People Wit

There have been countless books and articles written on the topicof managing your boss. The main premise of all these writings is the same: If you know the personality style of your manager, you will be able to manage this person by knowing what your manager needs and wants and how your  manager likes to work and communicate. If you can manage this person, you will have fewer problems with him or her.
There are four basic personality types that managers have. Some managers have a distinct personality style while others are combinations of two or three styles. Read the descriptions that follow and see if you can figure out your manager’s style. If you can, you will be more successful working with your manager.

The Monopolizers
They like to be in charge of everything. These managers are fast decision makers who stick to their decisions, are very organized, and are bottom-line oriented. They are ‘‘my way or the highway’’
types. If they were doing target practice, their saying would be ‘‘ready, fire, aim’’ (as opposed to the usual saying of ‘‘ready, aim, fire’’). If you work for monopolizers, make sure you are clear and direct with your communication, have all your facts ready, and be prepared to do what they say.

The Methodicals
They are your analytic types. These managers like to take their time gathering information and data before making a decision. They are very steady and predictable and overly concerned with accuracy. If they were doing target practice, their saying would be ‘‘aim, aim, aim.’’ They hate to make decisions and are always looking for more or different information. If you work for me- thodicals, be patient! Realize that they are trying to make the best decision based on all data. When you give your opinion or your suggestion, make sure that you have analyzed it carefully and can explain your reasoning and logic to them.

The Motivators
These are the superiors who are fun to be around. They are charismatic and seem to have good relationships with everyone in the organization. They have high energy, are creative, and have a competitive spirit. However, they often talk more than they do.They like to get things started, but completing them is another story. If they were doing target practice, their saying would be ‘‘talk, talk, talk.’’ They just love to talk and have fun and sometimes the work gets the backseat. When communicating with Motivators, make sure to do a lot of chitchatting. Ask them how their weekend was, how the kids are, and so forth. Before they can get down to business, they need to socialize.

The Mixers
You probably have a relaxed and laid-back work environment if your superior is a Mixer. Mixers have a strong sense of dedication, are loyal team members, patient, sympathetic, understanding,
dependable, and great at keeping the peace. Their Achilles heel is that they shy away from conflict. They do not like change. They favor the status quo. They may also be more concerned with how people are doing than getting the work out. If they were doing target practice, their saying would be ‘‘ready, ready, ready.’’ They are always there for you. The needs of others come before their own. When working with Mixers, put on your feelings and teamwork hat. You will need it!

Source :  Loren B. Belker & Gary S. Topchik THE FIRST-TIME MANAGER.FIFTH EDITION. AMACOM. 2005