Which Lens, When?

There are sixteen personality types, each having a holistic theme. Each of these types can be understood through three powerful lenses that provide different information about individual differences—How, Why, and What. While some of the outcomes and problems best addressed by each lens are in the same domain, each lens provides a different approach and brings different information.

Interaction Styles—HOW we do what we do. Each Interaction Style is an energy pattern that drives us to move (walk), to communicate (talk), and to relate in certain ways. Each of us has a natural, innate drive for moving and communicating in different ways.

Benefits of using the Interaction Styles Lens

• Quick to explain
• Easy to remember
• Easy to see in behavior and movement patterns
• Doesn’t seem ‘heavy’ or psychological
• Actionable coaching points or behaviors to shift
• Addresses non-verbal role definition

Outcomes Best Addressed (or Problems to be Solved) by the Interaction Style Lens

• Self-Discovery/Clarifying Best-Fit
• Building rapport and trust
• Conflict styles
• Stress
• Decision-making style
• Communication style
• Change
• Learning style
• Influencing style
• Customer service
• Sales
• Teamwork

Best Timing for using Interaction Styles

• Often best way to start off with Interactions Styles when introducing personality type since it is easy to observe
• When the problem or outcome is best suited to this lens and related to style of communication rather than the content of the messages
• When the client has already been exposed to type and can use a boost of something different
• When client has some experience with social styles or DiSC, but wants to integrate that with personality type

Interaction Styles is great for kicking off whole organization initiatives where a common language is desired for members to have to deal with differences. It addresses very quickly some of the daily problems people face in interacting with each other. Then the other lenses can build on the initial initiative to keep momentum going or to address specific needs.

Essential Motivators (aka Temperament)—WHY we do what we do. Each Essential Motivator pattern is characterized by four core psychological needs that must get met for us to feel self-confident, whole and healthy. We go to great lengths to get these met. Related to these core needs are core values that drive our behavior. Also related are four talents that are uniquely designed for getting the core needs met and stressors that occur when the needs are not getting met.

Benefits of using the Essential Motivators Lens

• Easy to remember and provides information of high value
• Addresses deep yearnings and motivations so people remember it
• Actionable coaching points for perspective shifting and effective communication
• Addresses previously unidentified talents and agendas driven by those talents

Outcomes Best Addressed (or Problems to be Solved) by using the Essential Motivators Lens

• Self-Discovery/Clarifying Best-Fit
• Building relationships
• Building trust
• Conflict points
• Stress
• Change
• Decision-making agendas
• Communication perspectives
• Learning
• Influencing and motivating
• Customer service
• Sales
• Teamwork
• Leadership
• Management
• Coaching skills for managers
• Working remotely
• Creativity and innovation

Best Timing for using the Essential Motivators Lens

• When the problem or outcome is best suited to the information provided by this lens
• When client has already been exposed to personality type and can use a boost of something different
• When client has some experience with Essential Motivators (aka temperament) as a “shortcut” to type and could benefit from a deeper understanding of its richness

The Essential Motivators lens is great for kicking off whole organization initiatives where a common language is desired for members honor differences of approach and perspectives. These differences help us find meaningful commonalities. Then the other lenses can build on the initial initiative to keep momentum going or to address specific needs.

Cognitive Dynamics—WHAT processes we use to think about things. There are sixteen personality patterns with 16 different themes. Each of these patterns can be understood in terms of preferences for certain kinds of information and evaluation. There are four basic information-accessing processes and four basic processes for evaluation. Each of the sixteen types represents sixteen different patterns (configurations) of the ways we preference using these processes.

Benefits of using the Cognitive Dynamics Lens

• Helps people identify blind spots and pitfalls in how they tend to habitually think about things.
• Helps identify strengths, especially unconscious competencies.
• Provides a map for personality development
• Provides an understanding of ways we get stuck in our own ‘shadow’ agendas and interactions
• Very powerful coaching tool to foster development and flexibility in problem solving

Note: this model is supported by brain research.

Outcomes Best Addressed (or Problems to be Solved) by using the Cognitive Dynamics Lens

• Self-Discovery/Clarifying Best-Fit
• Thinking Styles
• Decision-making
• Development and maturity
• Communication
• Learning
• Building trust
• Conflict
• Stress
• Change
• Teamwork
• Leadership
• Management
• Coaching skills for managers
• Creativity and innovation

Best Timing for using the Cognitive Dynamics Lens

• When the problem or outcome is best suited to the kind of information this lens brings
• When client has already been exposed to type and wants to go deeper

Cognitive Dynamics is rich with potential, but it is not the best lens to start with use given its complexity. For organization wide initiatives, it can be overload and also lead to inaccuracy type identifications as people try to identify with processes that they may use because of their roles or jobs and have become skilled at. In our experience, it is better to get people to find their best fit type pattern using Interaction Styles and Essential Motivators first. However, there are times when this lens can be used with teams using the names of the processes rather than the letters. (Experiencing rather than Se for example).

Individual applications can be made without the complexity however, such as decision-making using the names of the processes rather than the type code.