𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝘁𝘆𝗹𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲, 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺.
We spend much of our careers learning how to become better at what we do. We develop new skills, learn new systems, take on increasingly complex responsibilities, receive feedback, and adapt to different managers and organizations. Yet one area of professional development often gets far less attention: understanding 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁. Throughout my career in learning and talent development, I’ve worked with people at many levels and across many organizations. One thing I’ve observed repeatedly is that people can be remarkably clear about what they do well and still struggle to describe the conditions that help them do their best work.
We tend to think of workstyle as a collection of preferences, but it influences much more than whether someone likes meetings or prefers to work independently. It can affect how we process information, approach a complex problem, respond to feedback, communicate with others, manage competing priorities, and adjust when something unexpectedly changes. Consider something as simple as starting a new project. One person may want to talk through the problem with others before forming an opinion. Another may need time to think independently before joining that conversation. Someone may want clear parameters, milestones, and expectations from the beginning, while someone else may do their best work when given an outcome and the freedom to determine how to get there.
𝗡𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿. They are simply different ways of getting to the work.
𝗪𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗮𝘁 𝗔𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴
Over time, most of us learn how to operate within the environments around us. We figure out what a particular manager expects, how decisions get made, which meetings matter, how quickly we are expected to respond, and all the unwritten rules that come with being part of an organization. That ability to adapt is valuable. But sometimes we adapt so well that we stop noticing the difference between 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁.
I’ve seen talented people struggle in environments that didn’t align well with how they processed information, communicated, or organized their work. I’ve also seen relatively small adjustments make a noticeable difference, not because expectations were lowered, but because people had a clearer understanding of what allowed them to meet those expectations successfully. This is where self-awareness becomes practical.
𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝘁𝘆𝗹𝗲 𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲
Understanding how you work best does not mean expecting everyone else to accommodate every preference. It gives you the language to communicate what helps you be effective. There is a meaningful difference between saying, “I don’t like meetings,” and explaining that you do your strongest analytical work when you have uninterrupted time to concentrate. There is also a difference between saying, “I need more direction,” and recognizing that you work independently very well once you understand the desired outcome, priorities, and parameters.
The more precisely we understand our own needs, the more productive those conversations can become. The same applies to managers. When leaders understand that strong performance does not always look the same from one person to another, they can spend less time trying to standardize how people work and more time creating clarity around the outcomes that matter.
𝗦𝗼, 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗗𝗼 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁?
It is a deceptively simple question, and I do not think most of us spend enough time answering it. That is why I created the unique 𝗠𝘆 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝘁𝘆𝗹𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲. Rather than categorizing people into personality types or prescribing an ideal way of working, it gives you a structured way to think about how you approach focus, communication, collaboration, structure, feedback, and change. The purpose is not to give you another label. It is to give you better insight into yourself and perhaps better language for a conversation with a manager, colleague, or team.
We spend years building the skills to do our jobs well. But doing our best work requires more than knowing what we can do. It requires understanding what allows us to do it at our best. 𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁, 𝘄𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆. 𝗪𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗱𝗼.
Curious about how you work best? Try my 𝗠𝘆 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝘁𝘆𝗹𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲, a free tool that helps you identify the conditions, preferences, and ways of working that help you be at your best. 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗳𝗲𝘄 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁!