{"alias":"blogEntry","byline":"Wooden people: Sarah Todd | Photographs: Steve Sayers","standfirst":"Because different leaders bring different strengths to Scouts, learning about personality types \u2013 our own, and those around us \u2013 can help us work better together. We asked collaboration coach Kate Tapper to share her tips.","content":{"layouts":[{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EResearch suggests that developing an awareness of personality types can help us to collaborate and communicate more effectively. To find out more about the benefits (and limits) of personality typing, we spoke to Kate Tapper, a coach who facilitates collaboration in academic leadership teams across the UK. She offers some tips for working with different personality types, and collaborating better in Scouts.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow can understanding personality differences help us to work better together?\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EMaking use of personality types shouldn\u2019t be about \u2018labelling people or putting them into boxes\u2019, Kate explains. \u2018It\u2019s about bringing more awareness to the way you choose to work with others.\u2019\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThis means when we\u2019re interacting, instead of reacting hastily to the way somebody does something, we\u2019re more aware of the way they\u2019re doing it, as well as our own personality types and preferences, and how and why we make certain decisions, or communicate in a particular way.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWhen we have a better understanding of where people are coming from (including ourselves), we can recalibrate our approach to take that person\u2019s preferences into account. Using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), a well-known model for assessing personality types, Kate offers some tips for working with leaders of all sorts.\u0026nbsp;\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EA preference for extraversion or introversion\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018If you don\u2019t know what an extravert is thinking then you haven\u2019t been listening. If you don\u2019t know what an introvert is thinking then you haven\u2019t asked,\u2019 Kate says, paraphrasing Isobel Myers (one of the developers of MBTI).\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ETo include both extraverts and introverts in the conversation, Kate suggests allowing people to think and plan \u2018before the discussion \u2013 this allows people to think things through and come to the discussion ready to voice their thoughts.\u2019 She also suggests asking leaders to share thoughts one by one, before bouncing other ideas around: \u2018This way your discussion is informed by everyone\u2019s thinking rather than the loudest voices.\u2019\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EA preference for sense or intuition\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe MBTI suggests that some of us are more drawn to facts, and some of us to ideas. Intuitive types may find the principle and theory of things to be most interesting, while sensing types might prefer a more practical application \u2013 the what and how of things.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThese differences have probably come up in your group decision-making process. To take everyone\u2019s preferences into account, Kate suggests creating time \u2018dedicated to considering all the factual information, followed by time to talk about the patterns and meaning you see in the facts and the ideas you have. This stops the back and forth between \u201Chere\u2019s an idea\u201D and \u201Cthat\u2019ll never work\u201D.\u2019 It gets everyone involved in\u0026nbsp;the facts and the ideas stages.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EA preference for thinking or feeling \u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe MBTI is based on a theory by psychoanalyst Carl Jung, who, as Kate explains, \u2018considered thinking and feeling to be equally valuable and rational decision-making functions\u2019.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EShe says, \u2018When we use our thinking preference, we stand back and look at the pros and cons of a decision, weighing it up with logical analysis. When we use our feeling preference, we step into others\u2019 shoes and empathise with how a decision will affect them and whether this aligns with our values. Big decisions typically involve both. When we\u2019re under stress, we may need to be reminded to do both!\u2019\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EHer tip to facilitate this is to invite everyone to \u2018put different hats on\u2019. Wearing the thinking hat, ask, \u2018Logically, what would happen if we\u2026?\u2019 With the feeling hat on, ask, \u2018Putting ourselves in others\u2019 shoes, what would happen if we\u2026? and what do our values say about that?\u2019\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EA preference for planning or spontaneity \u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018This comes up a lot in collaboration!\u2019 Kate laughs. \u2018People with a judging (planned) preference feel most comfortable with a decision made and a plan in place. They create structure, order and schedules. People with a perceiving (spontaneous) preference feel most comfortable with a loose and flexible plan that can flex depending on what comes up. They feel constrained by too much structure and don\u2019t want to be pinned down too early on. This can make planning and working together difficult.\u2019\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ETo facilitate better collaboration between these varying preferences, she suggests agreeing on \u2018stress relieving milestones. These are when certain things will be done. Then leave everyone to get on with their part in their own way.\u2019\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]}],"config":null},{"type":"mediaBlock","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/5379/takes_all_sorts_-_1fb-min.jpg","width":4589,"height":4589,"altText":"","caption":"","link":null}]}],"config":null},{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EScenario 1: optimists vs pessimists \u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EMost teams have one person who always vocalises the reasons why something won\u2019t work, rather than focusing on the reasons why it could be great and thinking positively about an idea. How do you take on board the pessimist\u2019s points but ultimately move past this and not get held back by the Eeyore of the team? They have excellent uses for essentially risk assessing ideas and having good points of view, but it can kill the energy of those trying to be proactive, and cause frustrations.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EKate: \u2018My best tip is to invite everyone to be a pessimist at the same time! That might sound strange, but it works. What you do is ask everyone to think of all the reasons why this idea won\u2019t work for five minutes.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Then, ask everyone to think of all the ways in which the idea could work for five minutes. You get people to wear different \u2018hats\u2019 in this way and it gets everyone involved in looking at things from different angles.\u2019\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EScenario 2: managing behaviour \u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ELeaders have different techniques for behaviour management and getting young people to hush down. I\u2019m thinking about a leader who uses the \u2018hands up\u2019 technique compared to a whistle or shouting \u2018Quiet\u2019. Some leaders might find shouting or a whistle a little extreme, whereas others may think the \u2018hands up\u2019 technique isn\u2019t as effective.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow do we delicately decide what\u2019s best for the young people, without offending colleagues who favour different tactics? \u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EKate: \u2018My strategy would be to make a group agreement together with all the leaders and the young people themselves. Even young children have clear ideas about fair and respectful behaviour. Make the agreement two-way. You might include statements like \u201CI will respect other people\u2019s time\u201D, \u201CI will listen to everyone\u201D. This way everyone\u2019s views are taken into account and the answer is co-created, rather than imposed.\u2019\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EScenario 3: managing expectations \u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAt a planning meeting, one leader was nominated to take charge of making plans for summer camp and asked to look into ideas for what could be done and take charge of the expedition on behalf of the group. X is excited by the opportunities, and gets cracking making decisions and starting to book things.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EA few weeks later, the rest of the team realises that decisions and bookings are being made but they now feel out of the loop and concerned that things are progressing too fast without wider involvement.\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow do we keep leaders motivated when given a task while making sure they keep other leaders feeling involved and not side-lined?\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EKate: \u2018The trick here is getting the brief right for the task leader. You need to be really clear about what \u201Ctaking charge\u201D actually means. In this scenario, the brief could be \u201Cgo and research the opportunities and come back with your recommendations of the top three so that we can decide together\u201D. Another way would be for the group to decide the criteria that the booking must meet before they book. Assuming that people mean the same thing is dangerous!\u2019\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]}],"config":null}]},"searchDescription":null,"pageType":null,"location":null,"versionDate":"04 February 2020","reviewDate":null,"furtherReading":[],"relatedLinks":[],"id":48493,"nodeName":"It takes all sorts","title":"It takes all sorts ","type":"blogEntry","image":{"url":"/media/5380/takes_all_sorts_-_2fb.jpg?width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1d9becd06df2240","caption":"Takes All Sorts 2FB","type":"jpg","size":9322002,"width":4493,"height":4493,"altText":""},"assets":null,"headerOptions":{"headerTitle":"It takes all sorts ","headerSubTitle":null,"headerCta":null,"headerCtaText":null,"headerCtaLink":null,"headerBackgroundColour":null,"showSEOImage":false,"headerBackgroundImage":null,"quickLinks":null},"subHeader":"","browserTitle":null,"silktide":"eyJjbXMiOiJVbWJyYWNvIiwiZWRpdG9yVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9wcm9kLWNtcy5zY291dHMub3JnLnVrLy91bWJyYWNvIy9jb250ZW50L2NvbnRlbnQvZWRpdC80ODQ5MyJ9","canonicalUrl":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/news/2020/february/it-takes-all-sorts/"}