When Strengths Become a Liability

by Beth Porter

A key component of managing people is understanding how individuals communicate and contribute to the team’s efforts. While we each are a mix of 4 different social styles, one is usually dominant. When a team is comprised of individuals with different social styles and they learn to value the strengths inherent in each style, the quality of work improves due to more effective communication, conflict resolution and stronger relationships. 

First a review of a few of the attributes of each of the four social styles:
Driver:

• Focused on results, action and achieving goals
• Direct, assertive and confident communication style

Analytical:

• Focused on accuracy, facts and details
• Systematic, organized and logical communication style

Expressive:

• Focused on relationships, fun and enthusiasm
• Outgoing, enthusiastic and persuasive communication style

Amiable:

• Focused on harmony, cooperation and building relationships
• Empathetic, supportive and good at resolving conflicts

It’s easy to see why a team with these elements is, indeed, a dream team! But what happens when you add stress to the mix? Strengths can quickly turn into liabilities under pressure.

• Drivers can start asserting their will, becoming domineering. They become hyper-focused on goals to the point of ruthlessness. Self-confidence morphs into arrogance and impatience, even leading to attacks on other team members.
• Analytical people can become rigid, unable to even entertain change, obsessed with details, leading to analysis-paralysis. Caution turns to suspicion, and they withdraw.
• Expressive personalities can be so focused on persuading others to their point of view that they become abrasive, even attacking or throwing a temper tantrum. They can become so overly sociable that their behavior becomes intrusive.
• Amiable personalities under stress can be so helpful it is smothering, being trusting leaves them gullible and working to include everyone can slow everything down.

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How can you defuse the situation and bring the team back together? While that is a huge topic beyond the scope of this article, awareness of personal styles and those of the team, valuing the inherent strengths and understanding how stress can manifest unwanted behavior is an important start.

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