What drives you to do what you do, say what you say and love what you love?
After participating in quite an intense but very motivating team session on Management Drives, I felt rather enlightened. Management Drives visualises human characteristics in 6 colours in a grid; properties like impulsive acting, abstract thinking, groupsbonding and creating structure are evaluated for each person in the team, from which results an order of colours which fits most to your current natural behaviour. There is more in play, but this is to give you an idea.
Being rather skeptical towards labelled boxes and putting people in there(even though I like structure a lot), the character traits that the coach described to each member reminded me more of an astrological reading at the beginning than a fact-based analysis. But as I started to understand the model better, the descriptions became remarkably fitting for every team member.
It is, like every psychological model, a tool to make you aware of the interactions between you and your colleague, a foe and (especially) yourself. I was able to answer questions on why I do the things I do: why do I like to create games that influence people at all? Why do I not have a problem putting my personal feelings in a group, but can get it difficult when someone else does the same? My main drive is to get acceptance from my environment, feeling safe, fits to this behaviour. When I express myself openly and know my colleagues will catch me, that feels safe. But when another colleague express him/herself openly, then a bit of safety falls away, and I play part in creating safety rather than having it. Luckily my drive to bond a group, and give help to people that need it, is also there :).
I am sure I will take this experience with me in the things I do, say, and the way I approach people from now on. Can't stop seeing colors everywhere!