Knowing the people you’re engaging with is one of the biggest advantages you can have when trying to influence both inside or outside of an organization Today’s guest, Steven Sisler, has honed the art of reading people into a science. He suggests that understanding the personality of those you’re working with, as well as understanding your own personality, can give you a valuable advantage in communicating effectively and getting what you want in business settings.

Steve is a behavioral analyst, speaker, author, and podcaster specializing in personality differences, leadership strategy, cultural differences, and temperament strategies. He has consulted for clients in more than 18 countries, gathering behavioral and attitudinal information on individuals within corporate settings and developing strategies for effective leadership, teamwork, and entrepreneurial success.

In today’s podcast, Steven explores not only why it’s advantageous for us to know what someone else is thinking and to understand their personality type, but also how understanding your own personality type can help you set yourself up for success. He uses his skills on Jen, demonstrating the scope and accuracy of his personality assessments and shares some information on the most common personalities as highlighted in his book, The 4 PeopleTypes: And What Drives Them.

Finally, Steven discusses strategies you can use to combat your own passiveness in meetings with executives and other leaders, and how executives commonly think and communicate.

Interview Highlights (with timestamps):

• [13:26] Why should we know what someone else is thinking and feeling?
• [15:38] The personality types that are most common.
• [17:43] The 4 types of people – bad, glad, sad, and scared – and their common behaviors.
• [22:11] Jen’s Assessments and Analysis
• [28:44] Why get analyzed? What am I looking for? How will it help me?
• [31:38] Can passive people ever change?
• [35:24] Strategies to use when going into a meeting with an executive – Part 1
• [41:40] Working in an environment that isn’t working for you.
• [44:43] Strategies to use when going into a meeting with an executive – Part 2
• [53:29] How can you be yourself and still adapt to other people?

Mentioned in this episode:

• Employee Resilience Training with Redesigning Wellness
• Redesigning Wellness Academy
• 9 lies about work by Marcus Buckingham
• The 4 people types and what drives them – Steven Sisler
• Behavioralresourcegroup.com

Full Bio:

Steven is a Behavioral Analyst, speaker and author. Steve’s consultation involves personality difference, leadership strategy, cultural differences, and temperament strategy. Working with clients in more than 18 countries, He gathers behavioral and attitudinal information on individuals within corporate settings and develops strategies for effective leadership, teamwork, and entrepreneurial success.