Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Tortured By Details
I have a confession. I was pretty smug all last year thinking that saving receipts in individual monthly folders would make tax preparation a snap. Yet, I’ve found myself tortured the last several days going through all the financial information to do my 2007 business taxes. Tortured? Yes, tortured! I believe I’m finished, and then find another invoice. It has been excruciating. I’d rather have a dozen root canals.
I shared my observations with a fellow business owner who said, “I enjoy doing taxes - it relaxes me!” I was shocked.
I related both approaches to a neighbor - a VP in the retail industry - who said, “The best way to handle getting your taxes done is to delegate it to your assistant.” Color me surprised.
Reflecting on all these conversations reminded me how each one of us has a different leadership style, and how important it is to use your style strengths to advantage and minimize your style challenges.
For years, I’ve used the DiSC assessment with supervisors, managers, and teams to determine their communication styles. The interesting aspect of using assessments is that - if you complete the instrument honestly - you gain valuable insight into yourself. The more you know about yourself; the more easily you can relate to others. It helps you work on your weaker areas and allows you to build better working relationships. If you’ve never discovered your personality tendencies, I highly recommend investing in this professional development assessment.
As for my style, I’m more of a visonary, big picture thinker and can come up with grand plans. The details bog me down. I’m equally comfortable connecting with most people easily. Just don’t ask me to remember the names of your kids.
Understanding your personal style preferences and that of your team will help you build rapport quicker, make wiser decisions, and increase the teams’ sense of accountability.
Until next time...live like you mean it!
Marjorie