Social Styles ala Bassier

 

Date:   1/15/2021

Dad Joke: (My grandkids appreciated this one.)  What is a ghost’s favorite breakfast? (Pause)  Boo-berry pancakes.  (These are one of Beau’s favorite breakfasts, as well.)

More to do than can ever be done:    

More to see than can ever be seen: 

Today I will combine the above “been there, seen that, done that….”

My career in geology took me to the Piceance Basin of Northwest Colorado in the early to mid-70s of the last Century.  (Pronounced “pee ance” – with a soft “a” and not “piss aunts”.) [Editor: Rhymes with Beyoncé – without that third syllable.]  My work there was mapping the geology, surveying the topography and logging Oil Shale core samples from the drilling/coring rigs.     Besides holding vast deposits of Oil Shale, the Piceance Basin – rimmed by the dramatic Cathedral Bluffs – is one of North America’s remaining wild spots.   While working here, I saw my first elk and heard that eerie / haunting bugling of the bulls, and encountered my first herds of free-roaming wild horses.   I was able to carefully stalk the horse groupings and could come quite close until they literally caught wind of me.    This Basin is also the low-country wintering grounds of the largest concentration of Mule Deer that we know of.   In the evenings, I could count hundreds and hundreds of deer in the bottom-land meadows, and driving a vehicle required vigilance due to the incredulous number of deer on or alongside the roads.  While working there, I lived either in a trailer on the drill sites, or in hotels in the towns of Rifle or Meeker, Colorado.   There were great breakfasts served at a roadside diner at the Rio Blanco road junction on the eastern rim of the Basin.   As far as these old haunts of mine, I have never traveled back into the Basin since 1974.  I am sure much has changed in the 45 years that have passed…but I hope the elk, wild horses and mule deer still abound.

More to know than can ever be known:  

Today, I am going to re-introduce you to the “Social Styles” concept.  I recall that I have discussed Social Styles with some of you in the past.  Thus, this may only serve to refresh your thinking about this categorization of people.  

For starters, here are some points to remember.   We are complex human beings that have learned and assimilated much about interacting with other complex human beings.  Individuals do not neatly fit into any one group or category.  Although we can exhibit some defining characteristics – as put forth in the Model I will present – as individuals we can often easily and readily move about, avoid extremes, modify ourselves and our approaches as necessary to address specific situations or needs – all the while taking others into account.      Sorry, this can get deep.   Plowing ahead.

The Social Styles Model is one way to categorize people.   As I briefly explain the Model, remember these are tendencies exhibited, not cast in stone absolutes.  There is no one group that is the best.  People in all groups are successful, good, worthy and dynamic individuals.  Ironically, most people think another group is “better”.   Don’t worry about how this works out between couples – there is not a correlation in regard to “opposites attracting”.    Social Styles is about your pre-dominant personality traits - how you interact with others, what are your basic approaches to life and others, your style of leadership, and in the end where others see you – even if that is not how you see you.

Ready then?  Here Goes!  [See https://tracom.com/social-style-training/model]

Draw a nice sized square on a piece of paper.   With a “plus sign” divide that square into four equal smaller squares / quadrants.   The + sign should be in the form of bold lines.   At the top of the vertical line write “Controls with a focus on the Task”.   At the bottom of the vertical line write “Emoting with the focus on People and Relationships”.   At the right end of the horizontal line write “Tell Assertive”.  At the left end of the horizontal line write “Ask Assertive”.   

In the upper right hand quadrant of the now divided square label “Driver”.   Lower right hand label “Expressive”.  Lower left hand label “Amiable”.   Upper left hand label “Analytical”.

Above the horizontal line there is a bias towards emphasizing the TASK at hand.  Below the horizontal line there is a bias towards emphasizing the PEOPLE at hand.

To the right of the vertical line, there is a tendency to “Tell” how things are and/or how things will be done.    To the left of the vertical line, there is a tendency to “Ask” about how things are and/or how things will be done. 

 (For a side note:  The upper right quadrant “Analytical Askers” have an inherent need for a lot of “how” details and “why” reasoning.    While the lower right quadrant “Amiable Askers” have an inherent team outlook and voice concerns about people impacts, and how their people will work together.   REMEMBER – neither of these tendencies are Bad.)  

A short synopsis of the four Styles

Drivers focus on the task and telling what to do.   They are often quick to take a leadership role, consolidate, organize, plan, and execute.   They are the get-it-done types, tell-assertive and more controlling. 

Expressives exhibit forceful (some would say over-the-top) personalities, are good cheerleaders, mostly extroverts, love to shine, like chatting, regaling, and generally are at ease in social settings - whether large or small settings – and like the center stage.  They are attention seekers, tell-assertive and more emotive.

Amiables are generally the best team builders, team-leaders, nurturers, make others most welcome and comfortable, get things done by asking who wants to do what, etc.   They want to get along, are ask-assertive and more emotive.

Analyticals are the “rocket scientists”, planners to the nth degree, tenacious about getting the task done, often pigeon-holed as the most introverted.    Their technical knowledge of their specialty is high-end.  They need to get it right, ask-assertive and more controlling.

 Remember, as you start to rate yourself, there is no better quadrant for you than the one you find yourself in.  Except for those flamboyant Expressives, most think that being a Driver person is best.  You know – take charge, take control, be in command, be the boss, etc.   This may be the best type for military officers and was certainly the corporate leadership model of a hundred years ago.   However, in our culture today, world and business leaders come from all quadrants.  In fact, command and control styles of leadership are no longer as acceptable as they once were.    The Tech Industry has placed a high demand for Analytical leaders.   The need to focus on people and team-building has likewise placed a high demand for Amiable Leaders.   Expressives often take charge and lead the charge while forgetting to look back and see if their people are as excited about following as they are about leading!  (You have probably figured out I am making fun of myself.)   

There is much more to share.   I have not even touched upon our social awareness abilities which allow us to work well with others, adjust to their styles, meet their style needs, etc.    Let me wrap this up with some examples from how this would work with us and where I would see your tendencies categorize you.  (Note – this is how I see you, and may not be how others see you, or how you see yourself.  Also, workplace social styles may differ from friend-family-non work styles.)

Eric Bassier – Driver quadrant, focusing on the task, telling others, but does stray into the Expressive camp.  Definitely stays mostly on the “telling” side.

Maria Sari Bassier – Amiable quadrant is where I see her within our family dynamic.   As the eldest sister of the Sari siblings, they may view her differently – maybe a little more Expressive.

Emily Bassier Co – Amiable quadrant, focuses a lot on the people, gets buy-in by asking, and most aware of others.   She does stray up into the Analytical quadrant as needed.   Really thinks deeply about some things.  Her hard drive and brain storage is likely as packed as mine with “everything’.

Peter Co – As I get to know Peter, I feel he moves between the Analytical (for his career) and the Amiable (for his family and friends) Quadrants.

Kathryn Bassier Witherington – Expressive quadrant is where she most clearly resides most of the time.  She is the “rock-star” type, needs people, and thrives on “go-shop-do”.   She can stray into Amiable camp with friends and family – as long as she can still express herself!  

James Witherington – You need only to look at James’ career expertise to recognize that he lands comfortably in the Analytical Quadrant.

Elaine Bassier – I think she moves around the quadrants more than her siblings and does not as readily land in one camp.  For the purposes of this, I would say she is an Expressive Amiable that stays mostly on the people-focused lower portion of the Model.

Jan Bassier – Amiable quadrant is where I mostly see her.   Her family, her teams, her network of friends, the excellent Mom she is, her focus on others are all solidly exhibited Amiable tendencies.  How others are is her admirable approach in most situations.

Tom Bassier – Although the family may view me as Driver (this is my default style), work peers and friends would place me in the Expressive Quadrant with some expressive tendencies exhibited in the extreme.

The best descriptor that I have come up with describing the difference between an Amiable and an Expressive:   When Jan Bassier or my brother John Bassier enter a room, they sense a light atop all the others in the room and Jan or John feel: “Look at all you here; I am so glad you are here.”

Conversely, when Tom Bassier enters a room, a light (a star of course – right, Kathryn?) goes on above MY head as if to announce to the others: “Look you all; I am here.”   Geesh, we Expressives CAN be insufferable.   

More to know and research on all of this.   Realize, I have spent two-day seminars on Social Styles and this overview does not do justice to the subject.   I can also state that in my Leadership Journey this was the singular most actionable and insightful learning I absorbed.     Both self-learning and learning about others’ leadership needs.

There you have it.

TAB