“You can’t change people. But you can do the work to understand them better.”
I recently said this to a client in one of our coaching sessions. He was experiencing resistance from some of his team members and he was becoming increasingly frustrated about it.
If you are a business owner facing a similar challenge, the answer is to first focus on yourself. When you understand yourself, you can then begin to understand other team players better, and you can adapt more effective styles of communication that will get you the results you’re after.
The world of work has changed in many significant ways and a big piece of the puzzle is now about how we communicate with each other – across generations and geographies.
Today, as Gen Zs enter the workforce, conflict with their more seasoned bosses and colleagues is a common theme.
However, the astute business owner will do well to recognise that a multigenerational and global workforce is the key to growth.
Many Millennials and Gen Zs have watched their parents sacrifice a significant portion of their lives to their jobs, often with very little to show for it in the end. They operated in a constant state of burnout, neglecting their relationships and their health (both physical and mental).
There’s no fighting it; with every year that passes, Millennials and Gen Zs make up a greater percentage of the workforce, and they are determined not to live the kind of soul-sucking lives their parents did. A sense of purpose is vital to the workforce of tomorrow and business owners need to get on board with the change, making greater efforts to understand these key team players.
How to Improve Your Understanding of Self and Others
At Growth Idea, we often encourage the use of DiSC profiles – it’s a personal assessment tool that provides a comprehensive understanding of a person’s key characteristics. The information can be used as a guide for improvements toward self-awareness, teamwork, communication, leadership, conflict resolution, productivity and even customer service.
D – Dominance
Faster-paced, task-oriented, direct style, guarded nature
- Decisive
- Competitive
- Problem solver
I – Influence
Faster-paced, people-oriented, direct style, open nature
- Charming
- Enthusiastic and Optimistic
- Persuasive and Inspiring
S – Steadiness
Slower-paced, people-oriented, indirect style, open nature
- Understanding and Sincere
- Patient and Stable
- Team player
C – Conscientious
Slower-paced, task-oriented, indirect style, guarded nature
- Analytical
- Diplomatic and Objective
- Precise and Compliant
In addition to helping find the right people with the right behavioural fit for a job, using DiSC profiles can help create a common language whereby team members are able to bridge their differences. This becomes even more important when businesses start to adopt remote work.
Redefining the Workspace
Research shows that 48% of employees have kept working remotely post-pandemic, with 83% reporting that they are more productive working from home.
The talent pool has grown exponentially as remote work allows people to work from anywhere in the world – no need to move city or country, and it’s much easier to prioritise family and a healthy work/life balance. But, employees also have their pick of companies – so, your business needs to stand out as the employer who can offer it all, plus open and honest communication!
In recent conversations with some of my other clients, we discussed hiring specifically in South Africa.
South Africa is an attractive market for remote hiring, especially for businesses in the UK, for many reasons:
- South Africa is one hour ahead of the UK, and two hours ahead during daylight savings. This means that South Africans are still able to have a normal work day with little disruption.
- South Africa is a broadly English-speaking country.
- The exchange rate creates a massive opportunity for UK businesses to spend about 50-60% less on resources, as noted by our personal experience.
- You don’t have to have a business set up in South Africa, you can choose to hire South Africans as full-time independent contractors or freelancers, which further ensures that the tax responsibility is placed on the employee.
- The country has experienced high unemployment rates recently, thus making remote opportunities desirable for South Africans.
Pros and cons exist in almost every decision we make. Redefining the workspace isn’t just about the good outweighing the bad – businesses need to put the right measures in place to guarantee success, and identifying the right measures starts with purposeful communication.
The beauty of remote work is that there’s no limit to what you can achieve! Get in touch with us today if you want to ensure your business’s success in the workforce of tomorrow.
Next steps…
Book a complimentary breakthrough business discovery call and gain the clarity you need to take your business forward →
