DataDome Blog

The very common workplace problem of behavioral incompatibility can have devastating effects on productivity and job satisfaction.

This “World According to DISC” anecdote exemplifies how DISC behavioral style analysis can be part of a “painless enlightenment” process to mend a dysfunctional team.

Problem

Two top-level decision-makers were having a very difficult time communicating and it was affecting everyone on the team.

• Misunderstanding one another at every turn, they were taking every communication “the wrong way.”
• Work was not getting done, they were accusing each other of incompetence, and other team members were drowning in the wake of their storm.
• Work pressures – and a failure to prioritize the problem – meant that they did not take time to understand one another’s viewpoint, or their reasons for taking that viewpoint.

Sound familiar?

Revelations

DISC behavioral style analysis showed the key players to be intensely opposite styles.

Competitive environments increased this intensity.

Their conflicts were not, as they had thought, based on who was doing things the “right” way or the “wrong” way.

Solution

They came to understand that every style combination has strengths and challenges, blind spots, and value to the organization.

As this was discussed, both came to realize the tremendously intense strengths and associated weaknesses each brought to the table. Their understanding of each other (and themselves) grew.

The emotional side of their misunderstandings embarrassed them, and they were relieved to find pragmatic strategies for adapting to each others’ styles in a manner that was productive for both their team efforts and long-term goals.

Using the advanced DISC behavioral style analysis reports, these two power-players were empowered in an entirely new and different way as they learned to utilize the objective, neutral language of DISC.

Instead of making value judgments about their differences, they learned to understand the strengths and challenges of their own style – as well as the style of the other. Armed with this understanding, they not only gained significant insights but also learned to adapt to one another’s behavioral style preferences so that both could bring their unique strengths forward.

Result? A paralyzing leadership struggle turned into a true friendship.

Each had something different, and valuable, to contribute to the projects important to both of them. The team has soared.

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You may have noticed that we’ve had some problems with the blog again. It turns out that it is rather complicated to upgrade WordPress if you are hosted at Yahoo Small Business.

The first time I tried to upgrade, I could no longer access the blog at all. All that came up was a blank screen in the browser. I couldn’t find a solution. Yahoo couldn’t help me. I gave up. I backed up the database with MyPhpAdmin, and recreated the blog from scratch. (To do this, backup all your images and customized files, etc, then create an sql backup of your database using MyPhpAdmin to export. You can dump your old database on the new installation – of the old version – by running the export as an SQL query. I got server 500 errors, but eventually one of them worked.)

After quite a bit of research and experimentation, the blog is now updated. Since Customer Care is unfamiliar with the host issues, and corporate HQ is unresponsive to contact from clients, I have recommended feature requests via email from Yahoo Small Business: a one-click update feature (or auto-updates) so that their version of WordPress is reasonably up-to-date, and a feature request/status page. In the meantime the addition of instructions to their online help files would be helpful.

WordPress has upgrading instructions here, with common installation problems here.

If you are on Yahoo Small Business, though, here’s what you’ve probably got to do (thanks to the resources at the WordPress codex and users’ forum – which were buried a bit, but there – and some very helpful advice from Ray that got me going on the right track).

I’ve documented everything, and I hope that this is a helpful post for other Yahoo-hosted bloggers.

• First, update your plug-ins (Akismet will update by itself in the upgrade).
• Use the WordPress backup plugin to do a backup of your WordPress directory. Download it for safekeeping. You can also use your friendly ftp program to download the entire WordPress directory onto your hard drive, too. (Better safe…)
• Use MyPHPAdmin to export a back up your WordPress SQL database. Make several versions if you are unfamiliar with this. Make sure that use the right character set for export. Make one in the most recent sql, and any other format you might require – so that you have some options later if things look off.
• Go to the WordPress dashboard and disable all your plugins. This will save you a lot of headaches. Just trust me (and the people at WordPress).
• Now it gets complicated. From your WordPress backup on the hard drive, open the current wp-config.php file in the main directory. Delete the line “Define(’WP_CACHE’, true); //Added by WP-Cache Manager” and then save the file. Also save a copy of it under another name, like wp-configorig.php. You’ll need this file later.
• Edit wp-config.php file in the main Wordpress directory that you downloaded and change DB_USER and DB_PASSWORD with your yroot user and yroot password and save the file. That’s the username and password you set up to administrate your databases. Yahoo describes these here: http://help.yahoo.com/help/us/webhosting/mysql/mysql-09.HTML. Ftp the new wp-config file.
• Now run upgrade.php by browsing to http://YOURSITE.com/YOURBLOG/wp-admin/upgrade.php. It should succeed, in theory.
• Before you go any further, look at your blog and make sure it’s there. Is it? If you get a blank page, then you’ve put the wrong yroot user and password in the config file. Make sure it’s right and try again.
• If none of this is working for you, you’ll have to download the latest version of WordPress, ftp it up, and then run upgrade again.
• You may have to play with the permissions settings in MyPhpAdmin. Make sure that you have any needed permissions. Customer Care can help you with this part if you run into trouble.
• Assuming that your blog is up, check to make sure that your category links and other links are displaying. If you see an error like [Unknown column 'link_count' in 'where clause'], you’ve got to detour at this point (Try a web search on the exact phrase of that error to get a sense of how many blogs are affected). If you’re upgrading from the version at Yahoo, there has been a major change in the way categories are indexed. I haven’t been able to find the perfect fix for this if the upgrade doesn’t do it, but there are two suggestions. The first didn’t work for me in MyPhpAdmin on Yahoo – perhaps because of yet more permissions issues, or maybe an older version of MySql – but you could try it because it’s probably the better fix:
  Run this SQL query:
ALTER TABLE --database--.wp_categories ADD COLUMN link_count BIGINT(20) NOT NULL DEFAULT 0 AFTER category_count,
ADD COLUMN posts_private TINYINT(1) NOT NULL DEFAULT 0 AFTER link_count,
ADD COLUMN links_private TINYINT(1) NOT NULL DEFAULT 0 AFTER posts_private;

• The second suggestion did work on Yahoo, but I hope it doesn’t mess anything up:
  First, save your home copy of wp-admin/upgrade-functions.php under another name, like you did with the wp-config file. Then, edit the original file and delete where it says
  // We are up-to-date. Nothing to do.
if ( $wp_db_version == $wp_current_db_version )
return;
  Ftp it up and run upgrade.php again. Then upload the original version to restore it.
• Now, go get the wp-configorigin.php you saved earlier. Rename it back to wp-config.php and ftp it up.
• In your blog template, replace the current call for your blogroll with < ?php wp_list_bookmarks('title_after=&title_before='); ?>. Some of the older tags have been depreciated.
• Enable your plug-ins one by one to make sure they are compatible. If something breaks the blog, use ftp or the online file management at Yahoo to delete the applicable folder from the wp-content/plugins.

Another problem solved: The bottom navigation on the index page disappeared. Some think that it has to do with plugins as well. I’m not running a “sticky post” plugin, which seems to be the primary problem for others. There is also a thought that there might be an incompatibility between the upgraded Akismet plugin and the Yahoo hosting. Aha! I fixed it by removing a call to the FAlbum plugin on the Index page.

Continuing Problems

Warning: Do not attempt to use the newer version of the WP Cache plugin or the Yahoo version of the Customizable Permalinks Plugin. I haven’t found a fix for this yet. Keep them disabled or they will break the blog, and you’ll have to go back and do a lot of this again. If you know a fix for this, please comment.

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As I was driving into work this morning, I heard a story on NPR about a new study from Deloitte & Touche that examines “what’s going wrong in the workplace, from harassment to embezzlement and theft.” They found that supervisors tend to “set the standard on how to behave.”

At the Deloitte & Touche website, ethical behavior was presented in terms of a good work-life balance. They found a strong relationship between the two factors. Top factors in promoting ethical behavior in the workplace, according to the study which was conducted by Harris Interactive, were the behaviors of management and direct supervisors, coupled with positive reinforcement for ethical behavior.

On Stress and Job Dissatisfaction

• A combined 44% of workers cite high levels of stress (28%), long hours (25%) and inflexible schedule (13%) as the causes of conflict between their work responsibilities and personal priorities, hence contributors to work-life imbalance.
• 60% of think that job dissatisfaction is a leading reason why people make unethical decisions at work, and more than half of workers (55% ranked a flexible work schedule among the top three factors leading to job satisfaction, second only to compensation (63%).
• 91 percent of all employed adults agreed that workers are more likely to behave ethically at work when they have a good work-life balance.

On Management’s Impact on Ethical Behaviors

• With 42% ranking the behavior of management and 36% ranking the behavior of direct supervisors as top factors contributing to the promotion of an ethical workplace, leadership and modeling are clearly important.
• Only 16% ranked ethics training as a factor that has positive influence.
• Only 10% ranked criminal penalties for violations of Code of Conduct as among the top three factors.

They have framed this data in terms of work-life balance. Long hours and an inflexible schedule can certainly create stress, but even a regular schedule in a stressful position will not bring out the strengths of the individual.

The bigger issues here are stress and job dissatisfaction, and they are not unrelated.

Managers and employees who are under moderate to extreme stress will tend to exhibit the weak points (the extremes) of their behavioral style. For example: A High D may move from being decisive to being demanding and dictatorial. A High I may move from being persuasive to being dramatic and emotional, or even attacking. A High S may move from being patient to being falsely agreeable and avoidant. A High C may move from being conscientious to being detached, nit-picky or defensive. These are of course “broad stroke” descriptions; legitimate behavioral style analysis looks at all four quadrants, high and low, for each person. However, the point furthest from the line shows the area in which stress behaviors are most likely to occur.

Most people adapt their natural style – how they prefer to do things – a little bit in order to be successful in their job. However, when there is a significant difference between the style of the individual and the style that the actual job requires, then that puts the individual under stress.Stress behaviors are based on the natural, not the adapted style. So, the person under stress first loses the ability to adapt to the job, then exhibits the weaknesses of their natural style. Add to this the normal stressors of the workplace, long hours, and inflexible (and perhaps incompatible) work schedules, and the potential for “people problems” increases.

There are integrity assessments that examine potentially problematic attitudes, and these can be very helpful as pre-employment tools.

However, anyone under stress is likely to exhibit behaviors that may be counterproductive in their work environment.

The DISC behavioral style assessment examines how people prefer to do things, providing information about the individual’s natural behavioral style, as well as the adaptations they make to that style to thrive in the workplace. The information can be applied for the life cycle of the employee – keys to motivating, keys to managing, strengths, communication preferences, suggested strategies for improved communications with others, and potential areas for development.

A DISC behavioral profile is an accurate description of our observable actions. There is no right or wrong profile, no good or bad style.

Every style combination has strengths and weaknesses, value and blind spots. A profile narrates exactly how we prefer to do things and in what kind of environment we prefer to do them.

Understanding styles corrects misconceptions, miscommunications, and misunderstandings that might have existed and plagued performance for some time.When people love what they do, they can focus on doing the job itself rather than putting their energy into adapting to the behaviors required to be successful in the position. Stress behaviors and behavioral incompatibilities between individuals are then minimized, especially when managers and employees understand and implement more effective ways of communicating with others who have different styles than themselves.

Job satisfaction is key!

Work-life balance is important, but there seems to be a bit of a leap here from the data to the conclusions. When people can thrive at work using the strengths of their behavioral style, the workplace is a little bit more like a home away from home. They are doing what they love to do, in the way they prefer to do it (how they want to deal with problems, people, pace, and procedures).

Better communication, reduced conflict, better work teams, and a better working environment for self-motivation increase job satisfaction and may well do as much (or more) to promote ethical behavior – and productivity – in the workplace.

Data Dome Inc offers a complimentary advanced DISC behavioral style profile to qualified decision-makers, and a consultation on your current needs and goals. Call us at 404-814-0739 (or contact us via our form).

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Art Schoeck, founder and CEO of Data Dome, Inc., will be interviewed on Business Radio 1160’s “Atlanta’s Business,” a half-hour show that focuses on the movers and shakers of Atlanta’s business community. Schoeck is an expert on employee assessments and behavioral style strategies for the workplace.

Host Jeff Davis and Schoeck will discuss the topic “How to Get the Wrong People off the Bus – Voluntarily” during the show that will air at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday April 21st and Sunday April 22nd. Data Dome Inc. will also podcast the show after it has been aired.

The bus metaphor is sometimes used to explain what it takes to move a company from being average into becoming excellent.

You’ve got to get the right people on the bus and you’ve got to get them into the right seats. This also means you’ve got to get the wrong people off the bus (or at least into a better seat!).

Schoeck will address how the wrong people got in their positions in the first place, and how to avoid putting people in the wrong places. Typical job incompatibilities, and ways for businesses to be able to more effectively predict whether an individual has the potential to be successful in a specific position will be discussed in the context of how – objectively – to determine which people are in incompatible positions (“wrong seats”) or have been mistakenly hired (“wrong bus”). Listen to hear how to present the situation in such a way as to “get the wrong people off the bus – voluntarily.”

Founded by Schoeck in 1987, Data Dome Inc. offers practical, effective solutions to such problems as high turnover, personality conflicts and poor communication. Customized training helps companies to improve strategic planning, assist in implementing and coping with change, enhance interactions between management and support staff, boost sales and productivity and build project-oriented teams. To learn more, visit http://www.datadome.com or call 404-814-0739.

With programming that focuses on the bottom line of both corporations and individuals, Business Radio 1160 WCFO is Atlanta’s exclusive source for all-financial talk radio throughout the week. During the weekend, the station broadcasts original programming such as “Atlanta’s Business” and “Chef and the Fatman.” To learn more about Business Radio 1160 or to hear streaming content 24 hours a day, visit http://www.AM1160.net.

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Art Schoeck, founder and CEO of Data Dome, Inc., was interviewed by Jeff West on Business Radio 1160′’s “Atlanta’s Business,” a half-hour show that focuses on the movers and shakers of Atlanta’s business community.

Host Jeff Davis and Schoeck discussed the topic “The Three Worst Hiring Mistakes and How to Avoid Them” during the show that aired in early April. Schoeck is an expert on employee assessments and behavioral style strategies for the workplace.

The 3 Worst Hiring Mistakes and How to Avoid Them – Download mp3

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According to a brand-new Kinsey report, US executives want to be more involved in public leadership and debate.

• US executives say they should play a much greater role in shaping the debate about sociopolitical issues and in leading efforts to effect change.
• Most of them say they are motivated primarily by personal reasons and usually act as private citizens.
• The minority who do play such a leadership role are likely to be board members or CEOs, often at privately held companies with annual revenues below $1 billion.
• They say that time constraints keep them from playing an even larger role, but that their comprehensive understanding of public issues (and their network of peers with similar interests) make it easier for them to play a leadership role.

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Tamara Erickson, one of the authors of the Harvard Press book Workforce Crisis: How to Beat the Coming Shortage of Skills And Talent” testified before the U.S. Senate last year on workforce trends. Her main points:

• The workforce is older, and limited in availability. There will be a shortage of skilled workers of traditional work age to meet corporate needs.
• Because of the demographic shifts, the workforce will lack key skills. Some highly skilled worked are already in short supply.
• The workforce will be increasingly diverse in just about every way – race, gender, age, religion and cultural identity.
• Corporations are not adjusting to radically shifting values among their workers. “Hierarchical structures, rigid job designs, unilateral employment relationships, and cascading decision-making are at odds with the idealistic values of the Baby Boomer cohort and the independence of cohorts to follow.”
• There’s an “engagement” crisis. – Fewer workers are fully engaged, many are minimally engaged, and some are dangerously and actively disengaged. To be competitive and successful, companies will have to rethink their relationship to their number one asset: their people. “Today’s workforce already experiences alarmingly low levels of engagement in work…. Only 20% of the U.S. workforce is currently significantly engaged in work.”
• Resulting trend: “Retirement” will end as we know it, “to be replaced by a more flexible view of work, intermingled with periods of leisure throughout all of adulthood. Already, 34% of all U.S. workers say they never plan to retire.” Phased or part-time work will have to become an option.
• Resulting trend: “Fair, but not equal” treatment of employees will become standard. “Customized deals will be the norm.”

I’m not sure about that prediction on intermittent periods of leisure throughout adulthood. We don’t even talk about the four-day work week anymore.

Still, a widening class divide does suggest that at least some people will have those kinds of options. If the skilled workers of the future workforce can “write their own ticket,” salary alone will not be enough to retain them. Your rewards should be targeted (not wasteful, not generalized).

What can your company do right now? Hiring right the first time, mentoring and development, talent retention strategies, employee satisfaction and engagement planning, and a good dose of recognition will go a long way.

At Data Dome Inc., we offer our clients simple, effective tools and strategies to optimize the workforce now. You might be surprised by how much more you can do with today’s tools.

• Develop detailed, accurate descriptions of job behavior requirements.
• Prepare to interview in a more probing and precise manner.
• Evaluate your training capabilities against job requirements to insure that training supports and develops the type of job behaviors necessary for successful performance.
• Evaluate progression paths to make sure that lower level positions develop the talent more senior jobs demand.
• Conduct more informative, job-focused career planning discussions with employees.
• Improve productivity by removing conflicting behavioral expectations from the job.
• Determine how management systems and processes affect motivation, communication and job effectiveness.
• Identity how the work environment affects performance.
• Use objective behavioral style communication methods to meet the demands of diverse styles and identities.

Attract, develop and retain your talent: small investments now will save large costs later. Not only will you be more competitive in the future, you will become a better company now.

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Whatever happened to the business lunch?

The end of lunch hour could be bad news for restaurants.

A new study shows that our lunch “hours” are more like 25 minutes, and often just 8 minute breaks. As such, we’re eating more “grab-and-go foods” from grocery stores at our desks – and restaurants are feeling the pain. More than a third of the $182 billion industry comes from lunch sales. But since 2000, the total growth for restaurant lunches has been under $1 billion. Sandwich joints are apparently in danger of going under, while desk jockeys load up on self-serve deli products (up 7.2%), fresh produce (up 12.9%), and bottled water (up 17.8%).

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This morning, our WordPress installation and the database did not play nicely together when I attempted to manually update the WordPress installation. Everything had to be reinstalled. We did manage to import a slightly outdated backup database, and were also able to retrieve the last several posts from the Yahoo cache for the pages. However, the comments are lost. Sorry about that.

This blog is hosted as a beta version of WordPress through Yahoo hosting. They are several updates behind now. I put in a feature request some time ago. It would be nice if the automatic updater would update the installation, as it did at our old host. This is my only real quibble with the Yahoo hosting so far.

Success! See the update, and how to upgrade WordPress at Yahoo Small Business Hosting.

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