesthroughwithcolleagueswhenmakingadecision

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5.YourStyleasaManager

Muchhasbeenwrittenaboutthebehaviouralattributesofmanagers,butverylittleefforthasbeendirected towardsidentifyinganddiscussingtheircognitivecharacteristics,thatis,thethinkingwhichunderliestheir behaviour.It'simportanttorecogniseandrememberthatthereisno'onerightwaytomanage'.Each manager'sstyleisaproductoftheirownthinkingstylepreferences,whichcanbedevelopedandrefinedto increasetheireffectiveness. Todevelopyourskillsasamanager,regardlessofhowmuchexperienceyoumayhavehadintherole, considerhowyoutendtomanagepriorities,people,tasks,projectsandinformationatworkandhowflexible youare.Doyoumanageothersinthesamewaysthatyouprefertobemanaged?Whatcouldyoulearn fromyourmanagerandwhatcouldtheylearnfromyou? Yourmanagementstyleislikelytoreflectthefollowing: Wheninamanagementroleyouwillmaintainabalancebetweenprofessionalrelationshipsandthe achievementoftasks Youarelikelytobesupportivetostaffandcolleagues Yourcollaborativeapproachislikelytobeappreciatedbycolleagues Youconsideritimportanttomanagethedetails Youwilltakeaconfrontationalapproachwherenecessary

6.HowtoManageYou

Themajorityofpeoplehavealinemanagerorhaveelementsoftheirworkinglivesstructuredandordered byotherpeopleinsomeway.Withinsomeorganisations,people'sworkloadismanaged.Withinother organisationsitistheirtimethatismostcloselycontrolled.However,inmostorganisationsitisa combinationofthepeople,thetaskstheyperformandthetimetheytaketocompletethosetaskswhichare managed. Manybookshavebeenwrittenabouthowtomanagepeopleandtasksfromabehaviouralperspective,but verylittlehasbeenwrittenabouthowtomanagepeopleandtasksfromacognitiveperspective.Theway thatyouyourselfprefertobemanaged,yourlikesanddislikes,willrelatetoyourhighestandlowest cognitivepreferences.Inordertomanageyoumosteffectively,yourlinemanagershouldtakethefollowing intoconsideration. Tomanageyoueffectively: Allowyoutomakeyourownchoicesaboutthingsifpossible Takeacollaborativeapproachwithyouratherthanacompetitiveone Colleaguesneedtomaketheirexpectationscleartoyou Understandthatyoumaybecomefrustratedifyouthinkthatprogressistooslow Beclearabouttheimplicationsforothers

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7.YourCommunicationProfile

Mostwouldagreethatcommunicationbetweenpeopleiscriticalbothatworkandathome,andthat meaningfulcommunicationisoneofthemostdifficultthingstoachieveeffectively.Yourcognitive communicationprofileidentifiesyourpreferredsensorychannels,howyoutendtocommunicatewithothers andthemosteffectivewayforotherstocommunicatewithyou. Forexample,somepeopleareinterestedindetailedandcomplexinformation,whilstotherspreferthe overviewstatedsimply.Manypeoplestatethingsinapositiveway,whilstothershaveanaturaltendencyto usewhatsomewouldconsidertobe'negative'language.Byunderstandingyourownthinkingstyle preferencesyoucanlearntocommunicatemoreeffectivelyandavoidunnecessarymisunderstandingswith colleagues.Begintopayattentiontothebehavioursandlanguagepatternsofthebestcommunicators. Whatcanyoulearnabouttheircognitivestrategies? Yourcognitivecommunicationprofilesuggeststhefollowing: Youmaydislikeover-simplisticconversationsorpresentations Yourlanguageislikelytocontainwordssuchas"alternatives,explorepossibilities,generateoptions andopportunities" Youarelikelytowanttocollaborateonanycommunicationmaterialsyouhavetogenerate Youwillsometimesusevisuallanguageinyourcommunications Youwillpreferinformationtocontainlanguagethatisactionorientedandmovesthingsforward

8.YourPreferredPresentationStyle

Yourpreferredpresentationstyleislikelytobecloselyrelatedtoyourpreferredcommunicationprofile.This informationprovidesclues,forexample,astohowyouwillgenerallytendtodesignanddelivera presentation,itsspeedofdeliveryanditsformatandthekindofpresentationwhichyouwillpreferto receive.Althoughyoumayknowwhichkindsofpresentationyoutendtoenjoythemost,youmaynotbe awareoftheeffectthatyourpresentationshaveonotherpeople. Understandinghowyourthinkingstrategiesinfluenceyourpreferredpresentationstyleiscriticalwhen planningapresentation.Youcanlearntodeliverflexiblepresentationsthatmeettheneedsofyouraudience ratherthanbeingunconsciouslydrivenbyyourownthinkingstyles.Rememberthatyourpreferencesmay beverydifferenttothoseofyouraudience. Whatdothebestpresentersdo?Aretheycognitivelymoreflexiblethanyouareandifsohow?Whatcan youlearnfromthemaboutthespeedofdelivery,theiruseofvisuals,thecriticalityoflanguageandthe effectiveuseofmemorableprops? Yourpreferredpresentationstyleincludesthefollowing: Youwillprobablylikepresentationswhereanumberofoptionsaregivenandexplored Youwillnoticeifsomethingdoesn'tlookquiteright Apresentationwhichfocusesonsomekindofactionwillbemorerelevanttoyou Sloppylanguagewithinapresentationislikelytoannoyyou Youarelikelytopresentchallengingideas

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9.YourLeadershipProfile

Evenifyouarenotcurrentlyinaleadershiprole,youstillhavealeadershipprofilethatidentifiesthewaysin whichyouwillbemostlikelytothinkandbehavewhenyouareinapositiontoleadothers.Yourcognitive driversandyourcognitivemotivationalprofilewillinfluenceyourparticulartypeofleadershipstylebecause howyoutendtoleadotherswillbecloselyrelatedtoyourhighestandlowestthinkingstylespreferences. Someleadersarepredominantlytaskfocusedwhileotherstendtobe'peoplepeople'.Anecdotalevidence fromourexperiencewithteamssuggeststhatthemosteffectiveleadershaveabalanceofbothapeople andataskfocus.ReviewyourhighestThinkingStylespreferencesandconsiderhowtheycontributetoyour leadershipofateamofpeopleoryourleadershipofaproject.Youmayalsofinditusefultoexplorewith yourfacilitatorhowyourleadershipstyleisaffectedwhenyouareunderstress. Yourprofilesuggeststhat: Foryou,aleadershiproleinvolvesexploringalltheoptions Youarelikelytoinvolveothersinaleadershiprolesothatyoudon'thavetodoitalone Foryou,leadershipisallaboutleadingforthebenefitofothers Insomeways,youarelikelytoleadthroughlanguage Analysisandplanningarecriticaltoanyleadershipdecisionsyoumightmake

10.YourContributiontoaTeam

Manypeopleworkaspartofmorethanoneteamatatime.Ateammightberelatively'fixed'withina department,oritmightbeacross-functionalteam,amulti-cultural,multi-hierarchicalteam,oran inter-departmentalteam.Becausepeoplearefrequentlyleavingandjoiningteams,thedynamicsofteam membershiparerarelystable.Knowingwhateachteammember'scontributionsarelikelytobefroma ThinkingStylesperspectivecandramaticallyincreasethespeedofpeople'sintegrationintoateamandcan helpfasttrackateamtosuccess.Therewillalsobeameasurableincreaseinthewholeteam'smotivationif teammemberscanworktotheirindividualandcombinedcognitivestrengths. Giventheopportunitiestoworkinthewaysthatsuitsyourcognitiveprofilebest,yourcontributiontoateam islikelytobeconsistentwithinanyteamthatyouareapartof. Withinateam: Youaregoodatgeneratingalternativesandconsideringdifferentoptions Youalwaysseektoworkwithothersinacollaborativeenvironmentifpossible Youareabletoexplaindiagramstoothers Youcanbereliedontogetthingsdone Youalwaystrytoworksupportivelywithcolleagues

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11.HowtoInfluenceYou

Thisminiprofilewillgiveyourlinemanagerandyourcolleagues(ifyoudecidetoshareyourThinkingStyles reportwiththem)somecluesastohowtoinfluenceyouatwork.Whenpeoplepayattentiontothese 'cognitiveclues'theywillfindworkingwithyouamoreeffectiveandenjoyableexperience.Youwillfeelasif theyunderstandhowyouthinkandyouarelikelytofindthismotivating,andoverallyourworking relationshipsandteamworkingwillimprove. Rememberthat,aswithalltheseminiprofiles,fivestatementsarenotenoughtoidentifyallofyourlikesand dislikesregardinghowyouwillbeinfluencedatwork.Thestatementsbelowhavebeenselectedfromthe highest,andpossiblythelowest,preferencesyouindicatedwithinyourThinkingStylesQuestionnaire. Toinfluenceyou: Minimiserepetitiveandmundanetasks Beawarethatyoutendnottoputyourselffirstandwillprobablydislike'selfish'behaviourinothers Avoidgivingyoulotsoffeedbackasyoumayignoreit Don'ttryandforceyoutoconformorfitin Avoidover-simplificationasyoumayfinditirritating,orworse,patronising

12.YourChangeManagementProfile

Yourchangemanagementprofilecomprisesthoseelementsofthinkingwhichrelatetowhetheryou embraceorresistchange,andwhetheryouaremorelikelytoinitiatechangeorrespondtoit.Forexample, someonewithahighpreferenceforDifferencesthinkingtendstohaveahightoleranceforchangeandmay sometimes'changethingsforchange'ssake'justbecausetheythemselveshavebecomeboredwiththe statusquoandhaveaneedforvariety. ThosepeoplewhoscorehighlyforProactivethinkingwilltendtowanttomakeanychangesquicklywhereas Reactivethinkinginvolvestakingamoreconsideredapproach,delayingchangeandwaitingbefore implementinganyaction.ApreferenceforInternallyReferencedthinkingsuggestsconfidenceregarding decisionmaking,includingthosedecisionswhichrelatetoothers. Yourchangemanagementprofileincludesthefollowing: Youhaveahightoleranceforchangewithinyourworkenvironment Althoughyouhavequiteahightoleranceforchange,youwillalsobeconcernedabouttheproblems changecanbring Youmaysometimesbetemptedtochallengechange,particularlyifyouhaven'tbeeninvolvedinthe decisionmakingorimplementationprocess Youwillbeconcernedabouttheeffectofchangeonotherpeople Youwillwanttobeinvolvedinanystrategicdecisionmakingrelatingtochangewithinan organisation

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SensoryFocus
VisualThinking
-100

Your%SpreadScore
-70 -30 0 30 70 100

STEN 6

TherearetwotypesofVisualthinking:internalandexternal.Internalvisualthinkingconsistsofbeingabletohold avisualimageinsideyourownimaginationandiscloselylinkedtothetechniqueofvisualisation.Externalvisual processingrelatestoapreferenceforlearningbylookingorwatching,findingiteasiertounderstandinformationif diagramsorsketchesareusedandtheimportancegiventopresentinginformationinaclearvisualformat; makingeverything'lookgood'. YourscoresindicatethatyouhaveaModeratepersonalpreferenceforVisualThinking. YourscorefallswithinthesamerangeasthemajorityoftheManagerialSample. Yourresponsessuggestthatyou:

10

Findtheuseofdiagramsandsketcheshelpfulatworkandsometimesusethemyourselftoshowpeople whatyoumeanorexplainyourpointofview Areabletousethetechniqueofvisualisationandsometimesemployitatwork Tendtolearnbylookingorwatching Tendtofindinformationpresentedvisuallymeaningfultoyou Sometimesdeveloppicturesinyourheadwhensomeoneistalking

AuditoryThinking
-100

Your%SpreadScore
-70 -30 0 30 70 100

STEN 5

Auditorythinkingrelatestoafocusonwordsandlanguagethroughwriting,speakingandlistening.Auditory thinkersliketodebateissuesandtotalkthingsthroughwithfriendsorcolleagues.VeryoftenAuditorythinking alsoinvolvesafocusonlisteningandonthequalityofsound.Backgroundnoisecanbeverydistractingandsome peoplewithahighAuditorypreferenceneedtoworkinsilencesotheycanconcentrate. YourscoresindicatethatyouhaveaModeratepersonalpreferenceforAuditoryThinking. YourscorefallswithinthesamerangeasthemajorityoftheManagerialSample. Yourresponsessuggestthatyou:

10

Haveactivelydevelopedyourlisteningskillsovertheyearsandconsideryourselftobeagoodlistener Noticethesubtlequalitiesofpeople'svoicesandareoftenabletorecognisepeople'svoicesonthe phone Mayoftenfindtalkinganissuethroughwithacolleaguehelpful Sometimespaycloseattentiontothewordsandlanguagethatpeopleuse Tendtohavesensitivehearing

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KinaestheticThinking
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STEN 5

Kinaestheticthinkingcanbesub-dividedintotwotypesofprocessing.InternalKinaestheticthinkingrelatestoour feelingsandemotions.Italsorelatestothesenseofintuitionandthedegreetowhichpeoplerelyontheirintuitive feelingstomakedecisionsandfilterinformation.ExternalKinaestheticthinkingrelatestoour'physicality';the degreetowhichphysicalexerciseisimportantandhowmovementcanaffectinternalthinkingprocesses,for example,whethersomeoneprefersto'learnbydoing'orisparticularly'handson'atwork. YourscoresindicatethatyouhaveaModeratepersonalpreferenceforKinaestheticThinking. YourscorefallswithinthesamerangeasthemajorityoftheManagerialSample. Yourresponsessuggestthatyou:

10

Canfinditusefultomovearound,walkortakesomekindofexerciseinordertohelpyouthinkissues through Sometimeslearnexperientially,bydoing Sometimesuseyourintuitiveskillswhendecisionmaking Canbequiteatactilepersonatwork Aresometimesquitecomfortablerelyingonyourfeelingstohelpyouassessanidea

DigitalThinking
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STEN 7

Digitalinformationconsistslargelyofnumbersanddata,ignoringsensorystimulus.Dataandstatisticsarehighly digitalformsofinformationandsomelanguagecanbeaswell,ifitisdevoidofanysensoryreferences.Digital thinkersareinterestedinthedispassionateanalysisofinformation.Theymayalsousejargontodistance themselvesfromcertainsituationsthroughlanguage.Forexample,somepeoplewithinthemedicalorlegal professionsusedigitallanguagetodisassociatethemselvesfromtheir'cases',sotheydonotbecomeemotionally involvedwiththeirwork. YourscoresindicatethatyouhaveaModeratepersonalpreferenceforDigitalThinking. YourscorefallswithinthesamerangeasthemajorityoftheManagerialSample. Yourresponsessuggestthatyou: Usuallypayattentiontothefacts Canbedatarationaliftheinformationisrelevanttoyou Believethatsometimesdispassionateanalysisofthefactsisimportantatwork Enjoydataanalysis Sometimesfindtheanalysisofdataorstatisticsfascinating

10

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PeopleFocus
InternalThinking
-100

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STEN 3

InternallyReferencedthinkerssettheirownstandardsanddonottendtoseekfeedbackorinputfromother people.Attheextremeendofthescale,highlyInternallyReferencedthinkersalwaysthinkthattheyarerightand needtobecarefulthattheyarenotperceivedasbeingarrogantbytheircolleagues.Theyappearconfident, particularlyastheyfinddecision-makingrelativelyeasy.However,otherthinkingstrategiesarealsoneededto ensurethatthequalityofthosedecisionsisconsistentlyhigh. YourscoresindicatethatyouhaveaModeratepersonalpreferenceforInternalThinking. YourscoreislowerforthistypeofthinkingthanthemajorityoftheManagerialSample. Yourresponsessuggestthatyou:

10

Haveyourowninternalstandardsbywhichyoudecidewhat'sright Experiencetimeswhenyouarereallysureaboutanissue,andothertimeswhenyouarenotsosure Sometimesthinkthatotherpeople'sopinionsarerightratherthanyourown Canusuallydecideforyourselfifsomeone'scriticismofyouisvalidornot

ExternalThinking
-100

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STEN 4

ThefocusforanExternalthinkerisonfindingoutwhatotherpeoplethinkregardingtheissuestheyareinvolved with,becausethishelpsthemmakeuptheirownmind.Theyareveryinterestedinfeedbackfromothersandmay refusetomakeadecisionuntiltheyhaveheardwhattheircolleagueshavetosay.Someonewithastrong Externalreferenceislikelytobelievethatwhatotherpeopletellthemiscorrectandtheytendtofeellostifthey don'treceivefeedback.Theyprefertomakedecisionsbyconsensusandmayscorepoorlyonconventional decisionratingscales. YourscoresindicatethatyouhaveaLowpersonalpreferenceforExternalThinking. YourscorefallswithinthesamerangeasthemajorityoftheManagerialSample. Yourresponsessuggestthatyou: Liketoreceivefeedbackaboutyourperformanceatwork Don'talwaysbelievethatwhatotherpeoplesayiscorrect Alwayslistentofeedbackfromothersevenifitisnegativefeedback Areusuallyverysureofyourself

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SelfReferencedThinking
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STEN 4

SelfReferencedthinkinginvolvesabeliefthatyourneedsarejustasimportantasotherpeoples'andthatthere aretimeswhenitisimportanttoputyourselffirstatwork.However,SelfReferencedThinkingcanalsomean puttingyourdepartment,yourteamoryourorganisationfirst.HighlySelfReferencedthinkersoftenlikeworking aloneastheycanfindbeinginterruptedbyotherpeopledistractingandeven,sometimes,irritating.Atthe extreme,highlySelfReferencedthinkerswillignoretheneedsofothers,refuserequestsfortheirtimeandbetoo busywiththeirownworktohelpsomeoneelse. YourscoresindicatethatyouhaveaLowpersonalpreferenceforSelfReferencedThinking. YourscorefallswithinthesamerangeasthemajorityoftheManagerialSample. Yourresponsessuggestthatyou: Tendtobelievethatyourneedsarejustasimportantasotherpeople's Arenevertoobusywithyourownworktohelpsomeoneelseiftheyneedit Willoccasionallyrefusearequestforyourtime Don'tignoreotherpeople'sproblemsatwork Believethatsometimes,puttingotherpeoplefirstatworkisamistake

10

AltruisticThinking
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STEN 5

Altruisticthinkersaresensitivetotheneedsofotherpeople.Theywillalwayshelpacolleagueiftheypossiblycan andtheyareveryresponsivetootherpeople'srequestsfortheirtimeortheirassistance.AnAltruisticthinkerwill notice(sometimesevenanticipate)others'needsandwillfocustheirenergyonlookingaftertheothermembers oftheirteamandtheircolleagues,bothphysicallyandpsychologically.Averyhighscorecanmeanthatthe Altruistthinkerputsotherpeoplefirstattheirownexpense. YourscoresindicatethatyouhaveaModeratepersonalpreferenceforAltruisticThinking. YourscorefallswithinthesamerangeasthemajorityoftheManagerialSample. Yourresponsessuggestthatyou: Feelthatotherpeople'swellbeingatworkisusuallyimportanttoyou Aregenerallywillingtohelpsomeoneifyoucan Canoftenbereliedontohelpyourcolleaguesout Willoftenrespondquicklyifsomeoneneedsyourhelp Generallythinkofyourselfasbeingquiteresponsivetootherpeople'sneeds

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ConformingThinking
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STEN 5

Conformingthinkersliketofitinandprefernotto'standoutinacrowd'.Theyareflexibleandadaptable,matching thecultureofanorganisationorateamwhenevertheycan.Takinganon-confrontationalapproachwherever possible,Conformingthinkerswillalwaystrytoavoidwhattheyperceivetobeanargumentordisagreement.This meansthattheyavoidchallengingothersandwilleitherwalkawayfromaconfrontationorwillseemtoagreeat leastonthesurface.However,theymaynotimplementorsupportwhatyouthinkthattheyhaveagreedto. YourscoresindicatethatyouhaveaLowpersonalpreferenceforConformingThinking. YourscorefallswithinthesamerangeasthemajorityoftheManagerialSample. Yourresponsessuggestthatyou: Usuallytrytofitinatwork Wouldsometimesprefertoavoidconfrontationifyoucan Willpursueaconfrontationalapproachwhenyouhaveto Donotalwaysdowhatpeopletellyouto Willsometimesmaketheefforttomatchtheprevailingculture

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ChallengingThinking
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STEN 6

Challengingthinkinginvolvestakingaconfrontationalapproach.AChallengingthinkerwillpushtheboundariesof whatevertheyareinvolvedwith.Theydislikebeingtoldwhattodoandtheywilloftenemployahighriskstrategy toachievetheirobjectives.The'Challenger'processesthroughdisagreement.Thismeansthattheirfirstresponse islikelytobenegative,howevertheywilloftenmovefrom'notoyes'.TheChallengingthinkercanbedifficultto workwithastheirnaturaltendencytoconfrontcanbedifficulttocopewithattimes. YourscoresindicatethatyouhaveaModeratepersonalpreferenceforChallengingThinking. YourscorefallswithinthesamerangeasthemajorityoftheManagerialSample. Yourresponsessuggestthatyou:

10

Willtakeaconfrontationalapproachwhereyouthinkitisnecessary Willsometimeschallengearuleifthereisn'tagoodreasonforit Alwaysprefertobeaskedratherthantoldwhattodo Canbeperceivedasbeing'difficulttomanage'asyouwillsometimeschallengethoseinauthority Cansometimesbeseentobequiteargumentativeatwork

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CollaborativeThinking
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STEN 6

Collaborativethinkinginvolvesseekingopportunitiestoworkwithotherpeoplebothinsideandoutsidethe organisation.Collaborativethinkersarenaturallyaffiliativeandwillbeactivenetworkerswhoseekoutthe companyofotherswithwhomtheycanworksuccessfully.Theywillalwayspreferateamenvironmenttoworking alone.Theyarelikelytofitwellintoanyteamastheyfocustheirattentionondevelopingrelationshipsbyworking collaborativelyacrosshierarchiesandfunctionaldisciplines. YourscoresindicatethatyouhaveaModeratepersonalpreferenceforCollaborativeThinking. YourscorefallswithinthesamerangeasthemajorityoftheManagerialSample. Yourresponsessuggestthatyou:

10

Likeworkingcollaborativelyontasksandwillusuallytakeacollaborativeapproachwithcolleagues Enjoyateambasedapproachatworkandwillusuallyworkinateamifyoucan Tendtoshareinformationwithothers Usuallyliketoinvolveotherpeopleintheworkthatyoudo

CompetitiveThinking
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STEN 5

TherearetwokindsofCompetitivethinking:firstly,beingcompetitiveonlyagainstyourself,alwaystryingtobetter yourownperformanceregardlessofwhatanyoneelseisdoing,andsecondly,beingcompetitivewithother people.SomeCompetitivethinkersareonlyconcernedwithbeing'selfcompetitive'andothersarealwaysdriven totrytowinandbeatotherpeopleatanycost.Ifyourscorefallsatthehighendofthescaleyouarelikelytobe bothselfcompetitiveandcompetitivewithotherpeople. YourscoresindicatethatyouhaveaModeratepersonalpreferenceforCompetitiveThinking. YourscorefallswithinthesamerangeasthemajorityoftheManagerialSample. Yourresponsessuggestthatyou: Usuallytrytoimproveonyourperformance Feelthatwinningisimportanttoyou Maysometimesbecompetitivewithcolleaguesincertaincircumstances Enjoycompetitionbetweenpeopleincertaincircumstancesatwork Arenotreallyverycompetitive

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TaskFocus
DetailConsciousThinking
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STEN 6

ThinkinginaDetailedConsciouswaymeansbeingawareofthecriticalityofdetailsandfocusingonsmall'bite sized'chunksofinformation.Detailedthinkersneedthedetailtounderstandandmakesenseofsomethingand theybecomefrustratedifthesedetailsarelacking.Theyproducedetailedworkanddislikenotbeinggiventhe timetheyneedtocompleteatask.Problemscanarisewhendetailedthinkersdonotdifferentiatebetweendetails andregardthemallasequallyimportant. YourscoresindicatethatyouhaveaModeratepersonalpreferenceforDetailConsciousThinking. YourscorefallswithinthesamerangeasthemajorityoftheManagerialSample. Yourresponsessuggestthatyou: Onlypayattentiontodetailsincertaincircumstances Usuallyproducedetailedwork Willsometimesbecomefrustratedifdetailedinformationislacking Areonlymeticulousregardingimportantdetailsforonlysomeofthetime Sometimesnoticethosesmalldetailsthatotherpeoplemiss

10

StrategicThinking
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STEN 4

Strategicthinkinginvolvesafocuson'bigchunks'ofinformationratherthanonspecificdetails.Strategicthinkers tendtothinkingeneraltermsandwilloftenhaveafocusonlongtermplans.Theyneedtounderstandthe generalcontextinordertobeabletogivesomethingtheirattentionandtheywilloftenaskyouforanoverview. Theyliketoworkonbigprojectswheretheyhavetheopportunitytolinkpiecesofthejigsawpuzzletogetherto formthe'bigpicture'. YourscoresindicatethatyouhaveaModeratepersonalpreferenceforStrategicThinking. YourscorefallswithinthesamerangeasthemajorityoftheManagerialSample. Yourresponsessuggestthatyou:

10

Don'ttendtoneeddetailedinformationinordertounderstandsomething;initiallyatleast,the'general gist'ismoreimportanttoyou Wouldenjoybeinginvolvedinstrategicdecisionmaking Willtakeaflexibleapproach,sometimesfocusingonthekeypointsofareportorproposaland sometimesreadingthewholedocument Tendtoglossoverthedetailwhentakingastrategicapproach Tendtothinkspecificallyaboutissuesratherthaningeneralisedterms

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CreativeThinking
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STEN 3

Weareallcreative.Thistypeofthinking,althoughitislabeledasbeing'creative',involvesonlythefollowing thinkingstrategiesandbehaviours.Ifyouhavealowscorefortheseitdoesnotmeanthatyouarenotcreativein general,itjustmeansthatyoudonottendtodowhatwehavedescribed.HighlyCreativethinkerscanappear chaoticintheirprocessingandtheirworkspaceisoftenuntidy.Theynaturallymulti-taskasapreferredwayof workingandmaystruggletomeetdeadlines,particularlyastheyaresoeasilydistracted.Creativethinking involvestheabilitytomakeconnectionsandrecognisepatterns. YourscoresindicatethatyouhaveaLowpersonalpreferenceforCreativeThinking. YourscoreislowerforthistypeofthinkingthanthemajorityoftheManagerialSample. Yourresponsessuggestthatyou:

10

Prefertoworkontaskswhereyoucanbecreative Tendnottomulti-taskifyoucanavoidit Attimeshaveuntidypilesofworkonyourdeskandtendtoworkinabitofclutter Don'tlikehavingtoomanyprojectsonthegoatanyonetime Sometimesknowtheanswerfirst,andthenhavetoworkouthowyougottheanswerlater

LogicalThinking
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STEN 7

StructureandorderareimportanttoLogicalthinkers.Theyprefertofocusononetaskatatimeandthinkina linearandsequentialfashion,workingthroughataskfromitsbeginningtoitsend.Logicalthinkerstendtobe goodatconventionaltimemanagementandcanalwaysbereliedontomeettheirdeadlines.Theyarenoteasily distracted,howevertheydodislikeworkinginanuntidy,clutteredenvironment. YourscoresindicatethatyouhaveaModeratepersonalpreferenceforLogicalThinking. YourscorefallswithinthesamerangeasthemajorityoftheManagerialSample. Yourresponsessuggestthatyou: Thinksequentiallyonlysomeofthetime Willworkonasingletaskwhentheoccasiondemandsit Findthathavingastructuredordertoyourworkingdayisimportant Liketoworksystematicallythroughataskfrombeginningtoend Findthatthebeginningisusuallythemostobviousplacetostartsomething

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OptionsThinking
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STEN 5

Optionsthinkinginvolvesseekingalternativewaysofdoingthingsandthinkingintermsofopportunitiesand possibilities.TheOptionsthinkerismotivatedbybeingabletochooseanddislikesonlybeinggivenoneoptionas theythereforehavenochoice.Infact,ifyoudonotgivethemachoicetheywillautomaticallygenerateanother alternative,therebygivingthemselvesmorechoice.SometimestheOptionsthinkercanbecomeoverwhelmedby theoptionstheyhaveavailabletothemandbecomeparalysedintoinaction. YourscoresindicatethatyouhaveaHighpersonalpreferenceforOptionsThinking. YourscorefallswithinthesamerangeasthemajorityoftheManagerialSample. Yourresponsessuggestthatyou:

10

Usuallyprefertohaveachoiceinbothwhatyoudoatworkandhowyoudoit Cangeneratesomanydifferentoptionsthatyoumaysometimeshavedifficultychoosingwhichoptionto take Believethattherearealwaysalternativewaysofdoingsomething Willtendtogenerateanumberofpossibleoptionswhenproblemsolving Feelthatopportunityandpossibilityareimportanttoyou

ProceduralThinking
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STEN 5

Proceduralthinkingacknowledgesthatproceduresareimportantatworkandthatthereisaneedforaclearly definedframeworktoensurethatthingsaredonecorrectlyandthatrulesarefollowed.TheProceduralthinker looksforarecognisableprocedureandoncefoundwillfollowit,beinghighlymotivatedtocompleteit.Procedural thinkersmayfeellostiftheydon'thaveestablishedrulestofollowastheyliketoknowthattheyaredoing somethingthecorrectway. YourscoresindicatethatyouhaveaModeratepersonalpreferenceforProceduralThinking. YourscorefallswithinthesamerangeasthemajorityoftheManagerialSample. Yourresponsessuggestthatyou:

10

Recognisethatsomeprocedurescanbeimportant Willsometimesfollowproceduresifthereisagoodreasonforthem Don'tfindthatproceduresareanimportantpartofyourworkinglifeandyouwouldprobablypreferto ignorethemifyoucould Canrecognisethatthereissometimesaneedforbureaucracyand'redtape' Prefertolearnthe'correct'wayofdoingsomething

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TowardsThinking
-100

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STEN 3

Towardsthinkingisdistinguishedbyapositiveapproach.A'positivementalattitude'eveninthefaceofadversity isoneofthedefiningcharacteristicsofthistypeofthinking.AnotheristhefocusthatTowardsthinkershaveon achievingtheirgoalsandtargets.Theyarealwaysabletomaintaintheirattentionontheirobjectivesandcan alwaystellyouwhatitistheywanttoachieve.However,Towardsthinkersmayglossoverordismisspotential difficultiesorobstacles. YourscoresindicatethatyouhaveaModeratepersonalpreferenceforTowardsThinking. YourscoreislowerforthistypeofthinkingthanthemajorityoftheManagerialSample. Yourresponsessuggestthatyou: Tendtofindhavinggoalsandtargetsuseful Usuallymaintainapositiveattitude Tendtofocusonwhythingswon'tworkratherthanonwhytheywill Woulddescribeyourselfasbeingpositivesomeofthetime Onlymanagetoremainpositiveinthefaceofadversitysomeofthetime

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TroubleShootingThinking
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STEN 6

TroubleShootingThinkinginvolvestheidentificationofproblemsandpotentialproblemsthatneedtobeavoided. TheTroubleShooterthinksintermsofriskmanagement,focusingonwhatcouldgowronginthefutureandon preventingthere-occurrenceofpreviousproblems.Theyexcelatmakingcontingencyplans.Theytendtodislike risk-takingandoftenexcelinacrisissituation.However,theTroubleShootercansometimescreateproblemsto solveandfirestofight. YourscoresindicatethatyouhaveaModeratepersonalpreferenceforTroubleShootingThinking. YourscorefallswithinthesamerangeasthemajorityoftheManagerialSample. Yourresponsessuggestthatyou: Aregoodatidentifyingbothproblemsandpotentialproblemsatwork Couldbecomeconcernedifyouarelikelytomissadeadline Sometimesmakecontingencyplans Arenottooconcernedaboutalwaystakingthesafestcourseofaction Willsometimestellpeoplewhatyoudon'twanttohappen

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ProactiveThinking
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STEN 5

ThecharacteristicofProactivethinkingisitsfocusoninitiatingortakingaction.HighlyProactivethinkersjustwant to'getonwithit'andtobeinthedrivingseat,pushingthingsthroughandimplementingactionssoonerrather thanlater.ThespeedofdecisionmakingisimportanttotheProactivethinkerastheydislikewaiting.The ProactiveThinkercansometimesberashandimpulsiveandmaynotconsidertheconsequencesorimplications ofthethingsthattheydo. YourscoresindicatethatyouhaveaModeratepersonalpreferenceforProactiveThinking. YourscorefallswithinthesamerangeasthemajorityoftheManagerialSample. Yourresponsessuggestthatyou: Areverylikelytoinitiateactionatwork Arequitelikelytotakeaproactiveapproach Likebeinginvolvedinnew,fastmovingprojects Consideryourselftobequiteproactive

10

ReactiveThinking
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STEN 9

Reactivethinkersrarelytakeactionwithoutcarryingouttheappropriateanalysisandplanning.Theydisliketaking anyactionuntiltheyfeelthattheyhavealloftherelevantinformationtheyneedandthatthetimeisright,which alsomeansthattheysometimesfeelpushedintotakingactiontoosoon.Theyrespondtosituationsratherthan creatingthecircumstancesofchangeandoftenneedadditionaltimetoreflectonfuturedecisions.Moreover,they oftenwanttodoublecheckdecisionsbeforeprogressingthem. YourscoresindicatethatyouhaveaModeratepersonalpreferenceforReactiveThinking. YouscoremorehighlyforthistypeofthinkingthanthemajorityoftheManagerialSample. Yourresponsessuggestthatyou:

10

Maysometimeswaitsolongforthecircumstancestoberightforyoutotakeaction,thatyoumaymiss opportunitieswhichcouldbebeneficialtoyou Maysometimesfindthatyouarepushedintotakingactionatworkearlierthanyouwouldlike Willoccasionallytakeactionwithoutmuchanalysisandplanning Willonlytakeactiononceyouhaveconsideredalltherelevantinformation Usuallyconsidertheconsequencesandimplicationsofyouractions

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SimplicityThinking
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STEN 3

TheSimplicityThinkerismotivatedtosimplifyeverything.Becausetheypreferthingstobeeasytheymayavoid doingorlearningsomethingiftheyperceivethatit'snotgoingtobeeasyorthatitmaybedifficult.TheSimplicity thinkerwillalwaystrytokeepthingseasytomanageiftheypossiblycan.Thismeansthattheywilloften underestimatethecomplexityofataskoranissue,whichcanleadtoproblemsforthemlateron. YourscoresindicatethatyouhaveaLowpersonalpreferenceforSimplicityThinking. YourscoreislowerforthistypeofthinkingthanthemajorityoftheManagerialSample. Yourresponsessuggestthatyou: Preferto'keepthingssimple'atworkifyoupossiblycan Arenotparticularlyattractedtotheeasywayofdoingthingsatwork Willsometimesbecomeborediftasksatworkaretooeasy Liketomakethingseasytomanageincertaincircumstances

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ComplexityThinking
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STEN 5

Complexitythinkinginvolveslinkingissuestogetherandconsideringtheimplicationsofcomplexinteractionsover time.TheComplexityThinkerismotivatedbychallenge,oftenbeingattractedtoworkthatisconsideredtoo difficultorcomplicatedbyothers.Theycanbecomefrustratediftheyaregivenprojectsortaskswhichare'too easy'.Complexitythinkerscansometimes'over-complicate'issuesmakingthemdifficultunnecessarily,although theyareunlikelytodothisdeliberately. YourscoresindicatethatyouhaveaModeratepersonalpreferenceforComplexityThinking. YourscorefallswithinthesamerangeasthemajorityoftheManagerialSample. Yourresponsessuggestthatyou:

10

Aremotivatedbycomplexityatworkandenjoybecominginvolvedincomplexissues Quitelikebecominginvolvedincomplexissues Tendtofindprojectsatworkmoreinterestingiftheyhaveadegreeofdifficulty Aresometimesattractedtodifficulttasks,particularlyiftheygiveyoutheopportunitytolearnsomething new Areattractedtocomplextasksonlysomeofthetime

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SamenessThinking
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STEN 6

Samenessthinkersprefertaskswhicharefamiliar,findingthisfamiliaritycomforting.Theyliketofocusonthose thingswhichhavebeenprovenovertimeandareunchanged.StabilityisveryimportanttoSamenessthinkers whichmeansthattheycansometimeshavealowtoleranceforchangepreferringanychangestobeintroduced gradually.Theyvaluecontinuityandhaveatendencytofocusonthetraditional.Whencomparingtwosituations theywillnoticesimilarity,wheresomethingislikesomethingelseoristhesame. YourscoresindicatethatyouhaveaLowpersonalpreferenceforSamenessThinking. YourscorefallswithinthesamerangeasthemajorityoftheManagerialSample. Yourresponsessuggestthatyou: Sometimespreferchangetohappengradually Rarelyfindchangethreatening Don'tlikeyourworkingdaystobetoosimilar Canbecomeboredbyfamiliartasksiftheyaremundane Maybecomeboredinaverystableenvironment

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DifferencesThinking
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STEN 3

SeekingdifferenceandnoticingwhatisdifferentarecharacteristicsofDifferencethinking.TheDifferencesthinker likesbeingattheforefrontofchangeandhasanaturallyhightoleranceforit,evenforwhatsomepeoplewould considertobequiteradicalchange.Theyarestimulatedandmotivatedbyvariety,becomingquicklyboredwith routineandfamiliartasks.Atworkorinlifeingeneraltheyoftenliketo'makeadifference'insomeway.Although theyliketobedifferent,theydonotalwayswanttobenoticed. YourscoresindicatethatyouhaveaModeratepersonalpreferenceforDifferencesThinking. YourscoreislowerforthistypeofthinkingthanthemajorityoftheManagerialSample. Yourresponsessuggestthatyou: Needadegreeofvarietyinyourjobroleatwork Likeadegreeofvarietyinyourworkingdays Liketo'makeadifference'atworkifyoucan Sometimesfindperiodsofradicalchangeatworkexcitingandstimulating Areattractedtoideasthataredifferent

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NotesandKeyLearningPoints
Therestofthispagehasbeenleftblankforyoutomakeyourownnotes.Forexample,theremaybesome actionsthatyouwouldliketoworkonasaresultofreceivingyourThinkingStylesprofile.

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