Understand Yourself Better and Be Better on the Job
Are you interested in being more effective in your business and personal interactions? Are you tired of butting heads with that annoying person on your team day after day? Are you looking for ways to be more efficient as a leader on the farm, in your business or at home?
In a practice tips seminar at the American Association of Swine Veterinarians annual meeting, JD Fiechtner, key account veterinarian for Boehringer Ingelheim, shared tips to help people “Be Better Than Before.”
In the swine industry, continual improvement in production systems isn’t just a good idea, it’s the standard. But Fiechtner points out that it’s all too easy to be so focused on the pigs that we forget to make time for the continuous improvement process in our own lives.
“The key behind all of this is communication. About 90% of corporate errors could be fixed by effective communication, and 75% of communication is received incorrectly in a business setting,” Fiechtner says.
That’s why he decided to present his practice tips session from a different angle – emphasizing communication.
“They say it’s important to know your audience. But I believe knowing yourself is just as important or maybe perhaps more so,” he says.
After trying personality profiling tests such as the DISC Assessment and Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, he heard about the Enneagram. Of course, he said he couldn’t resist trying it out. And it was overwhelmingly helpful.
“I recommend the Enneagram Institute Site where you can take the Rheti 2.5 test, which consists of 144 paired questions. It takes 30 or 40 minutes. It costs $12 online for the Institute to send you your measurements or results from the test for you to discern your basic personality type,” Fiechtner explains.
Not only did he discover more about his dominant personality, but the Enneagram also expands on the basic reflexes of the nine dominant personalities and the positive and negative interactions between the different personality types.
Reflex Actions
Fiechtner says it was helpful to understand his reflex actions and why he reacts the way he does.
“It allows me to take a deep breath now, understand that reflex, and then make a conscious choice of how to respond accordingly. My tendency is to do X, and it may not always be healthy,” he explains.
But he points out the most helpful part is being able to use his knowledge to better interact with others. For example, if he knows ahead of time what someone’s hot buttons may be, he’ll work harder to avoid tripping those negative responses.
“The Enneagram allows me to understand why people respond or react to things. If I'm able, I will prepare ahead of time to hit the primary spots that mean more to them than the negative response applications,” Fiechtner adds. “None of us are perfect. It's a maturing response process where you can choose to respond in what is the best interest of both of you, rather than just responding according to your reflex emotion.”
Understanding your innate responses can help you become more positive. For example, Fiechtner says he’s a logical, black-and-white, straightforward kind of person. Yet he interacts with people who are on the emotional side and are more aware of their feelings.
“At times, it has been difficult for me to understand that some people do not want to receive my logic just because it's right,” he says. “I learned I needed to consider how my words may affect their feelings, too.”
If you understand how the other person receives things, you can change how you present them.
“The only place you have control is yourself. So, start there,” Fiechtner says. “I think with a basic understanding of others’ personalities, we can be more accepting. It helps us avoid those pitfalls of negative interactions so we can focus on positive communication and progress, rather than little nuances that may bother us.”
Read More on Farm Journal's PORK:
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