Just as we saw four profiles emerge from the Personal Style abilities, there are four profiles that come with the combination of the Driving Abilities of Classification and Concept Organization.
CONSULTATIVE
People high in both classification and concept organization fit the “consultative” problem solving style. Not only do these people thrive in a chaotic environment and love solving problems (high classification), they are also very effective at communicating the solutions to the problems (high concept organization). They are able to walk into a situation, identify the problem, and explain some logical solutions. Consultative people are much more comfortable with the big picture and explaining the big picture to others. Because they thrive on challenges and change, these are not the folks you’d want to implement the solution, nor would they want to do it if you asked them too.
EXPERIENTIAL
People low in both classification and concept organization are considered “experiential” problem solvers. They are naturally wired to be patient with process and allowing people to grow at their own pace (low classification). They can also act decisively and quickly since they don’t have a pressing need to work through all the steps of a solution (low concept organization). Experiential problem solvers may well be the fastest problem solvers in a group. They may take a little longer on the front-end but once they’ve experienced a problem, they are quite adept at applying what they’ve learned to similar problems. They may not be able to explain how they got to the solution, but the solution usually fits. And, because they tend to be patient with people and process, they can be terrific implementers.
This is probably the ideal executive or managerial problem solving type. Given their ability to apply past experiences to present situations, it may be advisable for people with this combination to get as much varied work experience as possible early on in their careers.
DIAGNOSTIC
People high in classification and low in concept organization are considered “diagnostic” problem solvers. They like a fast, seat-of-your-pants work pace (high classification) and are able to go into a situation and “just know” what is going on. It’s as though they grab the answer out of thin air. The low concept organization helps them to identify a problem even more quickly, since they don’t have a need to work through all the steps of the process. But diagnostic problem solvers aren’t naturally adept at articulating what they see (low concept organization). They can do it; they just need to give themselves adequate time.
ANALYTICAL
Finally, people low in classification and high in concept organization are called “analytical” problem solvers. As people low in classification, they aren’t going to rush into a situation and quickly try to fix it. They’re much more comfortable with a stable work environment and with structure (low classification). They are good listeners and can be very accepting. Because they naturally create systems and structures (high concept organization), analytical problem solvers are very good at researching a problem in depth.
****IMPLICATIONS FOR FUNDRAISING****
We need all four problem solving types in our fundraising effort. The analytical problem solvers might be very good at ferreting out a longstanding dysfunction that’s affected donors and staff members in an organization over a period of years. The consultative problem solver can quickly see what needs work and explain it well, but others will be better suited to implement it.
There are so many possible implications but let’s look at a capital campaign. A diagnostic or consultative type may accurately identify the items needed in a capital campaign. But you’ll want an analytical person drawing up the blueprints. And you’ll probably want an experiential problem solver at the helm to make the plan a reality. When the going gets tough, they often won’t get as flustered as others. That is a definite asset in a campaign!
I’m thrilled to offer a 20% discount on the Highlands Ability Battery to all Extreme Fundraising readers. The Battery is the single most effective assessment I’ve taken. Although I took the Highlands in January of 2002, I refer to my feedback at least monthly. It impacted me so strongly, I became a Certified Provider of the Highlands.
Rather than assessing your perceptions of your interactions, the Battery records your actual performance on real-life work samples. Based on these results, it assesses how high or low you are in 19 separate natural abilities! (We’ve only looked at the first ten in this series.)
After completing the 3-4 hour Battery, you receive a 20+ page report on your results and a 2-hour feedback session with me. The feedback session is designed to help you process the results and create strategies to immediately apply those results to your life.
Don’t miss out on this LIMITED offer!
The experts that created the Highlands Ability Battery found that Spatial Relations Visualization (SRV) may be the most important factor in determining job satisfaction. People high in SRV like to have something tangible to show for their work. Many people high in SRV work in careers involving intangible things like people and relationships. These people often reach their mid-life and wonder what they have to show for their life. Even if they’ve helped dozens of people lead more fulfilling lives as a counselor, since they don’t have anything tangible to show for it—a book, a building, anything—they become incredibly depressed. They’ll often say their work doesn’t give them any “satisfaction.”
Given the importance of spatial relations visualization, we’ll look at the characteristics and challenges for people high, low, and in the mid range of this ability.
****HIGH SPATIAL RELATIONS VISUALIZATION****
CHARACTERISTICS
People high in SRV are structural thinkers. They like dealing with tangible, “real,” concrete things. They especially need to have something concrete to show for the work they do. They find it very easy to manipulate 3-dimensional objects in their mind. They have no problem translating 2-dimensional plans into 3-dimensional structures.
One of my friends is very high in SRV. This summer he added an addition to his home that basically doubled the house’s square footage. But he did the whole project without written plans and did it without any problems! High SRV people can do things like that.
CHALLENGES
One of the biggest challenges for high SRV people is realizing that not everyone sees the world like they do! Since nothing seems real unless you can touch and see it, people high in SRV can find it very challenging to deal in the realm of feelings and emotions. They will ultimately be dissatisfied with any work that is completely abstract.
****LOW SPATIAL RELATIONS VISUALIZATION****
CHARACTERISTICS
Since people low in SRV have no need to deal with concrete things, they are quite comfortable in the worlds of emotions, relationships, and ideas. They’re even comfortable in the realms of law and numbers. They’ll find themselves pulled toward careers such as counseling, teaching, and politics.
CHALLENGES
People low in SRV tend to be so comfortable in abstractions that they tend to overlook the connections between the abstract world and the real world. They also find it very challenging to enjoy working with hands-on tools or projects.
****MID SPATIAL RELATIONS VISUALIZATION****
Spatial relations visualization is such a strong driver that people in the mid-range, those that exhibit some high SRV tendencies and some SRV tendencies, need to be particularly intentional in planning their tasks. These people way not need to have an SRV outlet in their day-to-day jobs but they should seek hobbies that rely on this ability. Good SRV hobbies include: gardening, landscaping, vacuuming, ironing, martial arts, making pies and cookies—anything that has tangible results.
Taking the Highlands Ability Battery is the best way I’ve found to help determine whether you are in the high, low, or mid range of spatial relations visualization. If you haven’t yet taken the Highlands but are feeling dissatisfied in your life even after working through the other abilities we’ve discussed, why not try completing something with a concrete result. If you feel more at peace, more centered, more satisfied, you may be mid to high range SRV.
****IMPLICATIONS FOR FUNDRAISING****
Because spatial relations visualization is such an important factor in job satisfaction, it can be incredibly important in your life as a fundraiser. Much of our work is intangible—working with relationships, emotions, ideas. Being high in SRV, I personally tried to “tangibilitize” my work by tracking things like the number of donor contacts I made, how much money I asked for, and how much money I actually raised. These spread sheets went a long way in helping make my work tangible.
An added benefit was their ability to communicate what I did to my supervisors and to others in the organization. You can download a free call sheet at: http://www.fundraisingcoach.com/articles.htm.
