If you have appreciated the DISC test (click here to make it) because you found out what kind of environment you fit better in and what kind of tasks you are useful to, you should see what Gretchen Rubin says. In her bestseller “Better than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives”, she states that all of us differ dramatically in the way we deal with expectations. And she concludes: just about everyone falls into one of four groups: Upholders, Questioners, Obligers and Rebels. What’s yours? What moves your motivation at work, what leads you to make a decision, to attend a commitment, to endeavor to some project and to form a habit? That’s what you find out now with this test:
Note your answers A, B, C and D. It’s only one answer per question, right?
1. Have you kept a personal New Year’s resolution, like drinking more water or keeping a journal?
A. No. I hate to bind myself in any way.
B. I’ve had trouble with that kind of resolution, so I’m not inclined to make one, whether at the New Year or any time. When I’m only helping myself, I often struggle.
C. Yes, but I never make New Year’s resolutions, because January 1 is an arbitrary date.
D. Sure. I’m good keeping New Year’s resolutions, even ones that no one knows about but me.
2. Recall a time when you signed up to do something optional. Did you actually show up regularly?
A. Only if I felt like it.
B. I was more likely to go if someone was disappointed or annoyed if I didn’t show up.
C. Only if I thought it was a good use of my time.
D. Yes, after all, I signed up.
3. Your workplace is required to hold a large training meeting every six months. Employees are supposed to go, but no one takes attendance. You’ve been several times, and the information doesn’t apply to you. Do you…
A. Skip the meeting, because I don’t want to go.
B. Skip the meeting, unless my department will look bad if no one shows up.
C. Skip the meeting, because it’s pointless and a waste of time.
D. Attend the meeting, even if no one will know whether I go or not.
4. About commitments to yourself, do you feel that…
A. I make as few commitments as possible.
B. If commitments are just for me, I might not follow through—though if someone else depends on them, I will carry through.
C. Before I make a commitment for myself, I require extensive evidence of its validity.
D. Once I’ve committed to something, it makes me very uneasy not to carry through, even if no one else cares.
5. At times, we feel frustrated by ourselves. Are you most likely to feel frustrated because…
A. As soon as someone expects me to do something, I don’t want to do it.
B. I can take time for other people, but I can’t take time for myself.
C. I get “analysis paralysis” and want more information before making a decision.
D. I can’t take a break from my usual habits, or violate the rules, even when I want to.
6. If you’re working on a project for fun, one that matters only to you, is it easy for you to get it done?
A. It might be hard to finish, because I’ll work on the project only when I feel like it.
B. No, because my priorities often get shoved aside for other people’s priorities.
C. Yes, if I have a good reason for finishing it.
D. Of course.
7. When you’ve formed a healthy habit in the past, what helped you stick to it?
A. I usually don’t choose to make habits.
B. The involvement of other people who helped me stick to the habit.
C. The knowledge, by reading and listening, that the habit would benefit me.
D. My decision to do it—even if no one else cared.
8. You’re starting work in an office that has a rule that people should wear suit in meetings. However, the office doesn’t enforce the rule. How do you respond?
A. Ignore the rule.
B. If most people don’t wear suit in meetings, don’t worry about it.
C. Email your boss to ask why the office would impose that rule.
D. Leave a suit in the office to be ready to wear it in meetings.
9. If people complain about your behavior, you’d be least surprised to hear them say…
A. You never do what you’re supposed to do.
B. You never take any time for yourself.
C. You ask too many questions.
D. You’re too rigid.
10. If you patted yourself on the back, would you be most likely to pat yourself on the back for being…
A. You go against common sense and the thoughtless opinion of others. You are someone authentic indeed.
B. Thank you for always being around. You are one of the few I can trust. I recognize your sacrifices, and you will be rewarded.
C. Hard to find someone as well informed as you. And that’s why you are such an empathic and fair person.
D. Your discipline to accomplish everything you propose to do is admirable. No wonder that you are such a talented professional.
11. To finish, below are descriptions for each of the four groups. Select the one that you think best describes you.
A. I do what I want, in my own way. If you tell me to do something, I’m often less likely to do it.
B. I keep my commitments to other people, but sometimes I struggle to keep my commitments to myself.
C. I do what I think is best, according to my judgment. If something doesn’t make sense, I won’t do it.
D. When I make commitments to myself, I keep them just as faithfully as I keep my commitments to other people.
THE END
First, know that we all face two kinds of expectations:
• Outer expectations, like meet a work deadline, observe traffic regulations
• Inner expectations, like stop snacking, start running
Let’s see the results!
If you had more
• A, you are from the group of Rebels
• B, you are from the group of Obligers
• C, you are from the group of Questioners
• D, you are from the group of Upholders
REBELS
Limiting points
– Sometimes frustrate even themselves, because they can’t tell themselves what to do.
– May refuse to do what they’re “supposed” to do to accomplish their own aims.
– May be undisciplined and frustrate those who expect a specific task or a rigid deadline.
Strength points
– Resist to all expectations, external and internal.
– Place a high value on authenticity and self-determination, and bring an unshackled spirit to what they do
– Often strongly motivated by the idea “I’ll show you” and the chance to prove their abilities and knowledge
– Refuse control, even self-control, and loves to break rules and expectations, in a visionary and surprising way.
– Work toward their own goals, in their own way.
Will love Runrun.it because can track their productivity rate and compare it with the other team members, evaluating when to show they can be a more competent professional than have been.
OBLIGERS
Limiting points
– It’s difficult for them to self-motivate to work on a complex project and take part in a crowded event
– Seem to never have time to their own projects
– May end up exhausted because they avoid to say “no”, afraid to frustrate others.
Strength points
– Respond readily to outer expectations but struggle to meet inner expectations.
– Make terrific colleagues, family members, and friends.
– Don’t let others down, but they may let themselves down.
– Extremely kind and attentive
– May become a professional who balance expectations
Will love Runrun.it because can participate as a follower on the tasks of their colleagues, helping with comments in a constructive way, and attaching files and key information for the proper execution of work.
QUESTIONERS
Limiting points
– Their appetite for questioning and demanding justifications can leave them constantly exhausted.
– May be seen as someone hard to work with, turning away people who are afraid to have their ideas refused.
– Suffer from a paralysis when need to take a simple decision.
Strength points
– Only meet an expectation if believe there’s a rational justification.
– Search for logic and are moved by a sense of justice and equality.
– Resistant to take any action that seems arbitrary or doesn’t have a clear purpose.
– Transform external expectations into internal expectations.
– Intellectually engaged, prefer to come to their own conclusions.
Will love Runrun.it because can make decisions more safely and with more chance of success, thanks to activity reports, costs and time, informing all the necessary details about what each employee is doing, which projects require more effort and how much they are actually costing.
UPHOLDERS
Limiting points
– May have difficulty in situations where expectations are unclear.
– May feel compelled to meet expectations, even those that seem meaningless.
– Unless they find a good justification, may feel uncomfortable when knowing that some rule, even unnecessary, is broken.
Strength points
– Respond immediately to expectations, both external and internal.
– Face few problems to attend commitments, to be thoughtful to goals and to meet deadlines.
– Usually complete their work early.
– Seek to understand and meet the expectations, including their own.
– Have a strong instinct of self-preservation and don’t lose themselves with others’ expectations.
Will love Runrun.it because can have a great control over their time spent on tasks, either by scheduling tasks with a specific starting date or by setting those that repeat from time to time.
When expectations are the most diverse possible, there are many commitments and projects are complex, you should have an impeccable team control. Control over their tasks, their time invested and their motivation at work. What you are looking for may be Runrun.it. The team management software adopted by more than 100 countries around the world, able to increase the productivity of a company up to 25%. Try it for free: http://runrun.it
