As happens every year, we have all fallen in love with John Lewis’s Christmas advert, and the group of animals harmoniously jumping around on the trampoline (much to Buster the dog’s despair...). All the animals involved; two foxes, a badger, a hedgehog and a squirrel quickly work out the perfect system to all bounce together without anyone falling off or any accidents happening.
This is a great metaphor to illustrate how understanding our work colleagues and the way in which they approach a task, will allow us to build a strong, complementary and efficient team. When employees take a personality profile test it can show how they best work as an individual and also how this influences the way in which they work as part of a team, shedding light on how to avoid any conflict just like the animals on the trampoline…
A team is a group of people working together to achieve the same goal, but everyone is different and therefore teams usually have a range of different personalities, not always seeing everything in the same way. This isn’t a problem if we all understand each other’s differences and we can then identify how to best work together.
For example, from the John Lewis Christmas advert; the first fox is the leader of the team that is later built from all the other animals. The second fox that joins is also just as bold and confident as the first fox, a similar personality trait they both share that could have ended in conflict. However, they soon work out how to effectively work together to make sure that they can both bounce at the same time and enjoy the experience, rather than competing, or one doing all the work and taking over while the other feels left out.
The badger then joins, seeming a little more apprehensive about what is to come, but realises that he can work well with the foxes to achieve the goal of all enjoying the trampoline. The hedgehog and squirrel soon hop aboard, with all the different species identifying how to effectively work together. In a similar context in a working team, there will be the clear leaders, and those who aren’t as bold and prefer to communicate in different ways. Therefore, it is important to identify these differences, and ensure that the team can work successfully together, through understanding the best way to communicate with one another and ensure that everyone’s opinions and views are valued.
Our psychometric tests allow your team to understand and value each other’s differences and strengths, and understand how best to work together to achieve amazing results.
To find out more call Skillsarena on +44 (0)203 693 2201 or email us.
