Chen-Gackstatter Minimal Surface, by Paul Nylander

I particularly enjoyed the discussion that occurred during the latter portion of my session. Participants questioned some ideas and shared their own experiences. This is what makes CAST a great conference – lots of conferring!

One outcome of the discussion was a list of handy tools, aids, or methods, that support the use of visualization techniques. With a little creativity, visual models can be crafted on a variety of surfaces – computers are not the only tool for creating visual aids.

Check out the myriad of options for making good use of hand drawn diagrams, pictures, and other visual aids that foster collaboration, communication, and understanding:

Giant Sticky Notes:

• These are great because you get the advantages of writing on paper combined with the portability of typically-sized Post-It notes. Roll them up to store them, then unroll and stick on a wall to continue collaborative discussions and brainstorming.

Make Your Own Giant Sticky Notes:

• Any size and colour of paper can be quickly and easily turned into a giant stickynote – get the advantages of sticky note portability with your favourite paper! Try the following as a restickable adhesive: Scotch Restickable Adhesive Glue Stick, 3M ReMount Spray Adhesive Repositionable.

WhiteBoards:

• Everyone should have access to a whiteboard in their workspace in my opinion. They are great for hashing out ideas, collaborating with colleagues, and making information and visible. If you can swing it, get some really big two-sided whiteboards on wheels that can be moved around to where they’re needed at the moment. These were a big help for some teams I worked with in constrained spaces to house their Sprint Backlog, Issues, and Burndown Charts.

Make Your Own Whiteboard:

• If you’re cash-strapped, or just like to make stuff, you can create your own whiteboards with a few simple items from your local do-it-yourself building store (e.g. Home Depot): Tileboard/Showerboard, Plywood, and Panel Adhesive.
• Giant whiteboards can be made cheaply using Solid White Tileboard (or Melamine tile wall panel), panel adhesive, and plywood. Want higher quality? Invest in ceramic coated metal (e.g. P3 Ceramicsteel) and you also get the added bonus of a magnetic surface.  Thanks to www.kk.org for these tips.
• Use Dry Erase Paint on any surface and turn it into a whiteboard. Combine with Magnetic Primer to get a magnetic whiteboard.

Interactive Whiteboards – eg. SmartBoard:

• If you can get your company to invest in them, these whiteboards are pricey, but incredibly useful. Use them for interactive collaboration with colleagues in the same location, or located elsewhere if you add the conferencing software option.   Save content immediately to a usb drive, network storage, or distribute immediately via email. Some versions even allow you to use the whiteboard as a computer display AND interact with documents, pictures, and video’s with digital ink. How cool is that?

Make Your Own Iteractive Whiteboard with Wii Controller:

• My jaw dropped when I heard this could be done. For a fraction of the cost of a purchased interactive whiteboard (like a SmartBoard), the technically-inclined can make their own interactive whiteboard using an LED pen, Wiimote, Whiteboard, Projector, and a Computer with Bluetooth.

Windows:

• I’m talking about the windows in your office, not the operating system.  Use them with whiteboard markers, and you have readily available collaboration centers. If you’re lucky enough to have glass windows on the interior of the building, you can also keep information confidential.

Digital Camera’s:

• Digital camera’s are pretty accessible these days as they are found in phones, smartphones, secret spy pens, and of course, a traditional digital camera. Work captured on whiteboards, chart paper, and even windows can be saved via a picture and stored on a computer. No need to create a soft copy version, unless you think it needs a ‘professional edge’ or future editing.

Video Camera’s:

• Video camera’s are also more accessible, and can be used for not only capturing visual aids in digital format, but also the discussion’s that went into creating them. This can be invaluable for understanding why certain decisions were made.

Bloomfire.com

• Someone mentioned this site as a tool for online collaboration that was worth checking out. I haven’t looked into it much myself. The website indicates that it is valuable for collaborative learning, team collaboration, and sharing files.

Computer Software:

• There are many programs available that will allow you to create visual diagrams. Mindmapping tools (I use FreeMind, which is opensource), drawing programs, flowcharting software (Microsoft Visio, ConceptDraw Pro), and UML tools are just a few to consider.

Get Input Fast:

• This is a method for creating and improving on existing visual diagrams. By printing many copies of a diagram and distributing to people with crayons, and defining no rules, invite people to contribute. Crayons add an element of fun, and visibility to changes and additions. Ask people to note errors, make corrections & additions, share their thoughts & concerns, or even create new diagrams to capture their understanding of a particular topic. This is a fast and easy way to get everyone’s input into a combined diagram before gathering folks in a room together to discuss it (save time & money!).

I hope that this list gives you some new idea’s to try out. Personally, I’m going to make a giant whiteboard, and then try out the interactive Wiimote whiteboard. These will get some good use in my home.

Are there other things that you would add to this list?  Please share them with everyone by leaving a comment!

A bold statement? … Perhaps.

If you have ever attended CAST though, I am sure you would agree with me. If you haven’t, check out my earlier post on Why I Attend CAST to learn why.

Exploratory Test Automation

This year I started with a full day workshop by Harry Robinson on Exploratory Test Automation. He challenged the prevalent notion that test automation means running the exact same set of scripts every time. The same idea is still rather prevalent when it comes to manual testing, but exploratory testing is starting to make inroads in the testing industry to change that. You may be surprised to learn that similar principles can be applied to test automation too.

The basics: Challenge automation assumptions, vary inputs, vary paths through a program, automated tests <> human-driven tests.

Watch for an upcoming blog post expanding on this.

I have been fortunate in guiding teams in applying basic exploratory-like automation techniques, but appreciated the stories and experiences that Harry shared. They were interesting challenges to hear about.

Though I was not able to attend, Cem Kaner and Doug Hoffman also did a track session on the same topic, which I heard was also quite good.

Conversation Starters

After a rushed dinner, I spent Monday evening chatting with a number of other people about Mentorship and Consulting.  I had volunteered to be on a ‘panel’ for each of these and ended up being double-booked. Pleasantly, both turned into informal chat sessions, which allowed all participants and panel members to hang out and learn from each other.

The Mentorship talk focused on the qualities and behaviours of good mentors and/or coaches, and things to consider if you wanted to become a mentor.  The Consulting talk focused on the building blocks in deciding to become a consultant, what to do before you make the leap, and how to get through those first couple of years. Good discussions all around.

Art of Visualization

Wednesday afternoon I presented, ‘The Art of Visualization’, discussing how visual modeling techniques help improve effectiveness in testing, and allow testers to add more value to stakeholders. I shared examples of how visual models like flowcharts, mindmaps, informal whiteboard diagrams, and use case diagrams are valuable tools for customer requirements, software designs, test strategies, and problem resolution. Learn more via my presentation slides, and supporting paper.

I particularly enjoyed the discussion that occurred during the latter portion of my session. Participants questioned some ideas, shared their own experiences, and even drafted a list of tools that can be used to enable the use of visual models. Thanks to all who attended!

Watch for an upcoming blog post on this.

Communication Chameleons

Wednesday afternoon I also presented, “Communication Chameleons”, discussing the importance of testers being able to speak effectively to different types of stakeholders. I shared a story about a coworker who did this rather well and held the respect (and ear) of everyone he worked with, from customer support, to programmers, through to the executive team. The presentation finished up summarizing important parts of communication as testers, such as active listening, engagement, adaptive behaviours, and information radiation. Learn more via my presentation slides, and supporting paper.

The discussion that followed was engaging as attendees shared their own communication experiences, recommendations, and insights. I thank everyone who attended for their contributions.

Unplanned Activities

It used to be that when I went to a conference I planned out all the sessions I was going to attend and the evening activities I would partake in. A couple of years ago I broke that habit, and learned to ‘take it as it comes’. My conference experiences are now never what I expected, yet seem to provide me with exactly what I needed.

Case in point: While I had thought to attend sessions on Tuesday, I ended up spending most of the day talking with different testers. The discussions were quite wonderful (both the people, and the topics) and covered a variety of testing, software, and other various topics.

On the various thread: One person I spoke to was like fate intervening – they had a teenage son with Asperger’s Syndrome (high functioning autism), while I suspect that my son may as well. We spent time comparing stories, and they offered helpful advice. In another fate-like intervention, I had a conversation with someone about experiences with chronic pain (from which I suffer) and pain management strategies. I now have new approaches to look into that I had not investigated before. I did not expect those experiences at CAST!

Note: Evening activities are a must!

At CAST this year, the Rebel Alliance hosted a sponsored event (with several independents kicking in sponsorship funds) with drinks and snacks. There was a strong turn out with many conference attendees partaking in the goods and enjoying conversations.

Otherwise, while going out with folks for dinner and drinks is exhausting every night, I strongly recommend it. It is well worth the effort, as you will have conversations you would never have at the conference otherwise.

Games nights are also strongly encouraged!  Wednesday evening saw a sizable number of people playing interesting strategy games. While I’m a board-game fanatic, I didn’t get to participate as I needed to get out to eat dinner. I did buy one of the games on my way home though, and look forward to playing it soon.

Through the rest of the conference I was pleased to spend time talking with so many friendly, intelligent, thoughtful, and insightful testers. I hung with old friends, met people I had only met online through BBST or Twitter, as well as people who knew me and my blog (how cool!), and many others I met for the first time. I can’t possibly list everyone, so you will have to trust me in that the calibre of people who attend CAST is top-notch.

Thanks to everyone I met and spoke with, I appreciate you for the pleasure of your company, time and insights.

Next Year

CAST 2011 will be held in Seattle, Washington.

This is sure to be another amazing conference!  The Conference Chair, Jonathan Bach, and the Program Chair, James Bach, already have some great ideas that I am excited to see occur. Be sure to book the date as soon as it is announced.

If you would like to be involved as a volunteer, be sure to contact AST, Jon, or James, or myself (I’ll hook you up) asap.  We can always use more help!

I hope to see you at CAST next year … and bring some friends along too!

Note: I am not an advocate for McDonald’s, own no stock in the company, and would never ever step foot in one again if I can help it, due to a variety of reasons not relevant to these postings or this particular weblog.

One of the first things I learned working in the fast food industry was how important customers were. Customers are necessary for keeping a company operating, but are also important in shaping many business operations and decision points. Here are three things that stuck with me after working the daily grind at McD’s:

Customers keep the business running, and your job intact.

Seems obvious, doesn’t it?

Sadly, it doesn’t seem to be in many companies. I bet you can quickly think of at least three bad customer service experiences you have had in the last three months. Sub-standard customer service, interactions, and expectations have become common place in today’s society.

The good news is that companies who make customers feel valued, listen to them, and actually improve their business based on customer suggestions are further ahead of the competition. Customers return when they have had great experiences.

While working at McDonald’s I focused on ensuring customers had a great experience. It all started with the first friendly and happy greeting, through to listening carefully to their requests, filling the request quickly and accurately, and finishing with a friendly good-bye. If anything happened to go wrong with an order, I quickly stepped in to compensate before they became frustrated and upset.

Customers also keep the business running and our jobs intact in the software industry.

Whether you are a programmer, a tester, a project manager, in operations, or in any other role, we need customers so we have a business. The customer may be an actual end-user of a product or service, another company who is purchasing a product or service for delivery to another customer, or even an internal user of the software.

Regardless of who they are, it is our job to provide a positive experience for that customer. That means:

• Understanding what problem they need solved
• Learning what they need to be happy with the product or service
• Determining how they will actually use it, and
• Ensuring every interaction is focused on the customers’ satisfaction and happiness.

Customers drive future products, if you listen to them.

Every customer is going to have some sort of feedback about the product or service they obtained. It may be positive in identifying how well it works for them, recommendations for improvements to improve it’s usefulness for them, or even complaints about how it doesn’t satisfy their need at all.

Running a business comes down to understanding what customers need and why they will buy something. If you don’t provide something they need and will purchase, you’ll quickly be out of business. This makes sense, but how often do you take customer feedback into account?

Context: Restaurants located in Southwestern Ontario, Canada.

In the early 90′s there were several products that McDonald’s offered that I really liked. Salads and pizza. For whatever reason, neither product sold well enough to keep them on the menu. Corporate listened to the customer feedback (which was represented in sales numbers, and in surveys and feedback forms) and removed both of them from the menu. While I was disappointed, customers were happy when new burger selections appeared on the menu to replace them.

Flash forward to early years in the new millennium, and you may remember that salads made a comeback and were added back to the menu as customers became more health conscious in their dietary habits. Additionally, as consumers became more environmentally conscious, most of the styrofoam packaging was done away with and replaced with paper and cardboard products.

Customers should also drive product evolution and new product creation in the software industry.

I have worked in organizations where someone internal to the company came up with ‘the next big thing’, developed it, and it flopped. Why? Because customers didn’t need it, want it, or it didn’t satisfy all their needs appropriately.

Learning customer needs and wants is critical for developing successful products.

• Product Owners/Managers need this information to devise user stories/requirements that will actually satisfy customers and make profits.
• Programmers need this information to ensure they program a solution that satisfies customer requests, wants, and needs.
• Testers need this information to confirm that what is developed not only fulfills a need and desire, but is actually usable for the customer in the way they will use it, continues to evolve per customer feedback, and satisfies many non-spoken product/service requirements.

This requires time to research, learn, and understand customer desires.

Customers evolve company image and business direction.

Most companies are in business to make money. To make money, businesses need customers. To get customers, they need to know how to attract their target market(s). Understanding the desired customer base, their lifestyles, and their interests is paramount for promoting an image and devising a marketing strategy that attracts, and keeps, the people wanted as customers.

Context: Restaurants located in Southwestern Ontario, Canada.

Do you remember the marketing strategy that McDonald’s used in the 80’s and early 90’s? They targeted most of their efforts at children. If children desperately wanted to go to their restaurant, parents would take them. From now-classic characters such as Ronald McDonald, Grimace, and the Fry Guys, through to the bright and bubbly in-store decor and family-sized booths, the company image was all about the kids. Some stores even had train cabooses that were used to host birthday parties, much to the delight of many children.

In the mid-to-late 90’s, McDonald’s changed their target to be less child-focused and more adult and family-focused. In-store decor evolved to be more subdued to attract a new customer base, Children’s Play Places were added so parents could have a break from their kids while knowing they were safe and having fun while in the restaurant, the Monopoly game was introduced to collect pieces and win prizes, and the infamous characters were fading away. McDonald’s was growing up.

From there McDonald’s further evolved to focus predominantly on the adult and teenage market. The company image and direction shifted to obtain customers outside of the established children-and-family market. They became more trendy, hip, and grown-up by introducing the “I’m Lovin’ It” commercials, advertisements and commercials focused on the working professional, and updated decor reminiscent of upscale cafe’s. McDonald’s touted a cool and adult-friendly image.

Consider whether customers influence the image and business operations of your organization.

• Does your company evolve its image as the target customer base evolves?
• Do marketing strategies change to acquire new target markets?
• Does the company consider customer lifestyles and interests into how it promotes itself?

Customers aren’t just the people who make a purchase for an end product or service, but are also internal to a company.

• Does your internal organization modify and adapt it’s image as other organizations in the company evolve and change?
• Do you know how to appeal to them so that working relationships remain strong over time?
• Does your organization evolve as your internal customers evolve?

Let’s go one step further. 

Suppose you have an external customer who likes to be heavily involved in defining a project, makes many changes, and likes to have flexibility in what the final end-product is.

• Does your organization evolve to use more agile practices that can work with this customer more effectively?
• Or does it stick with heavy-documentation, everything-is-planned-upfront, and nothing-can-change approaches? Guess how well that customer relationship will work out.

This isn’t just about company image and branding.

It is also about the processes and methodologies you use to appeal to, work with, and satisfy the customer. That extends from sales and marketing, product management, programming and testing organizations, operations, and customer support. If your organization isn’t adapting how it operates in order to keep up with the customer needs, you will soon be left in the dust.

What’s Next?

Take a moment and consider whether you, your organization, and your company really value your customers.

• Are customers welcomed, appreciated, and treated as a valuable part of the company/organization?
• Is customer feedback gathered and regularly used to adapt in product creation and evolution?
• Does the company image and business direction evolve according to the needs of the target market?
• Do methodologies and approaches adapt to work seamlessly with customer needs and methods of interaction?

Watch for the next part in the Food Service Lessons series, Lesson #2: Teamwork.

I remember a lot about the training I received when I started my job, from the old out-dated cheesy training video’s, to the shadowing I did with existing employees at the customer counter. I also remember smelling like grease all the time, no matter how much I showered. But I digress…

This was back in the early 90′s when the classic McDonald’s characters were still around, though waning in appearances. Back then, at least in the restaurant that I worked in, most employee’s worked hard to deliver value (a.k.a. food) to the customers. I sure did! I was getting paid to work, and work I did. We still had fun while on the job, but never at the expense of the customer experience.

I quickly moved up the ranks from the main in-store counter, to the food delivery window in drive-thru, to the high pressure first drive-thru window (I was the multi-tasking queen!), and to new-hire trainer. I even revised the outdated training program to be more relevant, effective, and context appropriate.

Note: I am not an advocate for McDonald’s, own no stock in the company, and would never ever step foot in one again if I can help it, due to a variety of reasons not relevant to these postings or this particular weblog.

That said, I had many experiences and learned a lot during the three or so years I worked there, many of which I carry with me in my work today. Believe it or not, many of these lessons are readily transferrable to other companies, and to software development (which includes testing).

What I had intended to be a single blog post has somehow taken a mind of it’s own and evolved into a number of blog posts into a full-fledged series. As this was not expected, I am curious to see how these are received.

I hope you will follow along with me! Subsequent posts in this series will be added as links from this entry as they are published.

First stop, Lesson #1: Customers Are Key

That Good Morning Cup, by Wespionage on Flickr

I once worked for a manager who did a great job of smiling and saying ‘Hello’ to his employees every morning. He then spent most of his time in meetings during the rest of the day… he was a manager after all, and managers are busy people.

When he was available for his employees, he enjoyed having discussions with his senior staff members to make decisions, decide on new directions, and figure out how to handle challenges.

Sounds like a great person to work for! … Right?

Perhaps so…

… But perhaps only if you paid attention to WHAT they were doing…

… and not HOW they were doing these things.

For instance, you might begin to notice that while your manager made the rounds saying ‘Hello’ every morning, their tone of voice and the words used changed depending on whom he was speaking to.  You might even begin to notice a trend amongst your fellow colleagues in those differences (but what does it all mean?!).

Now let’s say you were one of the fortunate few to be a senior staff member to this manager.  Wouldn’t that be cool?!  To be on the inside track, working closely with your manager to set the direction of your team / department, and getting opportunities to take on more responsibilities.

That sounds like fun to me!

The opportunity would become less fun as you begin to notice that your ideas are rarely considered or used for making decisions or improving the team.   Now you are beginning to wonder what is going on… your ideas and perspectives have been highly regarded by others in the organization.

So what gives?  Why isn’t your manager respecting your ideas or supporting you?  Is this happening to everybody?

Upon further observation, you find that this manager does in fact appear to take ideas from a couple of your peers.  But wait a minute, those peers are just reframing something that your manager said!  They are repackaging his comments to simply agree with what he wants to have happen.

Your manager doesn’t want new ideas, or someone challenging his (obviously perfect) ideas.

Your manager wants ‘Yes’ Men!

People who will agree with what he says and not challenge his ideas.

Aha!  That explains why your ideas are rarely considered or used – you don’t blindly agree to whatever is thrown on the table because a particular somebody said it.

Thinking back to those morning greetings, you realize that the ‘Yes’ Men on the team get meaningful interactions with your manager in the morning… and the people who aren’t?  They are getting a syrupy-sweet-so-you-can’t-actually-complain-about-me-fake greeting that lasts all of one second.

Moreover, you realize that your manager thrives on a dictatorship.  He is happy when he tells people what to do, and they do it.  He supports the senior staff who continue that behaviour with other team members.    So, opportunities on the team for growth and advancement are only given to those ‘Yes’ Men.

Not so nice anymore, is it?

This type of person does exist!

I did in fact work for someone like this after a good manager left.  I ended up leaving the team when I pieced together what was going on.  To say the least, it was a toxic environment, and I stayed in it much too long.

I learned a lot from that experience though, such as:

• Recognizing when I am working with someone like this
• Understanding myself and my own limits better
• How to view painful experiences as valuable learning opportunities
• When to try to work past differences with other people, and when to move on
• How NOT to behave if I wanted to be a good (or even great) manager

On the Flip Side

I did have a manager who did all the things I described in the first two paragraphs who was very sincere in their discussions and greetings, who truly valued their employee’s input, collaborated often to make decisions and generate ideas, and empowered their team to be responsible, creative, hard-working, and have fun.   Paying attention to HOW she behaved, not just WHAT she did, made this obvious.

I have even been this positive manager myself over a number of years in managing teams… but more on that in another entry.

Now, I would like to hear from you!

Have you worked with or for someone who is a dictator-type who thrives on working with ‘Yes’ Men?  What has your experience been like?  Were you able to find a way to work with them, or to deter their behaviours?

Please share your stories!

How do you react when you are frustrated?

Calm and balanced?  Mean and spiteful? Do you drive your teammates bonkers? Or perhaps you run away and hide in a quiet place.

Whatever your reaction, you are not alone!

Everyone has some reaction to being frustrated, and you may discover that people with similar personality types have a tendency to react just like you.

So, as someone who gets frustrated, what do you do?  How do you want other people to interact with you?

Communication Workshop #1, Part 2

… Exploring Personality Types and Communication Preferences

In a workshop I recently facilitated, participants explored how they handled themselves and interactions with others when they were frustrated.  After dividing into temperament groups, they discussed and reflected on two different questions:

• How do you react when you are frustrated?
• How do you want other people to interact with you when you are frustrated?

SJ Temperament

Participants with an SJ temperament agreed that they tend to be organizers and stabilizers.  They believe that long hard work will lead to success, and that organizations should run on facts.  SJ’s like accuracy, order, discipline, and data – sometimes to the extreme.

The SJ group in the workshop discovered some interesting correlations when discussing the questions posed, and found that they sought information and analysis when stressed, just as they would under normal circumstances.

If you know someone who is an SJ, or want to pinpoint who might be an SJ, when they are stressed you may see behaviours like:

• “Holy Crap!”
• Sitting down to assess the situation, including what went wrong, and collecting readily available data.
• Checking assumptions, and searching for the root cause:
  • If they find a root cause, they will let you know what’s going on
  • If they don’t find one, they will ask for help

When you have come upon a stressed SJ, be sure to give them some space and time to think.  They will ask for help when they need it.  If you do decide to approach them, make sure you bring them data to work with that will help their current predicament.

SP Temperament

People with an SP temperament are often mediators and trouble-shooters.  They focus on the present moment, are strong in crisis management, and are action-oriented.  They may seem to be careless due to limited planning, but are simply just focused on doing what’s necessary for the current need.

In the workshop, the SP participants discovered that they sought fun and immediate action when stressed, and tended towards fire-fighting in resolving problems.

If you know someone who is an SP, or want to pinpoint who might be an SP, you may find that when they are stressed they:

• React immediately, and will do something (anything) over doing nothing
• Try to find the positive in every situation
• Will not keep things inside
• Shift focus to the most important thing at hand

When you have come upon a stressed SP, don’t waste their time with unimportant things.  They don’t want meetings to address an issue.  To help them become less stressed, only go to them with the right solution… and when a solution is identified, just go for it!

NT Temperament

Those with an NT temperament tend to be visionaries and strategists.  They are creative, and appreciate intellectual skill and critical analysis.  They want organizations to grow and develop, but may seem to take contributions for granted.

There were a lot of NT’s in the workshop, and in true ‘thinker’ style spent a lot more time than other groups discussing the questions posed.  They agreed that when stressed they all tend to have a long fuse, but can become pretty harsh with other people when that fuse is being used up.

If you know someone who is an NT, or want to pinpoint who might be an NT, you may find that when they are stressed they:

• Need alone time to calm down
• Are argumentative, stubborn, and blunt
• Can be sarcastic, cruel, and cold
• Will say things like “That’s not fair!”
• Are irritable, annoyed, and ill-tempered
• Will vent to someone trusted

When you have come upon a stressed NT, you are better off leaving them alone until they have been able to calm down.  Let them finish their task on their own, and if necessary, send them an email so they can respond and follow up with you later.  Otherwise, a beer out with trusted colleagues or friends will help them relieve stress quite effectively.

NF Temperament

The participants with an NF temperament agreed that they can often be the diplomats, team-builders, and catalysts for change.  They are supportive, value the development of people, and believe that the potential of the people are the strength of the organization.  They often take on more than they can handle though, and can seem to be overly emotional and not focused on obtaining concrete results.

In the workshop, the NF people discovered that when stressed they all tended towards thinking and feeling, either about themselves, or others they are interacting with.

If you know someone who is an NF, or want to pinpoint who might be an NF, you may find that when they are stressed they:

• Need time to be quiet & alone
• May lean towards distractions, and take on something new that feels productive
• Will vent to someone trusted
• Can appear short tempered.  They have a long fuse though, but when really pushed beyond their limit, you better watch out!

When you have come upon a stressed NF, your best approach with them will be to establish a personal connection.  Ask them how they are doing, listen to them, do not dismiss their feelings, and provide reassurance.  Don’t force them into a conversation though… if they are not receptive, send them an email so they can follow up with you if, and when, they are ready.

Awareness

The signs of frustration for different personality temperaments aren’t absolutes for every one you meet.  Each individual will have their own unique reactions and preferences for interacting with others when stressed.  I hope that the summaries above help start you on that path to understanding.

Become more aware of the people you work and engage with, particularly in their communication styles and behaviour patterns. Awareness and choosing to interact consciously with others to the benefit of both parties will improve relationships and the effectiveness of individuals, teams, and organizations.

To start to develop self-awareness in your own styles and behaviours, consider:

• How do you internalize stress?
• What behaviours do you exhibit when stressed that others see?
• How can you effectively relieve stress, or simply work effectively with other people when you are stressed?

Next Up

The next entry in my Communication Series will look at congruent and incongruent communication patterns, how to identify them, and what you can do to help make the most of them. Stay tuned!

Are you new to Myers-Briggs?    To learn more, visit the Myers & Briggs Foundation, or check out Myers-Briggs on Wikipedia.

After a workshop a few weeks ago I asked what they would like they next topic to be.  Based on recent 1:1 discussions, I expected something on technical skills, but to my surprise, everyone requested communication!

They wanted to learn how to have more effective conversations, handle frustrating situations, and simply communicate better with their team members.

After a couple weeks of cancelled workshops (the flu, and a week away at AYE kept me from the office) I was finally able to hold the first of a workshop series on communication.

Communication Workshop #1

… Introduction to Personality Types and Communication Preferences

My goal for the first workshop was to introduce the Myers-Briggs personality types, look at some type differences, and have participants discuss and collaborate in particular activities relating to types.

Prior to the workshop, participants completed a free online Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test. If you are interested in taking one, try either: http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp, http://www.personalitytest.net/cgi-bin/q.pl. They may not be as accurate as one administered by a trained professional, but have been fairly reliable in my experience.

Myers-Briggs Basics

In the workshop I provided an introductory summary of the Myers-Briggs type preferences and temperaments. I have spent a lot of time learning and reading about Myers-Briggs types over the last five years (and thank the AYE hosts for a lot of that); while I’m not an ‘expert’, I am comfortable introducing and discussing Myers-Briggs concepts.

At a high level, MBTI is used to identify basic preferences of each of four dichotomies. These dichotomies are:

• Orientation of Energy: Do you gain energy from external (E – extraversion) sources, or from within yourself / internal (I – introversion)?
• Information: Do you gather information from facts and details (S – sensing), or by understanding the big picture / gut feels (N – intuition)?
• Decisions: Do you first look at logic and principles to make decisions (T – thinking), or based on the needs and values of the people involved (F – feeling)?
• Structure: When dealing with the outer world, do you prefer to have everything settled and organized (J – judging), or have things open ended and flexible (P – perceiving)?

“Personality type is what you prefer when you are using your mind or focusing your attention.” – Myers Briggs Foundation.

Your personality type is your preferred way of interacting and responding. It is not an indicator of your skills, abilities, or destiny. For example, just as you might eat chocolate cake when you prefer cheesecake, you might make decisions based on logic when you prefer to make decisions based on the people involved.

Learning about your type will help you better understand yourself, the strengths & challenges for both yourself and others, how your preferences are different from those of other people, and how to improve communication with others.

Temperaments

The next concept discussed was Temperaments, the four categories that encompass the 16 different Myers-Briggs personality types. The four different temperaments (from What Type Am I, by Renee Baron) are:

• SJ (sensing-judging): Duty Seekers - Motivated by a need to be responsible in whatever social group (work, community, family) they are in, they value tradition. In work, they focus on the hierarchy of the organization.
• SP (sensing-perceiving): Action Seekers - Motivated by a need for freedom and a need to act, they value living in the moment. In work, they focus on the expedient needs of the organization.
• NT (intuition-thinking): Knowledge Seekers – Motivated by a need for knowledge & competency, they value the theoretical and the powers of the mind. In work, they focus on the mission & systems of the organization.
• NF (intuition-feeling): Ideal Seekers – Motivated by a need to understand themselves & others, they value authenticity & integrity and strive for an ideal world. In work, they focus on the growth needs of the organization.

Type Mapping

In the first workshop activity everyone added their name to a chart to map out the personality types of the participants. Everyone found it quite interesting to see who had the same type, who was similiar, and who was quite different.  People were intrigued, even those who were not particularly interested in this ‘hokey-pokey’ stuff.

At a glance, without even understanding the basics provided above, it affirmed some dynamics in relationships and interactions amongst the participants.

Also intriguing was that the chart showed what my own hiring preferences were.   It turned out that more than 90% of the people I hired were of NF and NT temperament.  It seems I don’t hire in people with different preferences as much as I had thought.

This exercise was a good reminder to be more aware in the interview process, so as not to subconsciously reject people with SP and SJ tendencies. I hope I didn’t offend anyone (says my own NF temperament)!

Next Up

In my next entry, I will share highlights of the collaborative exercises completed in the workshop. Participants were divided into temperament groups to learn more about their temperament (based on information I provided), and explore three different questions:

• Which role or job function in the company would your temperament be best suited for?
• As a temperament group, how do you react when you are frustrated?
• As a temperament group, how do you want other people to interact with you when you are frustrated?

I look forward to sharing that with you soon!

See Communication Series Part 2!

Are you new to Myers-Briggs?    To learn more, visit the Myers & Briggs Foundation, or check out Myers-Briggs on Wikipedia.