Highlights:

* Conflicting attitudes of Warriors and Peacemakers cause communication problems.

* Motivate Logical and Creative people differently because they think differently.

* Combine the rational and emotional benefits of products for optimal advertising.


This article describes how understanding and using the four behavior styles can enhance communicating, motivating and advertising.

Facilitating Communication

Employee satisfaction surveys almost always show communication to be the number-one desired improvement. Most communication problems and conflicts between employees, governing bodies and between family members come from the conflicting attitudes of the I-centered Warrior and the We-centered Peacemaker. Peacemakers tend to over-react or quit because they easily get defensive when put down by Warriors. Warriors tend to over-react and use cutting remarks because they get impatient and offensive when coping with vacillating Peacemakers. Managers are in conflict-pivotal positions and need to understand these behaviors.

If you are a Peacemaker: Many Warriors see you, the Peacemaker, as weak and dependent. Therefore, get Warriors to recognize you and listen to you by thinking in their language. That is, be assertive and competitive, and do not show your dependent side.

Most bosses have a more Logical style than Creative style. To communicate effectively with a Logical-Warrior the Peacemaker should be clear, specific, and brief. Come prepared, and organized with a logical approach to presenting the facts. Look for impatience from the Logical-Warrior and respond in a timely and factual manner.

If you are a Warrior: Many Peacemakers see you, the Warrior, as selfish, and unfeeling. Therefore, behave more like a Peacemaker, and be less assertive and competitive. Dale Carnegie in his classic book, How to Win Friends and Influence People, gives us some tips on how to be more approachable: Smile, use the Peacemaker’s name, listen – and let the Peacemaker do much of the talking, show respect – never proclaim, “you’re wrong.”

Most communication is made through body language. Body language comes from the ancient brain, the home of the Warrior and Peacemaker. Understanding your Warrior and Peacemaker behaviors and the behavior styles of others will facilitate communication.

Motivating People

The Sales Manager used a management-by-objectives (MBO) approach to set sales goals, because he knew that telling his sales staff to “Do your best” was not likely to achieve their best. Every six months he met with each sales person to analyze sales opportunities and calculate monthly sales objectives.

All the sales staff progressed toward their objectives, except Sally. The manager remembered that Sally seemed to squirm during the MBO meeting, and finally, hesitatingly accepted her monthly sales objectives.

The sales manager realized that his sales force, including him, liked the orderly approach in planning sales. They were Logical thinkers, all except Sally. He recognized that she was more spontaneous and creative that the others. She liked to start new projects, and not be tied down to old objectives. Ah-ha, she has a Creative behavior style. She thinks differently, so motivate her differently, not with calculated sales ‘quotas,” but with something that lights her sales fire.

The manager decided not to negotiate sales objectives with her, but to encourage her to increase her sales by trying new ideas. This worked. She is now more comfortable with the expectations her boss has of her, and she produces by creating new approaches to clients, that even other sales persons could use.

Suppose you have four people working for you, each representing one of the behavior styles. What kind of business objectives do they prefer? Here is the short answer:

Warrior. The Warrior sets his own objectives, and his are competitive.
Peacemaker. The team sets the objectives, and they are mutually supportive objectives.
Logical. The objectives are specific, quantifiable, and support the strategic plan.
Creative. No objectives, just innovative, general goals.

Effective Advertising

Advertising can lean too far to Logical left-brain tastes, such as rational thought, numbers and words. It may be lucid and relevant but be terribly boring because it is manufacturer-driven and not consumer driven.

Advertising can also lean too far to Creative right-brain tastes, such as, emotions, concepts and intuition. A classic example of Creative advertising is the model in a bikini standing next to auto parts. She attracts attention, but has nothing to do with the product.

Effective advertising strikes a balance between behaviors on both sides of the brain. Ads that combine rational and emotional benefits are almost always more effective than those with only rational benefits. It’s the artistry of the Creative right-brain that takes us beyond the product features that makes advertising engaging and memorable.

People are different and the needs and behavior styles are different. Recognizing your behavior styles and the styles of others will facilitate communicating, motivating and advertising.

Henry Ford recognized the importance of seeing issues from other peoples’ viewpoints when he said, “If there is any secret to success, it lies in the ability to get the other person’s point of view and see things from his angle as well as from your own.”

The next article will describe employee training methods, and the effectiveness of seeing learning from the students’ point of view.