What is “flexing” my personality style mean and what kinds of exercises can I practice to get better at flexing my style?
Flexing your style means practicing behaviors that other styles prefer. For example, two Drivers talking will be short, abrupt and probably interrupt each other and it’s not a ‘problem’. However, if you are a Driver (extrovert-thinker) talking to an Analytical (introvert-thinker) about a required project decision, flexing means spending time to discuss details the Analytical needs to help reach the decision, taking time to listen (a tough thing for Driver’s to do), not interrupting, and allowing time for the Analytical to make the decision – instead of deciding on the spot, letting the Analytical ‘mull it over’ and get back to you tomorrow morning. Flexing is all about making the other person comfortable by meeting their style needs. It takes practice to get good at this, and under stress it becomes more difficult to ‘flex’. As far as specific exercises – there are too many to get into details here, and it depends on the style and improvement area. For example, there are exercises for
