Just what kind of personality is a “leg warmer” exactly?
On Wednesday of this week we spoofed the four quadrant model typically utilized in addressing personality preferences. Whether you are a fan of DISC, MBTI, the Personality Puzzle by Florence Littauer or any number of a dozen other tools that adhere to this model, please know we utilize one as well. It has the labels known as Commander, Organizer, Relater, and Entertainer. It’s called the CORE® Profile and it can be found on www.contagiouscoaching.com. The primary difference in how we utilize this tool is that we don’t label someone as a particular preference alone. There is an order to the use of our preferences and there is a dominantly demonstrated behavior set. There is also a secondary, tertiary and dormant behavior set. Those are the three that are often ignored and result in crazy things like making people wear name tags that say “Hi, I’m a… whatever the label du jour happens to be that session.
We change. We grow. And yes, we always go back home. This means that eventually, and faster with a guide or coach, you will go back to what is most natural. The question is do you want to get there and feel the enormous energy from the optimal authenticity NOW or do you want to wait until it knocks on your interior door so loudly that you just can’t help yourself and it ends up coming out at the development state it was in whenever you put it away. Usually, the answer is the latter and we can help, BUT remember we aren’t going to label you, we aren’t going to give you a name tag, and we aren’t going to say you are “A” anything. IF that were the case, we could make up any old labels, as many have, to describe an inherent set of combined behaviors. Let’s have fun with this…we are complex beings and not easily labeled. IF that were the case, we could just call ourselves a chia pet, a pet rock, a cassette tape, or a leg warmer. Oooohhh… let’s play with that a moment. What if those WERE the labels?
The Cassette Tape – these are the folks who always focus on getting the job done and wont’ stop until the last song is played. They’ll toil through broken ribbon, warped tape, and all the elements to try their hardest to keep going and keep playing the song that you requested. They are doers by nature and don’t mess around until you tell them directly to stop.
The Pet Rock – these are, well, the rocks. They are the steady, steadfast, slow to change over time, solid in their opinions and fans of dense bits of research, kind of people. They don’t move quickly, show much, if any expression and they can be hard to move when they have made up their mind to stay put.
The Leg Warmer – these folks wrap their arms around you when you need a hug. They’re soft, protective, very loyal, and rarely fail to meet the needs of their intended target of affection. When stressed, they can become clingy and overbearing, maybe even figuratively cutting off the circulation of the object of their affection.
The Chia Pet – Water them a little and they can go wild. These are the folks who easily grow their enthusiasm, aren’t very organized in one solid direction and can have many sprouts up in the air all at one time. They are all over the place in their excitement to grow as you’ve requested and may at times grow in areas you’d rather them show restraint.
Amazing how this works… take almost any four items, four characters on TV, four pets, trees, fish, pieces of clothing, or you name it and you, too, can create a four quadrant model that might just be the latest craze. However, don’t forget, that what is always popular and even more powerful is getting to know who those folks you work with, live with, and love really are and that takes a hair more than simple profile. Dig deeper for the deeper meaning, the deeper understanding, rapport, developed relationship, and ultimately…. Results. Enjoy!
