Embrace your High-C Behaviors

High-C’ers unite. That’s right. Your High-C behavior is powerful. Now, I’m not saying you’re better than others. No, well, at least, don’t go around saying that. As a High-C, you probably wouldn’t anyway. Just don’t. The High-C, or High Compliance behavioral trait brings an analytical view to projects, work and organizations. If you’re a High-C, do you find you tend to shift your team from a hurried pace to a slower, more thoughtful, investigatory cadence? Excellent. Your team needs you.

Now, let’s flip the point of view for a moment. As a High-C, have you experienced intolerance from the aggressive movers and shakers in your group? You know who I’m taking about, those folks that are ready to jump into a big pool of Hi-C without even knowing if it’s cherry or watermelon flavored. Unbelievable. (Notice what I did there with the Hi-C reference?) Your reflective natural tendency provides a ton of “whoa there” before teams makes mistakes. BUT, you can also be viewed as the person holding back progress if you’re not careful.

Let’s talk about those sellers in work group. These are the folks who LOVE to tell stories and consider their tales as evidence. As a High-C, you’re not as easily swayed. You need proof. Just because someone says it is, doesn’t mean you’re on board. And, you don’t believe others should buy into things as quickly either. But see, here’s the thing. It’s time to take a deep breath. Those story telling colleagues are passionate and exciting. They can sell. In fact, that’s their job. But, where do they get their stories? Within your organization, they count on you as a High-C to generate the evidence that whatever your organization does works. They’ll try to sell without that evidence, but you can fix that. Provide them data, help them shape their stories and then, let them go forth and inspire. Meanwhile, you can continue your work, more behind the scenes, doing what you do.

As a High-C, conflict is not you’re friend. You may even find your top repeated phrases are “Yeah, well…” with a hint of haughty derision. Sorry, I know that hurts. Don’t take is personally. Take is perspectively. You’re arms crossed, straight faced nature makes you intimidating to others at times. Understanding how to adapt is just as important for you as it for others. Remember, you provided the evidence others needed to do their work. They’ll love you for that. But, this doesn’t mean they have to be making all the adaptations so you feel valued. Watch your body language. And, in sessions where creativity is the focus, let the group explore and chime in with ways you can add value to the ideation process. Putting the breaks on imagination sessions will make you an unwelcome partner. In this case, think of phrases such as “I can give you some data on that idea to help showcase its impact.” This shows you can support an idea, even if it’s far fetched in your mind. Remembers, as you aim to provide the data, if you don’t find evidence, let them know how an idea could be modified. Be ready for a situation where the team just simply wants to try something new. In that case, play your supportive role and help collect NEW data.

Embrace your High-C and help your team achieve.