Knowing your preferred learning, personality and management styles will ensure you understand the way you work and appreciate why they’re effective for you. However, to work better with others and be adaptable to different situations, you need to feel comfortable using methods that are out with your natural preferences.
“If you do not know the truth about yourself, you cannot know it about other people.” Virginia Woolf
To be able to work at your full potential, you need to know and appreciate the learning, personality and management styles that are instinctive to you. Imagine how much more effectively you’ll work if you understand why you:
do things in a certain way;
are a natural at specific activities, yet struggle with others;
look forward to doing one thing but have a real dislike of, or even actively avoid, something else;
react to various situations or events in the way you do;
work better with some people more than others; and or
feel motivated or demotivated, and the influences behind these feelings
The benefits of being self-aware
If you have an appreciation of your preferred styles, you’ll not only work more efficiently, but will form more successful working relationships. This happens because you’ll be in a position to:
understand what works for you in a given situation, and be able to adopt different techniques if your natural style isn’t having the desired impact;
identify development areas and set personal objectives and inspire others to do the same;
focus on what motivates you in order to develop your potential, and find new ways to tackle challenging situations;
avoid feelings of frustration when others don’t work the way you do. Appreciating that people have contrasting styles will help you adapt to, or suggest ways of effectively combining differing methods.
The different learning styles
Peter Honey and Alan Mumford, two of the world’s leading gurus on learning and behaviour, have identified four distinct learning styles or preferences that individuals generally tend to favour. They recommend that, to maximise personal learning, you need to understand your own learning style and seek out opportunities to learn using that style.
However, to be a truly effective learner you should also develop the ability to learn in other styles too. There’s always a danger of stagnation when you stick to the one style. Trying out others will stretch and challenge you:
Honey and Mumford’s learning styles:
Theorist: Theorists learn by questioning, exploring and probing the logic behind assumptions and concepts. They appreciate being intellectually challenged, and like to take the time to analyse disparate facts and synthesise them into coherent theories. They take a logical, rational approach, and tend to be detached and objective.
Activist: Activists enjoy being the centre of attention, and throw themselves into practical, hands-on activities with great enthusiasm. They are enthusiastic and relish new experiences and opportunities for learning. However, as soon as one activity is finished, they want to rush into the next without taking the time to reflect on what they have done.
Pragmatist: Pragmatists need to see the link between their learning and its practical application, and they like to experiment with ideas to see if they work in practice. They like to get on with things and dislike beating about the bush.
Reflector: Reflectors learn best when they are able to sit back and observe from various perspectives before reaching any conclusions. They are cautious in their approach, and like to take the time to thoroughly absorb, analyse and digest what they have learned before putting it into practice. They appreciate time to formulate their opinions and review their learning without pressure of deadlines.
Think about the last time you learned something. Do you recognise the style you used in the list above? How did you find the experience? If you found it difficult or even boring, try to think how different it might have been if you had adopted an alternate style.
Personality types
Your personality is made up of your character and behaviours. It, therefore, informs how you approach tasks and react to situations. Do you recognise yourself, or your colleagues, in the five common workplace styles we’ve listed below:
Realist: a loyal and steady worker, who meets deadlines, believes in established rules and respects facts.
Idealist: makes sense of events using inner values, focuses on personal growth and the growth of others.
Innovator: energetic and creative, takes inspiration from various sources, enjoys a flexible work environment with few rules but allows opportunities for fun.
Leader: natural managers, who strive for efficiency, see the bigger picture and make clear plans for the future.
Strategist: intellectually curious, uses objective thinking and forward planning to find original solutions to problems.
Management styles
Tannenbaum and Schmidt, leading authors in this field, identified four main leadership styles that are displayed here, ranging from the most autocratic (left hand side) to the most democratic:
Although you might favour one particular style, the key to being an effective manager is being able to use all four styles in the most appropriate way. While you might naturally take more of a ‘consulting’ style, for example, you still need to know how to work using the ‘telling’ method, and to understand when this is the best approach to take.
You must also be aware of how you come across to others. Although you may feel that you have a democratic management style, you may actually come across as autocratic to others. You’re less likely to get results while you’re under this misapprehension. Effective managers are aware of how they come across and adjust their behaviour accordingly.
Communication is key
The various learning, personality and management styles we’ve discussed all manifest themselves in the way you communicate. This not only refers to what you say, but how you say it. Your choice of words, tone and communication medium can make all the difference. For example, do you invite discussion via email, allowing you to choose the ideas you like and control matters (which suits a ‘telling’ style of management)? Or do you sit with people and ask them to ‘tell me what you think’, then listen carefully to everything that has been said and have a discussion with them (‘joining’ style)?
Next time you communicate something, consider what it’s like to be on the receiving end of your message. From this perspective you’ll be in a position to make sure it meets with the desired response.
Jon Rosewell, 'Learning styles'. Available at The Open University (accessed 21 November 2018).
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