It’s Monday morning again! “How do you feel about going into work? Perhaps you’re having a hard time getting started. Write down right now 2-3 job duties that drag you down; you’d prefer to push them aside, and do them later in the day, or tomorrow…or never.”

This is a simple conversation that you can have as a career professional with any client. Many of our clients will present us with a story about a bad jobfit, which is often characterized with negative opinions about the job’s circumstances, such as lousy pay, a bad boss, a long commute, and so on.

But take some time to probe their story for more details about regular or frequent job duties.  Here’s a simple exercise you can use to bring more clarity into the situation.  Ask them, what are the 5-10 job duties that they are expected to perform each day or week as critical job requirements? Get them to identify which  job duties they enjoy and don’t enjoy.

Ask them if they can remember a time when they looked forward to Monday mornings, in their current job, or in another job.  If you have their resume handy, ask them to highlight  the critical job requirements that they enjoyed performing on a regular basis in their previous jobs.

Perhaps they procrastinate with starting or completing certain job duties.  Get them to identify the job duties in their current and previous jobs where they procrastinated.

Identify items (both positive and negative) that seem to recur in their performance evaluations, regardless of who does the assessment.

Make a list with two columns: one of job duties that energized them, duties that they enjoyed performing consistently; and, another column, of job duties that drain them, duties that they push aside or procrastinate on.

Then take their current job description and estimate how much time is spent each day or week performing job duties that drain them. If they are spending 40% or more of their time performing job duties that drain them, or duties that they chronically delay doing, they may be suffering from a job misfit in terms of their critical job requirements.

What is a good jobfit?

It may be helpful to remind your client that there is no such thing as a perfect job where one is 100% happy and satisfied all the time with their core job duties. The world is just not organized that way! However, many studies show that the key to career success is to limit the downside of a job to 40% of job duties.

The remaining 60% of job duties should be organized around your client’s natural strengths, especially how well their talents and motivations correlate with their core job duties. In general, if we spend about 60% of work hours in a jobfit, then our work will be challenging and will provide a sense of growth and fulfillment.

Try to correlate your client’s natural strengths with specific job duties. Help them develop a job description aligned with what makes them happy and productive in the workplace, so that they can operate 60% of the time in a mode that comes naturally and effortlessly to them. This 60/40 split will energize them. This is jobfit.

However, we may also need to remind them of the likelihood that many times this 60/40 ratio may slip to 40/60 or worse, in which case they may feel drained by brief periods of routine work. This is nothing to be alarmed about as long as the ratio returns to 60/40 in due course; if it doesn’t, they’ll need to take action.

In performing this simple exercise with your client, you may discover that they do, indeed, have a good jobfit. You can then turn your attention to the frustrating factors of their job circumstances. I will deal with those factors in my next article.

But if you and your client agree that there is a serious misalignment between their natural strengths and the critical requirements of their current job, you can then discuss opportunities for refashioning their current job into a better jobfit, or finding a better fit with their current employer, or identifying other careers/jobs that will recognize and reward them for the job duties that energize them.

At that point, an assessment may be in order, one that can match them to good jobfits–specific jobs in specific work settings with the right combination of extrinsic and intrinsic factors to bring out the best in them and reward you for their strengths. A good career assessment can provide such matches with clarity. The information may be valuable in terms of developing options with their current employer or with a new career target.

If how you feel about going to work on a Monday morning is an accurate “thermometer” for measuring your jobfit, then you can raise the temperature by helping your clients wake up excited about the coming day’s activities.

As career professionals, we know that the number one reason an employee leaves a job is because of a bad relationship with their immediate supervisor.  This story comes in many shapes and forms.  Undoubtedly, there are bad bosses out there.  And, some workplaces are structurally dysfunctional.

But each relationship is a two-way street, and most relationships break down due to poor communications which, in itself, is often a symptom of deeply rooted misunderstandings about what truly motivates us.

Old  School

For example, if a particular manager has a directorial management style, they might conflict with an employee who functions best with ‘hands-off’ style management.  The manager prefers to get the work done through the efforts of others–subordinates, assistants, associates– in the manner they, as the boss, determine is correct, appropriate, or effective.  This is often referred to as an “old school” management style, or the familiar “command-and control” management style adopted from the military, from which, of course, many post-WWII managers were sourced.  The employee, on the other hand, operates best under a manager who allows them to exercise independent control over their specific area of responsibility.  They prefer a manager who lays out the goals and objectives for a project, then leaves them to get the desired result in their own way.  The manager’s preferred style clashes directly with the employees preference for being managed!  This is a recipe for workplace conflict.

Unless both manager and employee have a vocabulary for communicating how they best function and what kind of situations motivate them, their attempts to communicate can quickly deteriorate into negative interactions, involving resentments, misunderstandings, petty squabbles, accusations, silent resistance, passive aggressive behavior, harrassment, discrimination, and other common forms of unproductive workplace behaviors.

As professional career guides, we can help our clients navigate the choppy waters of on-the-job relations by helping them focus on how they work best as managers or employees.  The key to doing so is to help them step out of the volatile on-the-job circumstances, and tell stories about enjoyable projects at home or in the community.

How do they manage projects outside of work?

When listening to your client stories, listen to managers describe situations outside of work where they took responsibility for accomplishing a goal or getting something done by actively managing the efforts of others, such as in volunteer projects through a social service club, a sports team, a church or synagogue, or a professional association.  Do they actually step into such situations outside of work?

If they do, they may have a natural managerial talent that they enjoy using. Are they equally “old school” in those situations?   Or, do they adopt a different style of managing, perhaps as a team captain, where they act as an example to a team or put the team into action?  Or, do they take on more of a coordinator role, where their interactions with subordinates is participatory rather than authoratative in nature?  Or, do they tend to act and speak in a forthright manner as a leader causing others to follow them, or their cause, program, or mission?  Or, are they adept at determining what sort of work people are suited for, and encourage them, and how their abilities can best be used in that situation?

Some managers feel obliged to operate in a certain managerial style due to the corporate culture in which they work, but will gravitate to their more natural style during times when they are doing something they truly enjoy outside of work.

How do they prefer to be managed?

Similarly, employees can learn what kind of management sttyle they prefer by paying attention to the way they are managed in activities outside of their 9-5 job.  Some individuals prefer continuous support from someone who touches bases frequently and offers directions and advice as needed.  Others prefer oversight from someone who provides direction and support only at key points of a project, usually when a critical decision needs to be made.  I know that I prefer a manager who provides me with direction and support at the outset of a new assignment or responsibility, then leaves me pretty much alone to carry it out.  Some people are truly independent and thrive without any managerial direction.  Still others function best with a manager who treats them as an equal, who works with them as though they were involved in a “collaborative effort (from co-labor).

Vocabulary for harmony

The next step is to help them build a vocabulary from those positive experiences that will assist them to communicate to their colleagues how they best work, in order to mitigate the often destructive misunderstandings that arise when people do not know how they best operate with their natural talents and motivations.  This kind of informed communication is a key element for resolving many workplace disputes.

In my previous blog, I asked the question :  which of the three relational categories do you think is best suited to Sales positions?

The client who most enjoys playing the field, meeting lots of new people, and interacting with others at least 80% of their time on the job? Or, the person who is a natural team player and invests most of their time and energy in maintaining relationships so that ties and bonds strengthen?  Or, the solo artist, the person who loves to work about 80% on their own in a concentrated manner on tasks requiring their expertise?

The answer :  all three are suited to Sales positions if they have a persuasive talent for closing sales!  The relational talent is not a selling talent.  A relational talent helps us understand the kind of role our clients might be best suited for in the workplace.

For example, the client who is multi-relational and tells you stories about how much they like to meet lots of new people at parties, concerts, social mixers, conferences, conventions, network marketing meetings, meet&greet nights, and so on, may fit well into the kind of sales environment that is stereotypical of the profession, i.e. cold-calling impulse-driven sales where establishing rapport quickly and easily is necessary in order to make the sale.  Think of telemarketing, and how important it is to establish a personal connection in the first 30 seconds or so in order to make a sale; or the personal rapport necessary between a used car salesperson and a prospect; or, the trust that needs to be established quickly between a real estate broker and a buyer or seller.

Most sales positions are best suited for the natural team player because most sales are Account Management positions, in which a sales person has a group of accounts that they service.  Their job is about maintaining relationships, getting to know their client or their client’s business really well, getting them to open up about their challenges and issues, in order to determine how the products or service they represent can help their client solve problems and attain their business goals and objectives.  Account managers send out birthday cards to their clients, take them golfing a few times a year, do lunch on a regular basis—they maintain the relationship.  Listen to your client’s stories to find out if they love to join teams, professional associations, family gatherings, and make key contributions to building up relational ties in those groups.

The expert who loves to work solo is suited to technical sales, where it is necessary to know a lot about a particular industry or service in order to sell into that space.  If you are going to sell a nuclear reactor, you probably need a PhD in Physics in order to discuss features and benefits with engineers and physicists responsible for the purchase, installation, maintenance, and repair of such complex machinery and equipment.  The expertise required for technical sales is usually acquired through many hours of solitary study and work.  Listen for clues in their stories that reveal them seeking out opportunities to work alone in depth on personal or professional projects.

Of course, all three Sales positions cover a spectrum of experience related to a particular industry but listen as your clients reveal clues to their natural jobfit for different job scenarios.

Yes, we CAN do a job through sheer determination, even struggle.  But when our natural strengths match the job requirements, we tend to excel, and make it look easy.

What your clients do naturally and effortlessly is revealed through stories about times in their lives when they are doing something they enjoy, and do it well.  As career professionals, all we have to do is listen and map those clues to job opportunities.

When clients tell stories about those times in their lives when they are doing what they enjoy most, they often reveal a load of information about their most natural way of building and maintaining relationships with others.

The following info will help you recognize three categories of relational talents that may help you distinguish workplace issues that are draining or energizing your client.

Remember, don’t read too much into one answer.  What matters is a pattern of behavior, consistent over time in different situations.  People don’t fit easily into categories; they tend to be more complex, nuanced, and subtle.  Look for a pattern.

Joining Teams or Groups

Most work situations are organized around team projects.  About 70% of the working population has a natural inclination to mix and match their skills with others towards a common goal.

Does your client’s stories reveal an individual who constantly seeks out membership in social clubs, sports teams, professional associations, community services groups, churches/temples/synagogues, and so on?

Natural team players tend to be sociable.  Most of the time, they prefer companionship. Their idea of the best kind of holiday might be to visit the family cottage to enjoy regular meals and activities with family and friends in a relaxed setting.

As you listen to their workplace stories, do you find they feel close to their co-workers? Do they prefer to work in an environment where they see the same people over and over?  Do they enjoy going for coffee with the same bunch during breaks, or share meals and activities over lunch, or join them regularly after work for drinks or activities? Does this continued interaction increase their relational bonds?

Now, ask them about activities they enjoy outside of work.  Do the same relational behaviors show up? Do they hang out with a group of people at a club or a church? Do they gravitate to family gatherings or neighborhood events?  If not, then the workplace behavior may be situational: they go along to get along.

If your client’s stories do not ring the bell with these team player markers, and if they have a history of conflict or friction in the work place, listen carefully for clues to relational issues. Perhaps, they are one of the 30% who do not fit in with groups or teams.

Going Solo

If you find that your client tends to tell stories that show him or her working alone in a concentrated manner on a task or hobby without being interrupted by others, you may have someone who is happiest when they are completely in charge.  They like to make all the decisions. They like to point to the results of their work and say, “I did that.”

That is because the natural inclination to go solo is a desire to develop and use expertise.  They enjoy applying their “strong suit” to solving problems, producing results, or advising others. They like to draw others to them in order to share their expertise. They prefer to work 80% of the time on their own on a task with their expertise, even though they may be working on a task involving another person. They prefer to interact with others 20% of the time, usually sharing their expertise or knowledge.

If they are not in a specialist role at work, they may express regret at not becoming a doctor, lawyer, accountant, dentist, electrician, pilot, plumber, academic, reflexologist, or any career that requires the application of a concentrated specialty.

Do not confuse this tendency for solo activity with a personality trait of shyness or introversion.  These individuals are often articulate and outgoing as accomplished teachers or public speakers in their area of specialty.  They love to learn and will say so frequently!

They have a natural inclination to deepen relationships.  Their idea of a great holiday might be to go on a cruise with their spouse, best friend (since grade school), or sibling, or parents. Why?  Because when confined to the close quarters of a ship, they would get to know that person better.

Listen for clues about their tendency to maintain personal autonomy in group environments. They can be fiercely independent.  They often resist outside influence or supervision, and you do not feel comfortable on teams or in partnerships unless they can maintain independence. And for good reason, because they are often resourceful and self-contained, even highly creative.

Playing the Field

This person has a natural talent for quickly establishing rapport with all types of people on first encounters, and constantly seeks activities where they can meet lots of new people, such as parties, concerts, social mixers, conferences, conventions, network marketing meetings, meet&greet nights, and so on. They adjust easily to the differences in new relationships.  Perhaps they have moved several times in their lives, and quickly made friends in their new neighborhoods.

On the one hand, listen for clues in their stories that reveal their excitement in easily meeting new people; on the other hand, they are not motivated to maintain, let alone deepen, those new relationships.  Repeated contact generally does not enhance the effectiveness of those initial contacts.

This talent is displayed one-on-one or with a group.  Their idea of a great holiday might be to go to Club Med by themselves for a week.  Why?  Because they can enjoy intense interactions with many new people with no obligation to follow up with letters, phone calls, or Facebook friendships.  They are energized by the initial encounters.  In general, these individuals like to spend 80% of their working day interacting with others, and 20% alone learning, writing, working on a task.

Quick Quiz

When listening to client stories, which category of relational talent would you put them in with the following info.

When considering their Christmas card list, are they communicating with many people, just a few in their inner circle of family and friends, or just a very special few?

When they sit next to someone new on an airplane, do they start and carry a conversation; or. do they call or text somebody they know; or, do they prefer to read a book, or work an assignment?

Given the opportunity, would they prefer to spend an evening one-on-one with a close friend they see on a frequent basis, with club or team members, or meeting new people?

Which of the three categories do you think is best suited to Sales positions? I’ll answer that question in my next blog.

As career professionals, we spend a great deal of time listening to client stories.  Mining these stories for value can improve our delivery of services.

For example, what does it mean when a client says, “I am a people person”? (You may have used the same phrase; after all, we work in a helping profession!)  However, this is a general and vague statement until we probe more deeply to determine its real meaning.

Try getting your clients to tell some stories not related to work.  Ask them to talk about times in their lives when they are doing what they enjoy most and doing it well.  Individuals will often gravitate to what they most enjoy when they are free to do so, especially during their discretionary time.

Remember, it’s not what they CAN do; we all acquire competence with skills through training or experience.  A natural strength, as opposed to a can-do skill, is something we do effortlessly; something that energizes us; and something that gives us innate satisfaction–in short, when we do it, we make it look easy; when we use it, we are often in a state of flow.

As they focus on those events and activities, listen actively. By doing so, we learn more about our clients, their priorities and preferences.  This can help us better position and package a client’s value proposition, or better coach them to reach their career goals.

Subject Matter

When a client says they are a people person, are they commenting on a preferred subject matter? That is, are they telling us something important about what they enjoy working with and through on a daily basis?

Listen for specific clues to the configuration of their fascination with people. Do they prefer working with individuals one-on-one? Or, working with or among teams?  Or, are they interested in broader groups of people, such as people of a particular culture or religion? populations with particular needs or interests? Or, are they interested in the traditions, beliefs, languages, and habits of other cultures? Or, are they people watchers, fascinated by human behavior, by what “makes people tick,” by the way people think or feel, and the psychology behind what causes people to say or do something?

Try drilling down into the I-am-a-people-person statement with a few specific questions :  How did you get involved with that? What did you do exactly on your own (or as part of a team)?  What was particularly enjoyable or consistently satisfying about that?  Listen carefully for clues that reveal their natural inclinations, strengths, preferences.

Natural talents

Perhaps it is not people as a subject matter that motivates them; instead, they have a natural helping talent–they enjoy tutoring individuals; or, helping others complete their goals or projects; or,  giving advice to others; or, reassuring and supporting others.  Do they have a knack for stepping into situations where they see shortages to fill or needs to be met? Do they actively seek out situations to be useful or helpful (if not indispensable) as they step in and aid others with assistance, guidance, support or tangible resources–not as a job requirement but in their own time because it energizes them.  This helping talent could be leveraged into certain helping professions, or highlighted in their resume and value proposition.

Perhaps they are using an intuitive talent that is only triggered by contact with people. For example, they might have a knack for discerning people’s character quickly and accurately, and usually read people accurately, or are rarely fooled by anyone.  Again, this could have a bearing on the kind of work they are suited to do (e.g. credit loan officer, immigration official, police detective, recruiter, counselor, probation officer), or the job skills that should be highlighted in their resume or brand.

Conclusion

You may find a reservoir of revelations behind the simple statement: I am a people person.  By using the skills we already have for listening, questioning, analyzing, and synthesizing, we can better position, package and coach our clients for success.  They are more likely to succeed if they are motivated, and they are more likely to be motivated when aligning their key success factors with a job that will recognize and reward them for what comes naturally and easily to them.  Each successful client is our best source of new and growing business.

In my next Blog, I will look at what is revealed through personal stories in terms of  Relationship Building and how that correlates with job choices and job search strategies.