4 Ways to Manage the Top Tendencies of Employees
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As a manager, it can be a challenge to navigate the complexities of your employees’ personalities and behaviors. However, this process can be made easier with a focus on the 4 Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin of individuals in situations where they are expected to do something, such as a habit, assignment, or work task. Learning how your employees respond to standards can help predict their future behavior and also gauge what tendencies work best within your workplace.
4 Common Responses to Expectations
There are 4 typical tendencies toward obligations that an individual can feel. Here is an overview of their characteristics. Consider which responses are common within your workplace.
Upholder
The upholder is the individual in your office who commonly has intricate to-do lists and is always on schedule. This person enjoys doing work for themselves and to please you as their manager. In addition, because these individuals function with such a structure, they can have negative responses to change and can have difficulty navigating unclear tasks. This person will function best if you clearly explain the expectations of work and allow them to follow their habitual schedule when possible.
Obliger
The obliger in your office is the person who comes off as a people pleaser. They look out for the best interest of others but may tend to forget about their own best interest. They will willingly take on more work if asked and face strong difficulty saying no to others. The obliger can seem like the perfect employee who wants to work constantly to make things better for others, but this behavior can only last so long before an individual develops burnout.
Questioner
If you have that employee who is constantly skeptical and nagging you about deadlines and expectations, you have a questioner in your workplace. This individual constantly looks out for their own best interest and is fueled by strong logic skills. These individuals often form their own opinions and thoughts on things, which can make them very creative workers. When managing these employees, consider providing them reasoning for completing a task. When there is a purpose behind the action, their work will be stronger.
Rebel
The rebel worker will typically not complete assigned work, and if they do, they choose to do so. They make very individual choices and can often function without a strict schedule. This means the employee who has rebel tendencies could make strong contributions when things go off schedule in the office, as they thrive under that uncertainty. In addition, these individuals are highly unpredictable as they like to be fully in control of their actions.
Do’s and Don’ts of the Four Tendencies
Upholder
Do: Create a Consistent Schedule of Tasks
Do: Give clear expectations
Don’t: Hold back information
Don’t: Hand the employee unusual tasks unless necessary
Obliger
Do: Allow the employee to interact with others
Do: Limit the employee’s workload when they take on too many extra tasks
Do: Understand this employee’s limits
Don’t: Urge the employee to do everyone’s work
Don’t: Neglect this employee’s constant contributions to others
Questioner
Do: Allocate time for the employee to ask questions
Do: Provide reasons and explanations for tasks when applicable
Don’t: Assign the employee work that you don’t have a reason for
Don’t: Neglect their skepticism as this will decrease their productivity
Rebel
Do: Explain to the employee it is necessary to complete assigned work for the job on schedule
Do: Encourage the employee to share their individual opinions in meetings
Don’t: Silence the employee’s thoughts
Don’t: Allow the employee’s rebellious personality to deter their productivity
Don’t: Assign the employee monotonous and rebellious tasks
Scenarios Displaying the 4 Tenancies in the Workplace
Now, consider the following situations and match the tendency (obliger, rebel, upholder, questioner) that best describes the anecdote.
Situations
________Your Employee is Facing Burnout From Completing the Work of Others
________Your Employee Is Skeptical to Complete Work Without Understanding the Purpose
________Your Employee Gets Flustered When Things Get Off Schedule
________Your Employee Hates When Things Don’t Go Their Way
With your answers in mind, review the answer key below to correct your choices.
Conclusion
Understanding your employees’ tendencies can help better your leadership skills. You can cater your tasks to the proper employees based on how they work best. Doing so will make their work experience more unique to their abilities and allow you to establish a team with the strongest productivity. Each tendency has talents that can benefit any work group and provide an individual point of view to flourish the work environment.
Answer Key:
Obliger
Questioner
Upholder
Rebel
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