# Presentation: 440667

## Hard Wiring & Your Nature

- by
- Alan Gilburg & Amy Gilburg
**GROWTH DYNAMICS, INC.**

## Scavenger Hunt

- Collect signatures from people who fit the descriptions on the hand out
- A person can sign only once
- Take time to chat with each other about the questions

## What Did You Learn?

- Star the statements that best define your preferences
- Partners: What did you learn about yourself and others?

## Purpose of Workshop

- See your Hard-Wiring through Temperament
- Explore your strengths and limitations
- Become better at appreciating differences in others
- Build support with your Area LAOs

## Ground Rules

- OK to be different
- OK to ask questions at any time
- We start and end on time
- OK to take care of yourself
- Not OK to interrupt

## Nature       vs.      Nurture

| Natural mental preferences | Learned habits and skills |
| --- | --- |
| Naturally revert to under stress conditions | Naturally abandon under stress conditions |
| Natural preferences for viewing the world | Adaptive options for viewing the world |
| Natural preferences for choosing from among actions | Adaptive options for choosing from among actions |

## Nature       vs.    Nurture 2

| Innate genius | “Tabula rasa” |
| --- | --- |
| Educate (lead out) | Teach, impart |
| Natural limitations | Character faults |
| Genes rule | Environment rules |
| I’m like this because of my natural hard-wiring | I’m like this because of how I was raised and/or life experiences |
| I fulfill my destiny
 | I can be anything I want |

## Four Temperaments

- 2500 year-old theory created by Greek philosophers
- People are different more than they are same
- Temperaments govern physical health, social interactions, education methodologies
- Based on the medicine of the age and an intuitive insight into human nature
- Essential foundation for diversity

## Temperament—First Cut

**Temperament—First Cut**

- Data, facts
- Details
- Concrete, specific
- Grounded
- Practical
- Implementation
- Literal, historical
- Trees

- Patterns, relationships
- Ideas, concepts
- Abstractions
- Possibilities
- Big Picture
- Policy & Priorities
- Metaphor, symbol
- Forest

## Sensate Distinctions

## Temperament—Detail Group

**Temperament—Detail Group**

- _ACTION-ORIENTED_
- Novel experiences
- Action-oriented
- Trouble-shooter
- Easy going, laid back
- Not interested in theories, abstractions
- Ready, fire, aim!

- _TRADITIONALIST_
- Personal experience data base
- Loyal, diligent, dependable
- Serious, never impulsive
- Incremental change (TQM)
- Rules, rigid, risk averse

## Intuitive Distinctions

## Temperament—Big Picture

**Temperament—Big Picture**

- _RELATIONAL_
- More interested in what happens to, with and among people
- Relationship focuses
- Relies on inspiration to motivate others
- Avoids unpleasant situations

- _GOAL-ORIENTED_
- More interested in achieving & solving problems
- Task focused
- Responds to challenges
- Competency focused
- Tends to be overly tough and tactless

## Four Temperaments

_**Action-Oriented**_: realistic, practical, hands-on, trouble-shooter, clever
_**Relational**_: people-focused, inspirational, synergistic, energizing, harmonizing
_**Goal-Oriented**_: visionary, impatient, focused, serious, competent, adventurous, strategic, systems

**Four Temperaments**

## Temperament Picture

## Traditionalist

**Traditionalist**

- Details, facts, data
- Practical, realistic, grounded
- Leads by example
- Traditional, loyal, dependable, consistent
- PAST Tense
- Some are relational; some task-oriented
- Wants to do things “right”, be accurate
- Gets rigid, fixed, fears the future, risk averse

## Action-Oriented

**Action-Oriented**

- Details, facts, data
- Practical, realistic, grounded
- Seeks novel experiences
- Abhors theory and abstract thinking
- Some are relational; some task-oriented
- Action-oriented, trouble-shooter, clever
- In the moment: PRESENT Tense
- Easily bored and distracted; “ready-fire-aim”

## Relational

**Relational**

- People-oriented
- Harmony and aesthetics
- Friendly, warm, and playful
- Inspirational, morale-focused
- Able to show vulnerability
- Good will and feelings
- Avoids unpleasantness, confrontation, conflict

## Goal-Oriented

- Tough-minded, rational, clear, logical
- Strategy and/or Systems focused
- Task & Goal focused
- Competency is bottom line
- Justice and fairness
- Appears insensitive, tactless, impatient, heartless

## Breakout

**Breakout**

- Collect your handouts
- Find your animal group by the sign
- Form groups of no more than 8

## Talk Amongst Yourselves

- What  about  this  description brought you to this group?
- Describe some of your strengths and give brief examples.
- If it is  true that a strength over-used becomes a limitation, what might  that look like for you?

## Natural Self-Sabotage

_**Bears**_ act boldly in order to attain respect; what they deeply want is love!
_**Dolphins**_ act in a friendly way in order to get love; what they deeply want is respect!

- _Beavers_ act modestly, quietly, and sincerely; what they most want is to be seen and appreciated
- _Horses_ act confidently to solve practical problems; what they most want is to be seen as substantive

## Go Deeper!

- How can you truly get more of what you really want?
- What’s at risk for you to act more boldly for what you truly want?

## LAO Traditionalist Strengths

- Tends to know the rules, regulations, policies cold
- Historians, archivists, know the Past
- Accurate, consistent, dependable
- Modest, sincere, loyal, reliable team player
- Willing to do repetitive work
- Diligent about getting the job done

## LAO Action-Oriented Strengths

- Clever and resourceful in solving concrete problems
- Works well under pressure
- Eager to start new projects
- Handles change well, providing there are concrete things to do
- Comes alive in handling emergencies

## LAO Relational Strengths

- Regularly pays attention to people
- Great barometers for dealing with morale issues
- Able to energize and inspire others
- Visionary ideas
- Cares about aesthetics, beauty
- Good for selling, advocating, persuading

## LAO Goal-Oriented Strengths

- Visionary with ideas for the future
- Often willing to take the heat for what’s right
- Great at strategic thinking and/or systems thinking
- Rarely takes eye off the goal--strong focus
- Powerful advocates for just and fair ways of doing things
- Generally deals well with conflict

## Group Exercise & Report Out

- How do we like to be treated/not treated?
- What do we value most?
- How do we most like to learn?
- What do we want the other groups to know about us?

## Reflect on Differences

- What struck you about how the other groups described themselves?
- What are you learning about hard-wired differences?

## Fundamentals of Trust

## LAO Area Group Process

- Appoint a facilitator for your group
- Facilitator makes sure everyone gets to share and speak
- Ground Rules:
- One person talks at a time
- Not OK to interrupt
- Treat self-disclosure with respect
- OK to be different

## LAO Area Group Sharing

- Share Temperaments in group
- Share what you understand to be your strengths and limitations
- Determine ways you, as a group, can complement one another
- How can you better support one another?