Work style assessment

- When it comes to the sort of work that we like to do, and how we like to do it, we're all a little bit different and have different work styles. Actually, our work styles can be really different. Carson Tate has created a popular method that categorizes people into four different work style preferences. The first category are prioritizers. The prioritizers are logical and analytical. They're data-oriented, and they tend to ask what questions. Next are the planners. Planners are organized and detail-oriented. They like to do things in a specific sequence, step one, step two, and so on. Planners tend to ask how questions, because they want to understand the process. Then, there are arrangers. Arrangers are expressive and emotional, they're also supportive, and want everyone to feel included. So, arrangers tend task who questions, because they want to know who's involved and what their roles are. Finally, there are visualizers. Visualizers are the big picture creative folks. They see connections and can integrate complex ideas. Visualizers tend to ask why questions, because they're trying to figure out how everything fits together. If you know someone's work style, then you can anticipate the kind of questions that they're likely to ask, and you can do a better job of communicating with them. And understanding work styles can also help you anticipate places where there might be conflicts on your team. For example, if you have a planner working with a visualizer, they may find it hard to collaborate, so helping them understand one another's work styles can go a long way towards helping them both be successful. If you'd like to learn more about Carson Tate's method, check out her courses here in the learning library, or look for a copy of her book, "Work Simply." I think you'll find that her work styles approach is a simple technique that can have a big impact on your team's performance.