We all have different personalities and social styles. Sometimes, when two people need to work together, the cooperation may create a toxic situation with lots of tension. People are perceived as difficult to work with.
Fortunately, there are many methods and tools that help to improve communication, collaboration and so the relationship. One of these is the Rose of Leary (developed by Timothy Leary), a powerful tool to understand the interaction between people and the related behavior.
Understanding how the tool works will help you to cooperate and communicate with more efficiency and effectiveness.
The rose starts with a horizontal and a vertical axis. The horizontal axis is about the intensity of the relationship with other people (alone vs togetherness); the vertical axis is about the attitude to other people (above vs under).
People with characters in the same quadrant show the same behavior. If two persons are both in the upper left-hand quadrant (attack), there will be a power struggle. When two people are both in the bottom right-hand quadrant (adjust), don’t expect any initiative, because they are followers and willing to support.
Vertically opposite behavior calls for a complementary reaction. If you want a person to change his/her behavior, you choose the behavior that is the opposite. So, if you want a person to lead, play the role that is in the ‘adjust’ quadrant. Be a follower, willing to cooperate. That will trigger the other to be in charge.
Behaviors that sit horizontally next to each other will influence each other in a constructive way. If you want to influence a person in a positive way, choose a behavior style that sits on the other side of the vertical axis.
I hope this helps you to get more balance in communication and collaboration.
If you would like to know more or would like to get coached on how to balance the cooperation, please feel free to contact me. There is so much more to tell you.
It will make you more successful and a happier person.
Thank you for reading
Joost Drieman