Date of Completion: Thinking Styles ® is a registered trademark wholly owned by The Cognitive Fitness Consultancy Ltd. Thinking Styles ® has been developed by The Cognitive Fitness Consultancy Ltd. and Consulting Tools Ltd. © 2000 - 2005 The Cognitive Fitness Consultancy Ltd. and Consulting Tools Ltd. All rights reserved.

Report Summary 3 Introduction 4 Definitions for each Thinking Style dimension 5 Summary of Your Personal Preference Scores 6 Comparative STEN scores against a Managerial sample 7 Your Personal Preference Scores in Rank Order

Your 12 Mini Profiles: Your Thinking Styles in Action 8 Introduction 9 Your Cognitive Drivers Your Cognitive Development Areas 10 Your Motivational Profile Your Analysis & Decision Making Profile 11 Your Style as a Manager How to Manage You 12 Your Communication Profile Your Preferred Presentation Style 13 Your Leadership Profile Your Contribution to a Team 14 How to Influence You Your Change Management Profile

Your Thinking Styles in Detail 15 - 16 Sensory Focused Dimensions 17 - 20 People Focused Dimensions 21 - 27 Task Focused Dimensions 28 Notes and Key Learning Points

Thinking Styles Exercises Exercises in developing flexibility in thinking skills and more information about the Thinking Styles dimensions are available at www.cognitivefitness.co.uk Thinking Styles is a self-reported, self-perception inventory. This cognitive profile and report has been prepared with every care and in good faith. The interpretation is generated from the sum of the responses to the statements in the Thinking Styles Questionnaire. Neither The Cognitive Fitness Consultancy Ltd., Consulting Tools Ltd. or your feedback facilitator accept any responsibility for the interpretation of the data within the report or any actions taken by a client as a result of the receipt of their profile or report. "The world we have created is a product of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking." Albert Einstein 1879 - 1955 Thinking Styles measures and maps out your cognitive profile for twenty-six different types of thinking. There are no "right" or "wrong" profiles and Thinking Styles is not a measure of your thinking ability or your "intelligence". It is quite likely that you will have a number of preferences for thinking in particular ways. These will be reflected in your highest scores and you may also find that your highest scores reflect some of your motivational drivers at work. Similarly, your lowest scores are likely to reflect those types of thinking that you least prefer and which you may avoid doing or which may de-motivate you on occasion. Key features of Thinking Styles: Each thinking style is independent, although some styles are often more closely associated together than others The 26 Thinking Styles are sub-divided into a Sensory focus, a People focus and a Task focus The Sensory styles identify how you prefer to process information via your senses The People styles identify how you tend to interact with other people The Task focus styles identify how you process information relating to tasks at work and how you tend to approach problem solving Report Your Report is divided into three parts. The first part maps your Personal Profile, showing your preferences for each of the thinking styles. The second part comprises 12 personal profiles designed as starting points for discussions between yourself and your manager, your coach or your facilitator. Each profile briefly explains how your thinking style preferences are likely to influence an area of your working life. Some of these will be more important to you than others and some may be critical to your future career success. The third part describes each style in more detail and the implications of your personal preferences for that thinking style. Scoring Methods There are five kinds of scoring information shown within your Thinking Styles Report. The first is the Raw Score. The other four take the Raw Score data and translate it into another kind of score as detailed below. Each type of score provides you with different information about how you prefer to think at work. Raw Scores are the sum totals of your responses from the Thinking Styles Questionnaire and are the basis for producing your % Spread Scores, your Variance Scores and your STEN Scores. % Spread Scores measure the degree to which you both 'like' and 'dislike' thinking in a particular way. This is shown in terms of a % range on the positive and negative sides of a 100% scale. Preference Levels show whether you have a high, moderate or low personal preference for each type of thinking. Variance Scores indicate how your responses to the statements within the Thinking Styles Questionnaire have varied across the dimension from strongly agree to strongly disagree. STEN Scores measure your Thinking Style preferences compared to a representative Managerial sample Sensory Focus: The ways you prefer to receive information via your senses and use your senses Visual thinking: involves looking and watching, the use of pictures, diagrams and visual imagery Auditory thinking: focuses on language and the use of words, listening and talking things through Kinaesthetic thinking: involves feelings, emotions, intuition and physical movement and exercise Digital thinking: focuses on facts, the use of data and statistics and your degree of data rationality People Focus: How you tend to interact with people Internal thinking: relies on own judgements and standards, believes oneself to be right and ignores feedback External thinking: relies on feedback from others as may feel lost without it, believes that others are right Self Referenced thinking: puts own needs first, ignores the needs of others and may refuse requests for time Altruistic thinking: is responsive to the needs of others and is always willing to help other people Conforming thinking: wants to fit in, dislikes confrontation and will take a non-challenging approach Challenging thinking: dislikes being told what to do, will challenge and confront, can be argumentative Collaborative thinking: involves others, shares information, always prefers a team environment Competitive thinking: wants to win, enjoys competition with others, and strives to better own performance Task Focus: Relating to tasks and activities at work and your approach to problem solving Detail Conscious thinking: needs the detail, attends to detailed information and produces detailed work Strategic thinking: focuses on general principles and summary information, often in terms of key points Creative thinking: multi-tasks, works things out 'backwards', has an untidy workspace, enjoys creativity Logical thinking: systematic and sequential, ordered and structured, completes one task at a time Options thinking: explores opportunities, possibilities, and alternatives, dislikes limited options, adds to work Procedural thinking: believes there is a 'right' way, that procedures are important and follows instructions Towards thinking: a focus on goals and targets, future focused and has a positive attitude Troubleshooting thinking: a focus on problems or potential problems, makes contingencies, may worry Proactive thinking: initiates action, wants to get on with things, makes decisions and takes action quickly Reactive thinking: waits, analyses and plans, reviews information and considers consequences Simplicity thinking: will simplify complex issues, has a perception of simplicity, prefers things to be easy Complexity thinking: enjoys the challenge of difficulty and complex issues, motivated by complexity Sameness thinking: seeks stability and prefers the familiar, notices similarities and prefers gradual change Differences thinking: seeks variety, notices what is different, has a high capacity and tolerance for change % Spread Scores For %name Your % Spread Scores measure the degree to which you both 'like' and 'dislike' thinking in a particular way. Scores on the right are the degree to which you Like thinking using these thinking strategies Scores on the left are the degree to which you Dislike thinking using these thinking strategies Sensory Focus: The ways you prefer to receive information via your senses and use your senses People Focus: How you tend to interact with people Task Focus: Relating to tasks and activities at work and your approach to problem solving High Moderate Low Dislike Like For %name Your STEN Score indicates the way in which you have scored compared to a representative Managerial sample. 16 % of the population will score Below the Average Range 68% of the population will score Within the Average Range 16% of the population will score Above the Average Range 2% of the population will score at the highest and lowest ends of the scale, i.e a STEN of 1 or 10 Sensory Focus: The ways you prefer to receive information via your senses and use your senses People Focus: How you tend to interact with people Task Focus: Relating to tasks and activities at work and your approach to problem solving below average range within average range above average range For %name This page shows a summary of the five different kinds of scoring information measured within your Thinking Styles report in rank order. If you have any high % Spread score preferences they are shown at the top of the page in green, your moderate preferences are shown in blue and your low preferences will be at the bottom of the page in red. High Moderate Low % Spread Score Dimension STEN Focus Raw Score Variance to Your % Spread Score: measures the degree to which you both 'like' and 'dislike' thinking in a particular way. This is shown in terms of a percentage range on the positive and negative sides of a 100% scale. Your Preference Level: shows whether you have a high, moderate or low personal preference for each type of thinking. Your STEN Score: measures your Thinking Style preferences compared to a representative Managerial sample. Your Raw Score: is the sum total of your responses from the Thinking Styles Questionnaire and is the basis for producing your % Spread Scores, your Variance Scores and your STEN Scores. Your Variance Score: indicates how your responses to the statements within the Thinking Styles Questionnaire have varied across the dimension from strongly agree to strongly disagree. (0 = no variance). Your facilitator will help you in the interpretation of these scores. Your Thinking Styles in Action On the following six pages are twelve mini-profiles. They have been generated from your responses to the Thinking Styles Questionnaire and provide "snap shots" of information about how your thinking influences the ways you are most likely to behave at work in certain situations and circumstances. The statements in these mini profiles are not meant to be exhaustive lists, but rather have been designed to be starting points for discussions between yourself and your manager, your coach or your facilitator. Each profile briefly explains how your thinking style preferences influence an area of your working life. Some of the points within the profiles will be quite specific, whilst others are more general statements about the way you work. Some of these will be more important to you than others and a few of them may even be critical to your future career success. These mini profiles will help you to clarify your strengths and will also identify those areas where you may become frustrated with colleagues or tasks at work. Many of the profiles relate to your preferred style of working within a team environment and your contributions as a team member. Your Cognitive Development Areas profile contains pointers for improving your effectiveness in order to help you and the people you work with maximise your performance and potential. If you would like to explore any of these areas further, your Thinking Styles facilitator will be able to provide exercises to help you develop greater cognitive flexibility in each type of thinking within Thinking Styles. The twelve mini profiles comprise: Your Cognitive Drivers Your cognitive drivers are those thinking preferences and thinking strategies that you score most highly for. They may be so important to you that all other information is filtered through them and will probably include those types of thinking which you naturally engage in most effectively. They may sometimes be considered to be your cognitive strengths and will be highly appropriate in certain circumstances, although possibly not in others. Some of them are quite likely to be those defining characteristics which 'get you noticed' at work. It is important to remember that, although we have identified the attributes below as being your cognitive drivers and possibly your cognitive strengths, in certain situations at work or with certain colleagues, they might also be considered to be disadvantageous. For example, someone who thinks very quickly might think too quickly for their colleagues. Someone who is very adept at understanding complex issues, might over-complicate them and be unable to explain them simply to others. A manager who has a high strategic focus might overlook critical details and conversely, someone who thinks in a highly detailed way may lack strategic understanding. Some of your cognitive drivers are that: You are likely to think quickly compared to your colleagues You are likely to have a clear vision about how you would like things to look at work You score more highly for Visual thinking than the majority of the Managerial Sample You are likely to be a good person to talk issues through with at work You score more highly for Auditory thinking than the majority of the Managerial Sample You are likely to be emotionally committed to your colleagues and the work that you do You are a highly intuitive thinker at work You are likely to take your feelings into account when considering an issue at work You score more highly for intuitive thinking than the majority of the Managerial Sample You are highly data rational and find data analysis interesting and enjoyable at work You score more highly for Digital thinking than the majority of the Managerial Sample You have strong internal standards which guide you at work You score more highly for Internally Referenced thinking than the majority of the Managerial Sample You tend to rely on others' opinions and feedback from colleagues at work You score more highly for Externally Referenced thinking than the majority of the Managerial Sample You believe that it is currently important for you to put yourself and your needs first at work You score more highly for Self Referenced thinking than the majority of the Managerial Sample Other people's wellbeing at work is very important to you, to such an extent that you will sometimes put their needs above your own You score more highly for Altruistic thinking than the majority of the Managerial Sample You prefer to take a non-confrontational approach and will always try to fit into the prevailing culture at work You score more highly for Conforming thinking than the majority of the Managerial Sample You dislike being told what to do and will take a confrontational approach if necessary You score more highly for Challenging thinking than the majority of the Managerial Sample You will look for opportunities to work collaboratively with others You score more highly for Collaborative thinking than the majority of the Managerial Sample You take a competitive approach and winning is important to you at work You score more highly for Competitive thinking than the majority of the Managerial Sample You pay great attention to details and tend to produce detailed work You score more highly for Detail Conscious thinking than the majority of the Managerial Sample You like to be involved in strategic decision making and prefer to think in general terms rather than focusing on details You score more highly for Strategic thinking than the majority of the Managerial Sample You are naturally creative and you will tend to work on more than one task at a time You score more highly for Creative thinking than the majority of the Managerial Sample Having structure and order in your working day is important to you and you tend to think logically and sequentially Structure and order are important to you and you tend to need a tidy working environment You score more highly for Logical thinking than the majority of the Managerial Sample Opportunity and possibility are important to you Generating alternatives and making choices are important to you You score more highly for Options thinking than the majority of the Managerial Sample Procedures are important to you You score more highly for Procedural thinking than the majority of the Managerial Sample You are recognised at work for your positive approach and positive focus on your objectives You are recognised at work for your positive attitude You score more highly for Moving Towards thinking than the majority of the Managerial Sample You are driven to identify problems and potential problems and to avoid them if you can You score more highly for Troubleshooting thinking than the majority of the Managerial Sample You have a highly proactive approach at work You score more highly for Proactive thinking than the majority of the Managerial Sample You take a considered approach to tasks and believe that it's important to consider the consequences of your actions You score more highly for Reactive thinking than the majority of the Managerial Sample Your preferred way of working is to keep things simple if you possibly can You score more highly for Simplicity thinking than the majority of the Managerial Sample Working with complex issues is something that you enjoy at work You are motivated to become involved with tasks or projects at work which others find difficult You score more highly for Complexity thinking than the majority of the Managerial Sample You prefer those things which are familiar to you You score more highly for Sameness thinking than the majority of the Managerial sample Your high tolerance for change will drive you to seek variety You have a high tolerance for change and prefer variety at work You score more highly for Differences thinking than the majority of the Managerial Sample Your Cognitive Development Areas Your cognitive development areas are those elements of thinking within your profile which you have identified as your least preferred ways of thinking and which you have scored least highly for. You probably tend to avoid using these thinking styles and you may even actively dislike using some of them. It is quite likely that your colleagues will have noticed at least some of the cognitive and behavioural attributes listed below and may even consider them to be 'weaknesses' of yours. However, whilst it is true that in certain situations you may avoid using these thinking strategies, remember that the Cognitive Development Areas we have listed here are potential weaknesses and may not, in fact, adversely affect your performance at all. It is possible, even quite likely, that you may already be aware of some or all of the points listed below. After discussions with your facilitator or line manager, you may wish to consider developing those areas of your thinking which cause either yourself or your colleagues difficulties at work. Some of your cognitive development areas are that: There will be times when you either don't listen carefully to what people are saying, or you don't hear what they have said There will be times when you are not as data rational as some of your colleagues Colleagues may occasionally describe you as being indecisive You may sometimes either fail to seek feedback from colleagues, or not listen to it when they give it to you! Your colleagues may sometimes view you as pursuing your own agenda At times, you may sometimes put others first to the detriment of your own needs You may not always assert yourself as you sometimes try to avoid conflict You may sometimes be perceived as being 'stubborn' in your decision making by colleagues Some colleagues may find you difficult to work with due to your tendency to challenge and question information You may not always make the effort to match the culture of an organisation Your preference for working alone on certain tasks may mean that you are not perceived as being a team player Sometimes, less competitive colleagues may find your competitiveness difficult to cope with Sometimes, you may overlook important details At times, you may need to take a more strategic approach You might sometimes become frustrated with an overly structured approach You may not always be perceived as thinking logically by some colleagues Your preference for options might sometimes lead to paralysis in decision-making Your colleagues may sometimes feel that you are excessively 'rule bound' Your colleagues may sometimes feel that you need to develop a more positive approach You may not pay sufficient attention to what could go wrong You should be aware that you may sometimes take action without considering all of the consequences of your actions There will be times when you delay taking any action, which can frustrate your colleagues You may have a tendency to oversimplify things Be aware that you may have a tendency to overcomplicate things You may not always fully understand the complexities of an issue Your Motivational Profile Your motivational profile comprises those elements of thinking which you generally find to be motivating at work. These types of thinking may be related to your cognitive drivers, although this is not always the case. Just as you are likely to be highly motivated by the opportunity to use these types of thinking at work, you will probably find your working environment demotivating if you cannot use them. The following statements are not going to be an exhaustive list as they are a representative sample of five items only. However, they have been compiled from those statements within the Thinking Styles Questionnaire which you identified as being motivationally important to you at work. If you want to increase your satisfaction at work, consider the types of thinking you find energising, enjoyable and motivating and then evaluate to what degree your cognitive motivational profile is being fulfilled at work. Your cognitive motivational profile suggests that: You are motivated to focus on the achievement of tasks You are primarily a 'people person' and may sometimes be motivated to focus on people at work You will find appropriate visual images motivating and you will tend to remember them Looking and watching is a motivatiing learning style for you. If you can see something being done you can probably learn how to do it Talking with colleagues is motivating for you, and you generally consider yourself to be a good listener Having the opportunity to use your intuitive skills is something you tend to find motivating at work Being able to consider how you feel when making decisions tends to be motivating for you You tend to learn by doing and find it motivating to be able to 'have a go' at something You are motivated to pay attention to data or statistics Being able to make your own decisions will motivate you at work You have set yourself high personal standards at work which guide and motivate your behaviour You will usually find other people's input motivating You will usually find feedback from colleagues motivating Your own needs at work are currently important to you and you are motivated to put yourself first at times You are highly motivated to help others sometimes putting their needs above your own You are particularly motivated to avoid confrontational situations if you can You are motivated to fit in You find it more motivating to be asked rather than told what to do It's important to you to be able to challenge and confront others if you feel it is necessary You will usually find it more motivating to work in a team than on your own Working within a team will tend to be a motivating experience for you You are competitive at work and are motivated by winning You are motivated to notice details and pay attention to them You are motivated to pay meticulous attention to important details You tend to focus on key points and find summary information useful You will be motivated to take a strategic approach if you can You prefer to multi-task and tend to have a number of tasks or projects on the go at any one time Having the opportunity to be creative at work is motivating or you You are motivated to think and work systematically Your responses suggest that you tend to find structure and order motivating Having choice will be an important motivational element for you at work You are motivated to think in terms of opportunities and possibilities You will probably be motivated to follow procedures at work as this makes your job easier You are highly motivated to achieve your goals and targets You will be motivated by a positive environment and a positive approach You are naturally motivated to avoid problems and potential problems You are naturally motivated to think in terms of contingency planning You like exciting, fast moving projects you can be proactively involved with You enjoy being proactive and being able to get on with things at work As you only like to implement things at the right time, you will often be motivated to wait Analysis and planning are important to you and you are more motivated to do them than other people might be You are motivated to consider the consequences of your actions You are motivated by simplicity and tend to simplify things You are motivated to keep things simple if you possibly can You will find tasks or projects with a degree of difficulty more interesting and motivating to work on You will find becoming involved in complex issues at work motivating Stability is a motivating factor for you and you prefer building on established traditions Gradual change will be more motivating to you than fast-paced, radical change A stimulating environment motivates you where every day is different in some way You find periods of radical change at work exciting and stimulating Your Analysis & Decision Making Profile Your analysis and decision making profile is made up of those elements within your thinking which influence the ways you consider information before coming to a conclusion or taking a decision. For example, some people rely on logic and details, whilst others prefer to make intuitive decisions. People who are Internally Referenced and Proactive will tend to make quick decisions which they also want to implement quickly, whereas someone with a higher preference for Externally Referenced thinking will want to involve others in their decision making processes. By talking to friends and colleagues about their cognitive strategies you can learn how other people analyse and make their minds up about things. By exploring your own analysis and decision making profile and discussing it with your facilitator, you will be able to improve the quality of your decision making profile, thereby helping you to take better quality decisions, consistently over time. Your analysis and decision making profile includes the following: You will tend to make decisions quite quickly based on the information you see You find it useful to talk issues through with colleagues when making a decision You tend to be an intuitive decision maker You tend to dislike statistical analysis and having to focus on numerical data You tend to be data rational and enjoy statistical analysis You tend to dislike statistical analysis and having to focus on numerical data You are more likely to believe that you are right about an issue than most other people at work You are likely to find decision making relatively easy as you tend to 'know your own mind' You tend to take feedback from other people into account as it helps you to make up your own mind You are more likely to involve others in helping you make a decision than most other people at work You are more likely to put your own or your teams' needs first than most other people at work You are likely to take your own needs into account when making any decisions When taking a decision you are more likely to put other people first than yourself You are likely to consider other people when decision making You may sometimes be tempted to make decisions which would keep the peace and help you to avoid conflict You may sometimes decide to do something just because you have been told that you cannot do it or that it cannot be done You will tend to enjoy collaborative decision making You will dislike having to engage in very detailed decision making You will tend to dislike having to engage in very detailed decision making You often prefer to focus on specific details rather than think in strategic terms You will dislike having to engage in strategic decision making You prefer to think in strategic terms rather than focus on specific details You would enjoy becoming involved in strategic decision making You are likely to take a 'creative' approach to analysis and problem solving rather than thinking things through systematically You tend to analyse information systematically and logically You may sometimes generate so many alternatives that you can have difficulty deciding which option to take Before making a decision you will tend to generate a number of possible options You will tend to follow established, tried and tested procedures to help you make decisions You like to get on with decision making and will become frustrated if progress is too slow for you Sometimes you will make an immediate decision, at other times you may need time to consider the issues in more depth You will prefer to consider decisions carefully before making them and taking any action Within your decision making you will endeavour to 'keep things simple' You may have a tendency to over-complicate issues, thereby making decisions more difficult to take Complex decision making is something you tend to enjoy at work Stability and the maintenance of values will often be a feature of your decision making You will sometimes decide to do something just because it is different to what you did last time Your Style as a Manager Much has been written about the behavioural attributes of managers, but very little effort has been directed towards identifying and discussing their cognitive characteristics, that is, the thinking which underlies their behaviour. It's important to recognise and remember that there is no 'one right way to manage'. Each manager's style is a product of their own thinking style preferences, which can be developed and refined to increase their effectiveness. To develop your skills as a manager, regardless of how much experience you may have had in the role, consider how you tend to manage priorities, people, tasks, projects and information at work and how flexible you are. Do you manage others in the same ways that you prefer to be managed? What could you learn from your manager and what could they learn from you? Your management style is likely to reflect the following: When in a management role you will focus predominantly on the achievement of tasks When in a management role you will maintain a balance between the people and the achievement of tasks When in a management role you will focus predominantly on the people You are a self-assured and confident decision maker You are likely to take a consultative approach You have an assertive profile, balancing your needs with those of others You are likely to be supportive to staff and colleagues You will match your work culture and will most likely agree with senior management decisions You prefer harmony rather than argument and heated debate You will avoid conflict Your collaborative approach is likely to be appreciated by colleagues You will encourage collaboration between team members Colleagues and staff will know that it's important to pay attention to details when working with you You consider it important to manage the details You tend to take a strategic approach, focusing on details as necessary You will have a balance of a strategic and an operational approach You will tend to juggle projects and tasks You will focus people's attention on completing one task at a time You will take a logical approach You will always want the best for your team and your organisation You will say what you want to achieve and use positive language You will tend to focus on risk management and contingency planning You often focus on avoiding problems Your style is characterized by your proactive approach You will tend to want people to get on with things You may react against having to take action too soon You will try to keep things easy to manage if at all possible How to Manage You The majority of people have a line manager or have elements of their working lives structured and ordered by other people in some way. Within some organisations, people's workload is managed. Within other organisations it is their time that is most closely controlled. However, in most organisations it is a combination of the people, the tasks they perform and the time they take to complete those tasks which are managed. Many books have been written about how to manage people and tasks from a behavioural perspective, but very little has been written about how to manage people and tasks from a cognitive perspective. The way that you yourself prefer to be managed, your likes and dislikes, will relate to your highest and lowest cognitive preferences. In order to manage you most effectively, your line manager should take the following into consideration. To manage you effectively: Colleagues need to make their expectations clear Ideally, verbal instructions should be backed up in writing Talk to you to discuss what needs to be done and how Listen to what you have to say Encourage you to take a hands on approach and become involved Be aware that you will tend to dislike 'micro-management' and will object to being managed in such a way Involve you in decision making Encourage you to seek feedback and explore the opinions of others Identify what's in it for you Be clear about the implications for others Avoid challenging you if possible as you tend to dislike confrontation Understand that you often need to challenge information in order to understand and accept it Remember that you prefer to be asked rather than being told what to do Take a collaborative approach with you rather than a competitive one Give you the opportunity to work with others whenever possible Create opportunities for you to perform at your best at work Give you opportunities to win at work or to be on the winning team Give you opportunities to win at work Give you projects or tasks to work on where paying attention to the detail is important Be aware that you will probably find it easier to discuss things in general terms rather than in detail Avoid giving you detailed projects or tasks to work on Give you opportunities to become involved in long term planning or decision making Involve you in 'blue sky' thinking exercises if possible Give you the opportunity to include an element of creativity within your work Trust you to organise your own time management Don't overload you with too many tasks at any one time Take a logical approach and give you structure and order Allow you to explore options Involve you in making choices if possible Remember your preference for following procedures Give you a tried and tested format that works Clearly identify the goals and targets you need to work towards Be positive Remember that you are motivated by avoiding problems and potential problems Understand that you may become frustrated if you think that progress is too slow Let you 'get on with things' Give you the time you need and don't try to push you into taking action too quickly Don't try to push you into taking action too quickly Explain what needs to be done simply and without overcomplicating things Keep instructions or directions simple Remember that you will like the challenge of tasks or projects which are complex Be aware of your preference for complexity Stress the familiar and be aware that you need stability Let you work on familiar tasks Recognise that you will become frustrated if there is not enough variety within your job role Provide you with variety Your Communication Profile Most would agree that communication between people is critical both at work and at home, and that meaningful communication is one of the most difficult things to achieve effectively. Your cognitive communication profile identifies your preferred sensory channels, how you tend to communicate with others and the most effective way for others to communicate with you. For example, some people are interested in detailed and complex information, whilst others prefer the overview stated simply. Many people state things in a positive way, whilst others have a natural tendency to use what some would consider to be 'negative' language. By understanding your own thinking style preferences you can learn to communicate more effectively and avoid unnecessary misunderstandings with colleagues. Begin to pay attention to the behaviours and language patterns of the best communicators. What can you learn about their cognitive strategies? Your cognitive communication profile suggests the following: You will often use visual language in your communications You will sometimes use visual language in your communications You will usually enjoy a narrative story and the use of metaphor or simile You are a good listener and colleagues will find it useful to debate issues through with you You may dislike conversations or presentations which overly focus on data or statistics You can communicate fluently with numbers as well as words You're not often easily persuaded You are often quite easily persuaded You are sometimes quite easily persuaded You are likely to challenge information as this helps you to understand it You are likely to want to collaborate on any communication materials you have to generate You will prefer to focus on detailed information, either written or spoken You may have a tendency to talk in terms of strategy or key pieces of information You may need a colleague to review your communication materials to ensure that they make logical sense! It's important to you that any communications make logical sense You are one of the few people who can understand and follow unwritten procedures (and explain them to others) as well as written ones You prefer information to be communicated to you using positive language You are likely to include concern for problems or potential problems in your communications You prefer information to contain language that is action oriented You may delay sending out information until the time is right or until you have collated it all You may dislike over-simplistic conversations or presentations You prefer things to be communicated to you in the simplest way possible You may dislike over-complicated conversations or presentations You will be good at understanding complex information, although you may overcomplicate your explanations of it Your Preferred Presentation Style Your preferred presentation style is likely to be closely related to your preferred communication profile. This information provides clues, for example, as to how you will generally tend to design and deliver a presentation, its speed of delivery and its format and the kind of presentation which you will prefer to receive. Although you may know which kinds of presentation you tend to enjoy the most, you may not be aware of the effect that your presentations have on other people. Understanding how your thinking strategies influence your preferred presentation style is critical when planning a presentation. You can learn to deliver flexible presentations that meet the needs of your audience rather than being unconsciously driven by your own thinking styles. Remember that your preferences may be very different to those of your audience. What do the best presenters do? Are they cognitively more flexible than you are and if so how? What can you learn from them about the speed of delivery, their use of visuals, the criticality of language and the effective use of memorable props? Your preferred presentation style includes the following: You are likely to prefer information to be presented quite quickly and may become frustrated if the pace is too slow for you You will notice if something doesn't look quite right The visual presentation of things tends to be important to you You are likely to be a good wordsmith who enjoys writing elegantly and eloquently Sloppy language within a presentation is likely to annoy you You tend to pay attention to the specific words and language used in presentations You may worry if you have to deliver a presentation You may feel the need to walk around in order to deliver a good presentation You will probably prefer presentations which allow you time to think You will tend to pay particular attention to data and statistics You will tend to pay particular attention to factual information You will tend to be confident presenting your own opinion You will tend to be more confident presenting information or feedback from others rather than your own opinion You are likely to present challenging ideas You have a preference for presenting and including details You are likely to give quite detailed presentations You will tend to summarize information and present key points You will tend to present key points rather than the details You will generally summarize information You will tend to prefer presentations if they contain an element of creativity You will tend to prefer presentations to be in a structured and logical order You will probably like presentations where a number of options are given and explored You are likely to present options You will probably prefer a presentation if it follows an established format You will usually include aims, goals or targets in a presentation if you can For you, it's important that risks and potential problems are also presented You are likely to want contingency plans included within any presentation whenever possible A presentation which focuses on some kind of action will be more relevant to you A degree of simplicity within a presentation will be important to you A degree of complexity within a presentation will make it more interesting to you You will probably enjoy presentations which are different in some way Your Leadership Profile Even if you are not currently in a leadership role, you still have a leadership profile that identifies the ways in which you will be most likely to think and behave when you are in a position to lead others. Your cognitive drivers and your cognitive motivational profile will influence your particular type of leadership style because how you tend to lead others will be closely related to your highest and lowest thinking styles preferences. Some leaders are predominantly task focused while others tend to be 'people people'. Anecdotal evidence from our experience with teams suggests that the most effective leaders have a balance of both a people and a task focus. Review your highest Thinking Styles preferences and consider how they contribute to your leadership of a team of people or your leadership of a project. You may also find it useful to explore with your facilitator how your leadership style is affected when you are under stress. Your profile suggests that: In some ways, you are likely to lead through language You are likely to be a good orator You are likely to be an intuitive leader You may use data and statistics to help you make your leadership decisions You are not really concerned with others' opinions when making leadership decisions Others will perceive you as being quite decisive You are concerned with others' opinions and will always take a consultative approach as a leader if you can You are concerned with others' opinions and will take a consultative approach to leadership You will usually take a consultative approach to leadership You are generally supportive of colleagues, but will not allow other people's issues to deflect you from the important tasks For you, leadership is all about leading for the benefit of others You may dislike the confrontational elements of a leadership role You will not avoid the confrontational elements of a leadership role You are likely to involve others in leading so you don't have to do it alone You will take a collaborative approach to leadership You are highly competitive as a leader You are moderately competitive as a leader For you, a leadership role is very much concerned with details For you, a leadership role is concerned with details as well as strategy For you, a leadership role is very much concerned with strategic direction For you, strategy is an important part of any leadership role The strategic direction of the organisation is important to you You would enjoy being involved in strategic decision making You tend to lead with logic and rational argument For you, a leadership role involves exploring all the options For you, leadership involves putting procedures in place and it's important to you that they are followed Goals and targets are important to you within a leadership role Your leadership is characterised by your positive approach You are concerned with avoiding problems and potential problems You are highly proactive and may become frustrated with less proactive colleagues You perceive yourself to be moderately proactive within a leadership role Analysis and planning are critical to any leadership decisions you might make Simplifying the key issues so that everyone can understand and follow them is important to you Simplifying issues so that everyone can understand them is important to you You are likely to enjoy the complexity and difficulty of leadership You are a change agent and are therefore unlikely to be the right person to lead a period of stability after change has occurred Within your organisation, you are likely to be a change agent and to support change Your Contribution to a Team Many people work as part of more than one team at a time. A team might be relatively 'fixed' within a department, or it might be a cross-functional team, a multi-cultural, multi-hierarchical team, or an inter-departmental team. Because people are frequently leaving and joining teams, the dynamics of team membership are rarely stable. Knowing what each team member's contributions are likely to be from a Thinking Styles perspective can dramatically increase the speed of people's integration into a team and can help fast track a team to success. There will also be a measurable increase in the whole team's motivation if team members can work to their individual and combined cognitive strengths. Given the opportunities to work in the ways that suits your cognitive profile best, your contribution to a team is likely to be consistent within any team that you are a part of. Within a team: You may notice small errors in written materials which others miss You are able to explain diagrams to others The team may use you to review the quality of written materials The team may use you as a sounding board for discussing ideas You may be the 'creative intuitive thinker' You are likely to have high levels of physical and mental energy You use facts, logic and an evidence based approach Your ability to analyse data and statistics will be useful Your data rationality will be of benefit You always listen to other people's comments and feedback You always try to work supportively with colleagues You do your best to look after your colleagues' needs You are likely to fit into any team without disrupting it You are likely to play the role of Challenger You can work either independently or as part of a team You always seek to work with others in a collaborative environment if possible You are moderately collaborative You can be relied upon to pay attention to critical details on behalf of the team You have a detailed approach to tasks You can be relied upon to take a strategic perspective on behalf of the team Your ability to summarise key points of information will be of benefit Your creative approach to problem solving will be useful As you multi-task well, you can work successfully on concurrent tasks or projects You provide structure and order You have a logical and systematic approach You are good at generating alternatives and considering different options You will ensure that the procedures are in place to help the team to function more effectively Your optimism and positive outlook will be appreciated by others You can be relied upon to undertake risk analysis and contingency planning Your colleagues may relyon you to carry out contingency planning One of your strengths is your ability to identify the possible problems which need to be avoided You can be relied on to get things done You do your best to ensure that the consequences and implications of actions are considered You tend to synthesise and simplify information, often for the benefit of others You tend to synthesise and simplify information You will do your best to explain complexity to others You may accept tasks or projects which others consider difficult As you enjoy variety you may take on different tasks or roles within the team How to Influence You This mini profile will give your line manager and your colleagues (if you decide to share your Thinking Styles report with them) some clues as to how to influence you at work. When people pay attention to these 'cognitive clues' they will find working with you a more effective and enjoyable experience. You will feel as if they understand how you think and you are likely to find this motivating, and overall your working relationships and teamworking will improve. Remember that, as with all these mini profiles, five statements are not enough to identify all of your likes and dislikes regarding how you will be influenced at work. The statements below have been selected from the highest, and possibly the lowest, preferences you indicated within your Thinking Styles Questionnaire. To influence you: Avoid using complex visual representations of things Give you a compelling vision of the future Be clear about what you want to see or what success looks like Avoid long, wordy documents or unnecessary debates Give you the opportunity to talk things through Pay attention to words and language and use them carefully Minimise the use of data and statistics Make sure that you have the relevant data or statistics Don't force you to make a decision without allowing you to speak to others first Allow you to make up your own mind Avoid giving you lots of feedback as you may ignore it Give you lots of feedback Be aware that you tend not to put yourself first and will probably dislike 'selfish' behaviour in others Identify how you will benefit as you need to know what's in it for you Identify how your contribution could help others Don't try and force you to conform or fit in Avoid challenging you directly as it may make you feel uncomfortable Ask you rather than tell you what to do Understand your need to challenge and question in order to clarify your thinking Allow you to work independently on your own projects or tasks Invite you to become involved and collaborate Avoid taking a competitive approach with you Identify your opportunities for winning or being the best Don't insist on a detailed approach Pay attention to important details Avoid being too strategic or talking in generalities Focus on the strategic implications Take a logical and systematic approach and encourage other colleagues to do the same Avoid generating too many options Allow you to consider the options Be flexible regarding procedures as you may have a tendency to ignore them if you don't appreciate their value Follow an established procedure that works Maintain a positive approach Avoid over-emphasis on problems and potential problems because you will just become de-motivated Encourage risk analysis and contingency planning Once a decision has been made, take action quickly Wait until the time is right before taking action Avoid over-simplification as you may find it irritating, or worse, patronising Be aware of your preference to simplify things Don't over-complicate things Remember your preference for complexity Give you tasks or projects with an element of difficulty Minimise repetitive and mundane tasks Emphasize stability and those things that you are already familiar with Keep changes to a minimum Identify how you can make a difference Identify what is new or different Your Change Management Profile Your change management profile comprises those elements of thinking which relate to whether you embrace or resist change, and whether you are more likely to initiate change or respond to it. For example, someone with a high preference for Differences thinking tends to have a high tolerance for change and may sometimes 'change things for change's sake' just because they themselves have become bored with the status quo and have a need for variety. Those people who score highly for Proactive thinking will tend to want to make any changes quickly whereas Reactive thinking involves taking a more considered approach, delaying change and waiting before implementing any action. A preference for Internally Referenced thinking suggests confidence regarding decision making, including those decisions which relate to others. Your change management profile includes the following: You will tend to avoid focusing on the numbers which relate to change The numbers which relate to change are of great interest to you The numbers which relate to change are of interest to you You may underestimate the effect of change on other people You are likely to have your own ideas about change at work Before deciding upon any changes you will want to consult others You will be concerned if you think that any changes will negatively impact on others You will be concerned about the effect of change on other people You will generally be happy to fit in with organisational change You may sometimes be tempted to challenge change, particularly if you haven't been involved in the decision making or implementation process You are likely to take a collaborative approach to change Within any change programme you are likely to be concerned with the details You will want to be involved in any strategic decision making relating to change within an organisation You may underestimate the time it might take for changes can be made You will need others to take a logical and structured approach to change Within a change programme it will be important to you that the agreed procedures are followed You will usually embrace change positively Although you have quite a high tolerance for change, you will also be concerned about the problems change can bring You may become frustrated if changes happen too slowly for you You will want to implement any agreed changes quickly You will probably want to implement any agreed changes fairly quickly You may resist change if you feel that it is happening too fast for you You are likely to act as a change agent within your organisation You have a high tolerance for change within your work environment Your % Spread Score STEN Your scores indicate that you have a High personal preference for %dimension. Your scores indicate that you have a Moderate personal preference for %dimension. Your scores indicate that you have a Low personal preference for %dimension. Your scores indicate that you Dislike some elements of %dimension. You score more highly for this type of thinking than the majority of the Managerial Sample. Your score falls within the same range as the majority of the Managerial Sample. Your score is lower for this type of thinking than the majority of the Managerial Sample. Your responses suggest that you: There are two types of Visual thinking: internal and external. Internal visual thinking consists of being able to hold a visual image inside your own imagination and is closely linked to the technique of visualisation. External visual processing relates to a preference for learning by looking or watching, finding it easier to understand information if diagrams or sketches are used and the importance given to presenting information in a clear visual format; making everything 'look good'. Auditory thinking relates to a focus on words and language through writing, speaking and listening. Auditory thinkers like to debate issues and to talk things through with friends or colleagues. Very often Auditory thinking also involves a focus on listening and on the quality of sound. Background noise can be very distracting and some people with a high Auditory preference need to work in silence so they can concentrate. Kinaesthetic thinking can be sub-divided into two types of processing. Internal Kinaesthetic thinking relates to our feelings and emotions. It also relates to the sense of intuition and the degree to which people rely on their intuitive feelings to make decisions and filter information. External Kinaesthetic thinking relates to our 'physicality'; the degree to which physical exercise is important and how movement can affect internal thinking processes, for example, whether someone prefers to 'learn by doing' or is particularly 'hands on' at work. Digital information consists largely of numbers and data, ignoring sensory stimulus. Data and statistics are highly digital forms of information and some language can be as well, if it is devoid of any sensory references. Digital thinkers are interested in the dispassionate analysis of information. They may also use jargon to distance themselves from certain situations through language. For example, some people within the medical or legal professions use digital language to disassociate themselves from their 'cases', so they do not become emotionally involved with their work. Internally Referenced thinkers set their own standards and do not tend to seek feedback or input from other people. At the extreme end of the scale, highly Internally Referenced thinkers always think that they are right and need to be careful that they are not perceived as being arrogant by their colleagues. They appear confident, particularly as they find decision-making relatively easy. However, other thinking strategies are also needed to ensure that the quality of those decisions is consistently high. The focus for an External thinker is on finding out what other people think regarding the issues they are involved with, because this helps them make up their own mind. They are very interested in feedback from others and may refuse to make a decision until they have heard what their colleagues have to say. Someone with a strong External reference is likely to believe that what other people tell them is correct and they tend to feel lost if they don't receive feedback. They prefer to make decisions by consensus and may score poorly on conventional decision rating scales. Self Referenced thinking involves a belief that your needs are just as important as other peoples' and that there are times when it is important to put yourself first at work. However, Self Referenced Thinking can also mean putting your department, your team or your organisation first. Highly Self Referenced thinkers often like working alone as they can find being interrupted by other people distracting and even, sometimes, irritating. At the extreme, highly Self Referenced thinkers will ignore the needs of others, refuse requests for their time and be too busy with their own work to help someone else. Altruistic thinkers are sensitive to the needs of other people. They will always help a colleague if they possibly can and they are very responsive to other people's requests for their time or their assistance. An Altruistic thinker will notice (sometimes even anticipate) others' needs and will focus their energy on looking after the other members of their team and their colleagues, both physically and psychologically. A very high score can mean that the Altruist thinker puts other people first at their own expense. Conforming thinkers like to fit in and prefer not to 'stand out in a crowd'. They are flexible and adaptable, matching the culture of an organisation or a team whenever they can. Taking a non-confrontational approach wherever possible, Conforming thinkers will always try to avoid what they perceive to be an argument or disagreement. This means that they avoid challenging others and will either walk away from a confrontation or will seem to agree at least on the surface. However, they may not implement or support what you think that they have agreed to. Challenging thinking involves taking a confrontational approach. A Challenging thinker will push the boundaries of whatever they are involved with. They dislike being told what to do and they will often employ a high risk strategy to achieve their objectives. The 'Challenger' processes through disagreement. This means that their first response is likely to be negative, however they will often move from 'no to yes'. The Challenging thinker can be difficult to work with as their natural tendency to confront can be difficult to cope with at times. Collaborative thinking involves seeking opportunities to work with other people both inside and outside the organisation. Collaborative thinkers are naturally affiliative and will be active networkers who seek out the company of others with whom they can work successfully. They will always prefer a team environment to working alone. They are likely to fit well into any team as they focus their attention on developing relationships by working collaboratively across hierarchies and functional disciplines. There are two kinds of Competitive thinking: firstly, being competitive only against yourself, always trying to better your own performance regardless of what anyone else is doing, and secondly, being competitive with other people. Some Competitive thinkers are only concerned with being 'self competitive' and others are always driven to try to win and beat other people at any cost. If your score falls at the high end of the scale you are likely to be both self competitive and competitive with other people. Thinking in a Detailed Conscious way means being aware of the criticality of details and focusing on small 'bite sized' chunks of information. Detailed thinkers need the detail to understand and make sense of something and they become frustrated if these details are lacking. They produce detailed work and dislike not being given the time they need to complete a task. Problems can arise when detailed thinkers do not differentiate between details and regard them all as equally important. Strategic thinking involves a focus on 'big chunks' of information rather than on specific details. Strategic thinkers tend to think in general terms and will often have a focus on long term plans. They need to understand the general context in order to be able to give something their attention and they will often ask you for an overview. They like to work on big projects where they have the opportunity to link pieces of the jigsaw puzzle together to form the 'big picture'. We are all creative. This type of thinking, although it is labeled as being 'creative', involves only the following thinking strategies and behaviours. If you have a low score for these it does not mean that you are not creative in general, it just means that you do not tend to do what we have described. Highly Creative thinkers can appear chaotic in their processing and their work space is often untidy. They naturally multi-task as a preferred way of working and may struggle to meet deadlines, particularly as they are so easily distracted. Creative thinking involves the ability to make connections and recognise patterns. Structure and order are important to Logical thinkers. They prefer to focus on one task at a time and think in a linear and sequential fashion, working through a task from its beginning to its end. Logical thinkers tend to be good at conventional time management and can always be relied on to meet their deadlines. They are not easily distracted, however they do dislike working in an untidy, cluttered environment. Options thinking involves seeking alternative ways of doing things and thinking in terms of opportunities and possibilities. The Options thinker is motivated by being able to choose and dislikes only being given one option as they therefore have no choice. In fact, if you do not give them a choice they will automatically generate another alternative, thereby giving themselves more choice. Sometimes the Options thinker can become overwhelmed by the options they have available to them and become paralysed into inaction. Procedural thinking acknowledges that procedures are important at work and that there is a need for a clearly defined framework to ensure that things are done correctly and that rules are followed. The Procedural thinker looks for a recognisable procedure and once found will follow it, being highly motivated to complete it. Procedural thinkers may feel lost if they don't have established rules to follow as they like to know that they are doing something the correct way. Towards thinking is distinguished by a positive approach. A 'positive mental attitude' even in the face of adversity is one of the defining characteristics of this type of thinking. Another is the focus that Towards thinkers have on achieving their goals and targets. They are always able to maintain their attention on their objectives and can always tell you what it is they want to achieve. However, Towards thinkers may gloss over or dismiss potential difficulties or obstacles. Trouble Shooting Thinking involves the identification of problems and potential problems that need to be avoided. The Trouble Shooter thinks in terms of risk management, focusing on what could go wrong in the future and on preventing the re-occurrence of previous problems. They excel at making contingency plans. They tend to dislike risk-taking and often excel in a crisis situation. However, the Trouble Shooter can sometimes create problems to solve and fires to fight. The characteristic of Proactive thinking is its focus on initiating or taking action. Highly Proactive thinkers just want to 'get on with it' and to be in the driving seat, pushing things through and implementing actions sooner rather than later. The speed of decision making is important to the Proactive thinker as they dislike waiting. The Proactive Thinker can sometimes be rash and impulsive and may not consider the consequences or implications of the things that they do. Reactive thinkers rarely take action without carrying out the appropriate analysis and planning. They dislike taking any action until they feel that they have all of the relevant information they need and that the time is right, which also means that they sometimes feel pushed into taking action too soon. They respond to situations rather than creating the circumstances of change and often need additional time to reflect on future decisions. Moreover, they often want to double check decisions before progressing them. The Simplicity Thinker is motivated to simplify everything. Because they prefer things to be easy they may avoid doing or learning something if they perceive that it's not going to be easy or that it may be difficult. The Simplicity thinker will always try to keep things easy to manage if they possibly can. This means that they will often underestimate the complexity of a task or an issue, which can lead to problems for them later on. Complexity thinking involves linking issues together and considering the implications of complex interactions over time. The Complexity Thinker is motivated by challenge, often being attracted to work that is considered too difficult or complicated by others. They can become frustrated if they are given projects or tasks which are 'too easy'. Complexity thinkers can sometimes 'over-complicate' issues making them difficult unnecessarily, although they are unlikely to do this deliberately. Sameness thinkers prefer tasks which are familiar, finding this familiarity comforting. They like to focus on those things which have been proven over time and are unchanged. Stability is very important to Sameness thinkers which means that they can sometimes have a low tolerance for change preferring any changes to be introduced gradually. They value continuity and have a tendency to focus on the traditional. When comparing two situations they will notice similarity, where something is like something else or is the same. Seeking difference and noticing what is different are characteristics of Difference thinking. The Differences thinker likes being at the forefront of change and has a naturally high tolerance for it, even for what some people would consider to be quite radical change. They are stimulated and motivated by variety, becoming quickly bored with routine and familiar tasks. At work or in life in general they often like to 'make a difference' in some way. Although they like to be different, they do not always want to be noticed. Find the use of diagrams and sketches helpful at work and sometimes use them yourself to show people what you mean or explain your point of view Are able to use the technique of visualisation and sometimes employ it at work Have actively developed your listening skills over the years and consider yourself to be a good listener Notice the subtle qualities of people's voices and are often able to recognise people's voices on the phone Are likely to take your feelings into account when weighing up an issue Like to learn by doing, by having hands-on experience Often find it useful to move around, walk or take some kind of exercise in order to help you think issues through Use a combination of your feelings and your intuitive skills to make decisions Feel comfortable relying on your feelings to help you assess an idea or an issue Would describe yourself as highly intuitive May sometimes come across as being rather detatched to those colleagues who score less highly for Digital thinking than you do Are likely to be more focused on factual information in your approach than many of your colleagues Are more likely to believe yourself to be right than the majority of other people Will come across to your colleagues as being decisive at work Are generally happy making decisions on your own, although you may sometimes like to discuss issues with colleagues before finally making up your mind May sometimes come across to colleagues as either lacking in confidence or of being unsure of yourself Will prefer to involve other people in any decision making you have to do Believe that your needs are just as important as other people's and find that there are times when you need to put yourself first at work Will probably dislike what you perceive to be 'selfish' behaviour in both yourself and others Will sometimes put other people's needs or desires above your own May experience internal stress if you feel obliged to put other people first against your better judgement Will make every effort to fit into the prevailing culture at work Are more likely to 'toe the line' and conform than the majority of other people at work Are more likely to believe that you are right and be prepared to argue about it than the majority of other people May be perceived as being quite difficult to work with at times because of your high preference for challenging others Enjoy working collaboratively on tasks and will usually take a collaborative approach with colleagues Prefer a team based approach at work and will usually work in a team if you can Like to win at work and would describe yourself as highly competitive Always pay attention to details and believe that not paying attention to them tends to be a mistake Generally prefer to focus on strategic issues rather than detailed information Prefer to read summarised information and to think in terms of key points Don't tend to need detailed information in order to understand something; initially at least, the 'general gist' is more important to you Tend to gloss over details if they are not immediately relevant to you Would like to be involved in strategic decision making Have a natural tendency to multi task at work Score so highly for 'Creative' thinking that some of your more sequentially thinking colleagues can find you difficult to work with as your natural working styles are so different May often find yourself working in self-created clutter, even though ultimately this can be distracting for you Can sometimes find it difficult to meet deadlines and be working on tasks 'right up to the last minute' Prefer to work on one task at a time, completing that task before moving on to the next one Are generally perceived by your colleagues to be a 'logical' thinker who can be relied upon to think systematically Would usually prefer to have a choice in both what you do at work and how you do it Can generate so many different options that you may sometimes have difficulty choosing which option to take Will follow established procedures at work, especially if there are good reasons for them Are currently finding that procedures play quite an important part in your role at work May sometimes be perceived as being overly concerned with rules and procedures by your colleagues who score less highly for Procedural thinking than you do Will always try to maintain a positive approach at work even in the face of adversity Have such a positive attitude that you may sometimes ignore potential problems or obstacles Describe yourself as being generally positive at work Are good at identifying both problems and potential problems at work May sometimes be regarded as having a rather 'negative' attitude by your colleagues Have a natural tendency to think in terms of contingency planning Would generally describe yourself as being quite proactive at work Are very likely to initiate action at work May sometimes take action too quickly, without considering all of the consequences of your actions May sometimes ignore problems or potential problems in your rush to implement actions at work May sometimes wait so long for the circumstances to be right for you to take action, that you may miss opportunities which could be beneficial to you May sometimes find that you have to be 'forced' into taking action at work as your natural preference is not to initiate action yourself Prefer to 'keep things simple' at work if you possibly can Are motivated by complexity at work and enjoy becoming involved in complex issues Enjoy working on tasks and projects which are considered 'too difficult' by others Find complex issues more interesting than most other people at work May have a tendency to 'over-complicate' issues at work unnecessarily May make your explanations of issues at work or their solutions rather complicated for some of your colleagues Enjoy working on 'difficult' tasks and projects Sometimes have a low tolerance for change and find changes at work threatening Like your working days to be similar and prefer tasks which are familiar to you Would prefer any changes at work to be made gradually Do not become bored by familiar tasks Need a degree of variety in your job role at work Have a high tolerance for change at work and find these periods of change exciting and stimulating 81 Often learn by looking or watching Tend to learn by looking or watching Sometimes learn by looking or watching Don't tend to learn by looking or watching Don't learn by looking or watching 134 Find information presented visually meaningful to you Tend to find information presented visually meaningful to you Can find information presented visually meaningful to you Don't find information presented visually particularly meaningful to you Don't find information presented visually meaningful to you 16 Are able to interpret information more quickly if diagrams are used Are often able to interpret information more quickly if diagrams are used Sometimes find information presented in diagrams quite useful Don't find information presented in diagrams particularly useful Don't find information presented in diagrams very useful 78 Will often draw a sketch or diagram to show people what you mean Will sometimes draw a sketch or diagram to show people what you mean Will occasionally draw a sketch or diagram to show people what you mean Rarely draw a sketch or diagram to show people what you mean Don't draw sketches or diagrams to show people what you mean 96 Often visualise the things that you are planning to do Tend to visualise the things that you are planning to do May visualise the things that you are planning to do Tend not to visualise the things that you are planning to do Rarely visualise the things that you are planning to do 162 Frequently think in terms of visual pictures or visual imagery Often think in terms of visual pictures or visual imagery Sometimes think in terms of visual pictures or visual imagery Don't tend to think in terms of visual pictures or visual imagery Don't think in terms of visual pictures or visual imagery 59 Quite frequently use diagrams to explain your point of view May sometimes use diagrams to explain your point of view Occasionally use diagrams to explain your point of view Rarely use diagrams to explain your point of view Rarely use diagrams to explain your point of view 118 Often create pictures in your head when someone is talking Sometimes develop pictures in your head when someone is talking May develop pictures in your head when someone is talking Don't develop pictures in your head when someone is talking Don't develop pictures in your head when someone is talking 46 Often find talking an issue through with a colleague helpful May often find talking an issue through with a colleague helpful Sometimes find talking an issue through with a colleague helpful Don't really find talking an issue through with a colleague helpful Rarely find talking an issue through with a colleague helpful 33 Consider yourself to be a very good listener Are a good listener Sometimes consider yourself to be a good listener Don't consider yourself to be a particularly good listener Don't consider yourself to be a particularly good listener 77 Always pay close attention to the words and language that people use Usually pay close attention to the words and language that people use Sometimes pay close attention to the words and language that people use Don't really pay close attention to the words and language that people use Don't pay close attention to the words and language that people use 167 Think that your listening skills have definitely developed over the years Think that your listening skills have developed over the years On occasion think that your listening skills have developed over the years Don't think that your listening skills have developed over the years Don't think that your listening skills have developed over the years 24 Usually notice the subtle qualities of people's voices Often notice the subtle qualities of people's voices Sometimes notice the subtle qualities of people's voices Rarely notice the subtle qualities of people's voices Rarely notice the subtle qualities of people's voices 123 Are often able to recognise people's voices on the phone Tend to be able to recognise people's voices on the phone Can sometimes recognise people's voices on the phone Find it difficult to recognise people's voices on the phone Rarely recognise people's voices on the phone 11 Have very sensitive hearing Tend to have sensitive hearing Sometimes have quite sensitive hearing Don't have particularly sensitive hearing Don't have particularly sensitive hearing 53 Learn experientially, by doing Tend to learn experientially, by doing Sometimes learn experientially, by doing Do not tend to learn experientially, by doing Do not learn experientially, by doing 21 Often find that taking exercise helps you to think more effectively Tend to find that taking exercise helps you to think more effectively Sometimes find that taking exercise helps you to think more effectively Rarely find that taking exercise helps you to think more effectively Rarely find that taking exercise helps you to think more effectively 159 Often use your intuitive skills when decision making Usually use your intuitive skills when decision making Sometimes use your intuitive skills when decision making Don't usually rely on intuition when decision making Don't rely on intuition when decision making 137 Are quite a tactile person at work Tend to be quite a tactile person at work Can be quite a tactile person at work Are not very tactile at work Are not very tactile at work 107 Are comfortable relying on your feelings to help you assess an idea Are usually comfortable relying on your feelings to help you assess an idea Are sometimes quite comfortable relying on your feelings to help you assess an idea Are not very comfortable relying on your feelings to help you assess an idea Are not very comfortable relying on your feelings to help you assess an idea 146 Always take your feelings into account when weighing up an issue Usually take your feelings into account when weighing up an issue Sometimes take your feelings into account when weighing up an issue Rarely take your feelings into account when weighing up an issue Rarely take your feelings into account when weighing up an issue 121 Frequently rely on your feelings to assess an issue Often rely on your feelings to assess an issue Will consider your feelings when assessing an issue Don't rely on your feelings alone when assessing an issue Don't rely on your feelings alone when assessing an issue 44 Always pay attention to the facts Usually pay attention to the facts Sometimes pay attention to the facts Don't always pay attention to the facts Don't usually pay attention to the facts 29 Are highly data rational Are highly data rational Can be data rational if the information is relevant to you Do not think of yourself as being very data rational Do not think of yourself as being very data rational 151 Believe that dispassionate analysis of the facts is very important at work Believe that dispassionate analysis of the facts is important at work Believe that sometimes dispassionate analysis of the facts is important at work Believe that dispassionate analysis of the facts should be balanced with intuition at work Believe that dispassionate analysis of the facts should be balanced with intuition at work 67 Really enjoy data analysis Enjoy data analysis Sometimes enjoy data analysis Tend to dislike data analysis Dislike data analysis 138 Often find the analysis of data or statistics fascinating Tend to find the analysis of data or statistics fascinating Sometimes find the analysis of data or statistics fascinating Don't find the analysis of data or statistics particularly interesting Don't find the analysis of data or statistics interesting 168 Have your own internal standards by which you decide what's right Have your own internal standards by which you decide what's right Usually have your own internal standards by which you decide what's right Don't really have your own internal standards by which you decide what's right Don't really have your own internal standards by which you decide what's right 144 Are often convinced that you are right and come across as being very self-confident Are often convinced that you are right and are likely to find that decision making comes quite easily to you Experience times when you are really sure about an issue, and other times when you are not so sure Are rarely absolutely certain that you are right about something Are rarely absolutely certain, that you are right about something 117 Are often tempted to ignore feedback from colleagues May be tempted to ignore feedback from colleagues Are sometimes tempted to ignore feedback from colleagues Don't ignore feedback from colleagues Never ignore feedback from colleagues 43 Often think that other people's opinions are right rather than your own Usually think that other people's opinions are right rather than your own Sometimes think that other people's opinions are right rather than your own Usually think that your opinions are right rather than other peoples' Often think that your opinions are right rather than other peoples' 73 Can decide for yourself if someone's criticism of you is valid or not Can usually decide for yourself if someone's criticism of you is valid or not Can usually decide for yourself if someone's criticism of you is valid or not Can sometimes have difficulty deciding if someone's criticism of you is valid or not Can sometimes have difficulty deciding if someone's criticism of you is valid or not 12 Really like to receive feedback about your performance at work Like to receive feedback about your performance at work Like to receive feedback about your performance at work only some of the time Are not really interested in receiving feedback about your performance at work Are not interested in receiving feedback about your performance at work 91 Tend to feel a bit lost if you don't receive feedback from others Tend to feel a bit lost if you don't receive feedback from others May sometimes feel a bit lost if you don't receive feedback from others Don't need to receive feedback from others Don't need to receive feedback from others 57 Usually believe that what other people say is true Usually believe that what other people say is true Tend to believe that what other people say is true Don't always believe that what other people say is true Don't always believe that what other people say is true 83 Usually dismiss negative feedback from others as you don't find it helpful Tend to dismiss negative feedback from others Sometimes dismiss negative feedback from others Always listen to feedback from others even if it is negative feedback Always listen to feedback from others even if it is negative feedback 70 Are often unsure of yourself Are sometimes unsure of yourself Are sometimes unsure of yourself Are usually very sure of yourself Come across as being very sure of yourself 153 Believe that your needs are just as important as other people's Tend to believe that your needs are just as important as other people's Believe that sometimes, your needs are as important as other people's Don't believe that your needs are as important as other people's Don't believe that your needs are as important as other people's 58 Feel that there are times when it's important for you to put yourself first Feel that it's sometimes important for you to put yourself first Sometimes feel that it's important for you to put yourself first Don't feel that it's important for you to put yourself first Don't feel that it's important for you to put yourself first 119 Are occasionally too busy with your own work to help someone else Are occasionally too busy with your own work to help someone else May sometimes be too busy with your own work to help someone else Are never too busy with your own work to help someone else if they need it Are never too busy with your own work to help someone else if they need it 8 Will sometimes refuse a request for your time Will sometimes refuse a request for your time Will occasionally refuse a request for your time Rarely refuse a request for your time Never refuse a request for your time 61 Would prefer to ignore other people's problems at work if you could Would generally prefer to ignore other people's problems at work if you could Would sometimes prefer to ignore other people's problems at work if you could Don't ignore other people's problems at work Never ignore other people's problems at work 37 Believe that putting other people first at work can sometimes be a mistake Believe that putting other people first at work can sometimes be a mistake Believe that sometimes, putting other people first at work is a mistake Will often put other people first at work Will always put other people first at work 47 Sometimes ignore the needs of others if you are busy at work May sometimes ignore the needs of others if you are busy at work May sometimes ignore the needs of others if you are busy at work Don't ignore other peoples' needs at work Never ignore the needs of others at work 145 Tend to find that being interrupted by other people irritates you when you are working Tend to find that being interrupted by other people irritates you when you are working Can find that being interrupted by other people irritates you when you are working 99 Feel that other people's wellbeing at work is important to you Feel that other people's wellbeing at work is usually important to you Sometimes feel that other people's wellbeing at work is important to you Do not feel that other people's wellbeing at work is particularly important to you Do not feel that other people's wellbeing at work is particularly important to you 150 Are always willing to help someone if you can Are generally willing to help someone if you can Are usually willing to help someone if you can Not always able to help someone if you can Not always able to help someone if you can 102 Can always be relied on to help your colleagues out Can often be relied on to help your colleagues out Can usually be relied on to help out your colleagues Do not always have the time to help out your colleagues Do not always have the time to help out your colleagues 126 Will always respond quickly if someone needs your help Will often respond quickly if someone needs your help Will tend to respond quickly if someone needs your help Are not always able to respond quickly if someone needs your help Are not always able to respond quickly if someone needs your help 135 Think of yourself as being responsive to other people's needs Generally think of yourself as being quite responsive to other people's needs Usually think of yourself as being quite responsive to other people's needs Do not think of yourself as being particularly responsive to other people's needs Do not think of yourself as being particularly responsive to other people's needs 122 Are always sensitive to the needs of others Are usually sensitive to the needs of others Can be sensitive to the needs of others Tend not to be particularly sensitive to the needs of others Tend not to be particularly sensitive to the needs of others 115 Feel that other people's needs are always important to you Feel that other people's needs are often important to you Feel that other people's needs are important to you only some of the time Feel that other people's needs are not really important to you Feel that other people's needs are not really important to you 164 Are often compelled to help others at work Are sometimes compelled to help others at work Are sometimes compelled to help others at work Are rarely compelled to help others at work Are rarely compelled to help others at work 157 Always try to fit in at work because that is important to you Usually try to fit in at work Sometimes try to fit in at work Do not particularly try to fit in at work Do not try to fit in at work 6 Would always prefer to avoid confrontation if you can Would usually prefer to avoid confrontation if you can Would sometimes prefer to avoid confrontation if you can Will tend to meet any confrontation head on at work Will meet any confrontation head on at work 27 72 Will pursue a confrontational approach when you have to Will pursue a confrontational approach when you have to Will pursue a confrontational approach only when you have to Tend not to pursue a confrontational approach Will not pursue a confrontational approach 52 Usually do what people tell you to Usually do what people tell you to Will do what people tell you to only some of the time Do not always do what people tell you to Do not do what people tell you to very often 98 Prefer to match the prevailing culture Usually prefer to match the prevailing culture Will sometimes make the effort to match the prevailing culture Are not really concerned with matching the prevailing culture Are not concerned with matching the prevailing culture 113 Will take a confrontational approach where you think it is necessary Will take a confrontational approach where you think it is necessary Will sometimes take a confrontational approach where you think it is necessary Will try to avoid confrontations at work if at all possible Will try to avoid confrontations at work if at all possible 110 Will always challenge a rule if there isn't a good reason for it Will often challenge a rule if there isn't a good reason for it Will sometimes challenge a rule if there isn't a good reason for it Don't tend to challenge rules Don't tend to challenge rules 75 Always prefer to be asked rather than told what to do Usually prefer to be asked rather than told what to do Sometimes prefer to be asked rather than told what to do Are quite happy being told what to do at work Are quite happy being told what to do at work 51 Can be perceived as being 'difficult to manage' as you will challenge those in authority Can be perceived as being 'difficult to manage' as you will sometimes challenge those in authority Can sometimes be perceived as being 'difficult to manage' as you will sometimes challenge those in authority Do not think of yourself as being 'difficult to manage' and you will rarely challenge those in authority Do not think of yourself as being 'difficult to manage' and you will rarely challenge those in authority 36 Can be perceived as being quite argumentative at work Can be seen to be quite argumentative at work Can sometimes be seen to be quite argumentative at work Are not argumentative at work Are not argumentative at work 97 Always take a collaborative approach with colleagues Tend to take a collaborative approach with colleagues Sometimes take a collaborative approach with colleagues Do not tend to take a collaborative approach with colleagues Do not take a collaborative approach with colleagues 133 Will always work within a team environment if you can Will usually work within a team environment if you can Like working in a team environment only some of the time May avoid working within a team environment if you can Prefer not to work within a team environment if you can avoid it 35 Will always share information with others Tend to share information with others Sometimes share information with others Do not tend to share information with others Do not willingly share information with others 20 Always like to involve other people in the work that you do Usually like to involve other people in the work that you do Sometimes like to involve other people in the work that you do Do not really like to involve other people in the work that you do Do not like to involve other people in the work that you do 25 Will always prefer a team-based approach to working on your own Often prefer a team-based approach to working on your own Will sometimes prefer a team-based approach to working on your own Prefer working on your own to a team-based approach Prefer working on your own to a team-based approach 41 Really enjoy working collaboratively on tasks Enjoy working collaboratively on tasks Tend to enjoy working collaboratively on tasks Do not tend to enjoy working collaboratively on tasks Do not enjoy working collaboratively on tasks 93 Always try to improve on your performance Usually try to improve on your performance Sometimes focus on improving your performance Are not particularly concerned about improving your performance Are not concerned about improving your performance 31 Feel quite strongly that winning is important to you Feel that winning is important to you Feel that sometimes, winning is important to you Don't feel that winning is particularly important to you Don't feel that winning is important to you 63 Are quite competitive with colleagues Are quite competitive with colleagues May sometimes be competitive with colleagues in certain circumstances Are rarely competitive with colleagues Are not competitive with colleagues 148 Really enjoy competition between people at work Enjoy competition between people at work Enjoy competition between people in certain circumstances at work Don't really enjoy competition between people at work Don't really enjoy competition between people at work 131 Are always very competitive Are often very competitive Can be very competitive in certain circumstances Are not really very competitive May dislike competitive behaviour in others 161 Always pay attention to details Usually pay attention to details Only pay attention to details in certain circumstances Don't always pay attention to details Rarely pay attention to details 112 Often produce detailed work Usually produce detailed work Only produce detailed work some of the time Tend not to produce detailed work Do not produce detailed work very often 155 Will become frustrated if detailed information is lacking Will tend to become frustrated if detailed information is lacking Will sometimes become frustrated if detailed information is lacking Don't mind if detailed information is lacking Don't become frustrated if detailed information is lacking 71 Are always meticulous regarding important details Tend to be meticulous regarding important details Are meticulous regarding important details only some of the time Are not particularly meticulous regarding important details Are not meticulous regarding important details and may sometimes make mistakes 147 Often notice those small details that other people miss Often notice those small details that other people miss Sometimes notice those small details that other people miss Can sometimes miss small details Can sometimes miss small details 143 Can always focus your attention on details when necessary Can usually focus your attention on details when necessary Can focus your attention on details when necessary May find it difficult to pay attention to detailed information May find it difficult to pay attention to detailed information 120 Tend to need the detail in order to understand something Tend to need the detail in order to understand something Sometimes need the detail in order to understand something Don't need the detail in order to understand something Don't need the detail in order to understand something 166 Believe that not paying attention to details is a mistake Believe that not paying attention to details tends to be a mistake Believe that sometimes not paying attention to details can be a mistake 23 Believe that understanding the details is critical to success in your job Believe that understanding the details is critical to success in your job Believe that in certain circumstances, understanding the details is critical to success in your job Don't believe that understanding the details is really critical to your success Don't believe that understanding the details is critical to your success 124 Would really enjoy being involved in strategic decision making Would enjoy being involved in strategic decision making Would enjoy becoming involved in certain strategic decisions Do not want to become involved in strategic decision making Do not want to become involved in strategic decision making 108 Generally prefer to read the key points of a report or proposal, rather than the whole document Would usually prefer to read the key points of a report or proposal, rather than the whole document Will take a flexible approach, sometimes focusing on the key points of a report or proposal and sometimes reading the whole document Would prefer to read the whole of a report or proposal, rather than just the key points Would prefer to read the whole of a report or proposal, rather than just the key points 18 Would always find an 'overview' of an issue useful Would usually find an 'overview' of an issue useful Find an 'overview' of an issue useful only some of the time Don't find an 'overview' of an issue particularly useful Don't find an 'overview' of an issue useful 129 Tend to gloss over detail, particularly if you are taking a strategic approach Tend to gloss over the detail when taking a strategic approach Will sometimes gloss over the detail when taking a strategic approach Rarely gloss over details Never gloss over details 76 Tend to think about issues in general terms rather than being specific about the detail Tend to think about issues in general terms rather than being specific about the detail Are flexible in your thinking, sometimes thinking about issues in general terms and sometimes being specific Tend to think specifically about issues rather than in generalised terms Tend to think specifically about issues rather than in generalised terms 100 Would prefer, in your ideal job role, to be more concerned with strategic issues that with specific details Would prefer, in your ideal job role, to be more concerned with strategic issues that with specific details Are able to maintain a balance between strategic issues and specific details in your job role Would tend to be concerned with specific details in your ideal job role Would tend to be concerned with specific details in your ideal job role 45 Would always find an 'executive summary' of key points useful Would generally find an 'executive summary' of key points useful Would tend to find an 'executive summary' of key points useful Would not find an 'executive summary' of key points particularly useful Would not find an 'executive summary' of key points useful 84 Always prefer to focus on summary information Generally prefer to focus on summary information Will sometimes focus on summary information, depending on the context and the issue Don't particularly like focusing exclusively on summary information Don't like focusing exclusively on summary information 89 Will always prefer to work on tasks where you can be creative Prefer to work on tasks where you can be creative On occasion, like to work on tasks where you can be creative in your own way May dislike working on tasks where there is pressure to be creative May dislike working on tasks where there is pressure to be creative 132 Will always multi-task as your preferred way of working Will often multi-task as a preferred way of working Sometimes like to multi-task as a way of working Tend not to multi-task if you can avoid it Tend not to multi-task if you can avoid it 3 Usually have untidy piles of work on your desk Often have untidy piles of work on your desk At times have untidy piles of work on your desk Dislike working in a cluttered environment Dislike working in a cluttered environment 50 Like to do 3 or 4 things at the same time Like to do 3 or 4 things at the same time Like to do 3 or 4 things at the same time in certain circumstances Don't like having too many projects on the go at any one time Don't like having too many projects on the go at any one time 116 Frequently know the answer first, and then have to work out how you got the answer later Often know the answer first, and then have to work out how you got the answer later Sometimes know the answer first, and then have to work out how you got the answer later 38 Often work things out backwards Tend to work things out backwards Sometimes work things out backwards Do not tend to work things out backwards Do not work thing out backwards 142 Usually think sequentially Usually think sequentially Think sequentially only some of the time Don't tend to think sequentially Don't think sequentially very often 156 Prefer to focus your attention on one task at a time if you can Prefer to work on one task at a time if possible Will work on a single task when the occasion demands it May find it difficult to focus your attention on only one task at a time Find it difficult to focus your attention on only one task at a time 62 Find that having a structured order to your working day is very important Find that having a structured order to your working day is important Find that having a structured order to your working day is sometimes important Don't find that having a structured order to your working day is particularly important Don't find that having a structured order to your working day is important to you at all 109 Like to work systematically through a task from beginning to end Like to work systematically through a task from beginning to end Sometimes work systematically through a task from beginning to end Don't particularly like having to work systematically through a task from beginning to end Don't like having to work systematically through a task from beginning to end 154 Find that the beginning is always the most obvious place to start something Find that the beginning is usually the most obvious place to start something Sometimes, but not always, find that the beginning is the most obvious place to start something Don't find that the beginning is always the most obvious place to start something Don't find that the beginning is always the most obvious place to start something 101 May dislike having to concentrate specifically on only one thing at a time May dislike having to concentrate specifically on only one thing at a time Can occasionally find it difficult to focus your attention specifically on only one task at a time Will try to avoid working on more than one task at a time if at all possible Will try to avoid working on more than one task at a time if at all possible 34 Believe that there are always alternative ways of doing something Believe that there are usually alternative ways of doing something Believe that there are often alternative ways of doing something 127 Will often generate a number of possible options when problem solving Will tend to generate a number of possible options when problem solving Will tend to generate a number of possible options when problem solving Don't tend to solve problems by generating possible options Don't tend to solve problems by generating possible options 2 Feel that opportunity and possibility are very important to you Feel that opportunity and possibility are important to you Feel that opportunity and possibility can be important to you Are not particularly motivated by opportunity and possibility Are not particularly motivated by opportunity and possibility 7 Always add to work you have done previously Tend to add to work you have done previously Sometimes add to work you have done previously Rarely add to work you have done previously Don't add to work you have done previously 13 would usually prefer to have a choice in how you do your job would usually prefer to have a choice in how you do your job would sometimes prefer to have a choice in how you do your job are not overly concerned with having a choice in how you do your job are not concerned with having a choice in how you do your job 1 Really dislike having your options limited Dislike having your options limited Tend to dislike having your options limited Don't mind being presented with a limited number of options Don't mind being presented with a limited number of options 92 Enjoy making choices Tend to enjoy making choices Sometimes enjoy making choices Do not really enjoy making choices Do not really enjoy making choices 140 Would usually prefer to have a choice in what you do at work Usually prefer to have a choice in what you do at work Sometimes prefer to have a choice in what you do at work Are not overly concerned with having a choice in what you do at work Are not concerned with having a choice in what you do at work 90 Recognise that some procedures are important Recognise that some procedures can be important Recognise that, on occasion, some procedures are important Disagree that procedures are important Disagree that procedures are important 165 Will follow procedures when there is a good reason for them Will usually follow procedures if there is a good reason for them Will sometimes follow procedures if there is a good reason for them Tend not to follow procedures, even if there is a good reason for them Tend not to follow procedures, even if there is a good reason for them 87 Believe that procedures are an important part of your working life Believe that procedures are an important part of your working life Believe that some procedures are important in your working life Don't believe that procedures are an important part of your working life Don't believe that procedures are an important part of your working life 60 Recognise that there is sometimes a need for bureaucracy and 'red tape' Recognise that there is sometimes a need for bureaucracy and 'red tape' Can recognise that there is sometimes a need for bureaucracy and 'red tape' Don't believe that bureaucracy and 'red tape' adds value at work Don't believe that bureaucracy and 'red tape' adds value at work 14 Like to learn the 'correct' way of doing something Prefer to learn the 'correct' way of doing something Sometimes like to learn the 'correct' way of doing something Are not particularly interested in learning the 'correct' way of doing something Are not particularly interested in learning the 'correct' way of doing something 80 Are likely to follow an established procedure at work Are likely to follow an established procedure at work Will follow procedures at work only some of the time May not follow procedures at work Are unlikely to follow procedures at work 152 Tend to find having goals and targets useful Tend to find having goals and targets useful Tend to find having goals and targets quite useful Don't find having goals and targets particularly useful at work Don't find having goals and targets useful at work 17 Usually maintain a positive attitude Usually maintain a positive attitude Can sometimes find it difficult to maintain a positive attitude Can find it difficult to maintain a positive attitude Can find it difficult to maintain a positive attitude 22 Tend to focus on why things will work rather than on why they won't Tend to focus on why things will work rather than on why they won't Balance your focus of attention between why things will work and why they may not work Tend to focus on why things won't work rather than on why they will Prefer to focus on why things won't work rather than on why they will 40 Would describe yourself as being positive Would usually describe yourself as being positive Would describe yourself as being positive some of the time Would not usually describe yourself as being particularly positive Would not usually describe yourself as being positive 88 Always try to remain positive in the face of adversity Tend to remain positive in the face of adversity Only manage to remain positive in the face of adversity some of the time Sometimes find it difficult to remain positive in the face of adversity Sometimes find it difficult to remain positive in the face of adversity 106 Usually focus on the positive aspects of your job Focus on the positive aspects of your job most of the time Focus on the positive aspects of your job some of the time Don't usually focus on the positive aspects of your job Don't focus on the positive aspects of your job 139 Consider yourself to be good at recognising potential problems Are quite good at recognising potential problems Can be quite good at recognising potential problems Don't consider yourself to be very good at recognising potential problems Are not very good at recognising potential problems 141 Will worry if you are likely to miss a deadline Could become concerned if you are likely to miss a deadline Sometimes worry if you are likely to miss a deadline Don't worry unduly if you are likely to miss a deadline Don't worry if you are likely to miss a deadline 32 Make contingency plans as a matter of course Usually make contingency plans as a matter of course Sometimes make contingency plans Are not particularly concerned with making contingency plans Are not concerned with making contingency plans 95 Prefer to take the safest course of action Tend to prefer to take the safest course of action Have times when you prefer to take the safest course of action Are not too concerned about always taking the safest course of action Are not too concerned about taking the safest course of action 66 Sometimes tell people what you don't want to happen Will sometimes tell people what you don't want to happen Occasionally tell people what you don't want to happen 82 Are able to identify the problems or potential problems in a course of action Are often able to identify the problems or potential problems in a course of action Focus on the problems or potential problems in a course of action only some of the time Don't tend to think in terms of problems or potential problems Don't think in terms of problems or potential problems 160 Believe that it's important to prepare for potential problems with contingency plans Believe that it's important to prepare for potential problems with contingency plans Believe that it can be important to prepare for potential problems with contingency plans Don't really believe that it's important to prepare for potential problems with contingency plans Don't believe that it's important to prepare for potential problems with contingency plans 163 Are very likely to initiate action at work Are quite likely to initiate action at work Sometimes initiate action at work Rarely initiate action at work Are not likely to initiate action at work 48 Are very likely to take a proactive approach Are quite likely to take a proactive approach Take a proactive approach only some of the time Are not likely to take a proactive approach Are not likely to take a proactive approach 39 Like to 'get on with things' Generally like to 'get on with things' Sometimes like to 'get on with things' 64 Like being involved in new, fast moving projects Tend to like being involved in new, fast moving projects Sometimes like being involved in new, fast moving projects Are not really interested in becoming involved in new, fast moving projects Dislike having to become involved in new, fast moving projects 158 Are very proactive Are usually proactive Are quite proactive Are not usually very proactive Are not very proactive 28 149 Won't take action without the appropriate analysis and planning Rarely take action without the appropriate analysis and planning Will occasionally take action without much analysis and planning May sometimes take action without the appropriate analysis and planning May take action without the appropriate analysis and planning 9 Will only take action once you have considered all the relevant information Will only take action once you have considered all the relevant information Will occasionally take action before considering all the relevant information Will sometimes take action before considering all the relevant information Will often take action before considering all the relevant information 69 Always consider the consequences of your actions Usually consider the consequences of your actions Sometimes consider the consequences of your actions Don't always consider the consequences of your actions Don't always consider the consequences of your actions 54 Are sometimes forced into taking action too quickly at work Are sometimes forced into taking action too quickly at work May sometimes be forced into taking action too quickly at work Are not usually forced into taking action too quickly at work Are rarely forced into taking action too quickly at work 125 Prefer to take a reactive approach at work Prefer to take a reactive approach at work Sometimes take a reactive approach at work Dislike having to take a reactive approach at work Dislike having to take a reactive approach at work 10 Are usually attracted to the easy way of doing things at work Are often attracted to the easy way of doing things at work Are sometimes attracted to the easy way of doing things at work Are not particularly attracted to the easy way of doing things at work Are rarely attracted to the easy way of doing things at work 128 103 Will become bored if tasks at work are too easy Will usually become bored if tasks at work are too easy Will sometimes become bored if tasks at work are too easy Rarely become bored if tasks at work are quite easy Do not become bored if tasks at work are quite easy 55 Like to make things easy to manage if possible Prefer to make things easy to manage if you can Like to make things easy to manage in certain circumstances Are not particularly motivated to make things easy to manage Are not motivated to make things easy to manage 30 Tend to perceive things as being easy rather than difficult Tend to perceive things as being easy rather than difficult Sometimes perceive things as being easy rather than difficult Do not tend to perceive things as being easy rather than difficult Never perceive things as being easy rather than difficult 85 Will always try to keep things simple if you can Prefer to keep things simple if you can Prefer to keep things simple in certain circumstances Are not particularly motivated to 'keep things simple' Are not motivated to 'keep things simple' 49 Prefer things to be simple rather than difficult Prefer things to be simple rather than difficult Sometimes like things to be simple rather than difficult Don't particularly want things to be simple rather than difficult Don't particularly want things to be simple rather than difficult 74 Like becoming involved in complex issues Quite like becoming involved in complex issues Sometimes like becoming involved in complex issues at work and sometimes would prefer to avoid them Do not particularly like becoming involved in complex issues May dislike having to become involved in complex issues 111 Always find complex projects at work more interesting Tend to find projects at work more interesting if they have a degree of difficulty Can find projects at work more interesting if they have a degree of complexity May avoid working on complex projects if you can Will try to avoid working on complex projects if you can 130 Are attracted by a degree of difficulty in the tasks you do Are usually attracted by a degree of difficulty in the tasks you do Are occasionally attracted by a degree of difficulty in the work that you do Are not usually attracted by difficulty in the tasks you do Are not attracted by difficulty in the tasks you do 80 Are motivated by complexity at work Are usually motivated by complexity at work Find complexity motivating only in certain circumstances Are not particularly motivated by complexity at work Are rarely motivated by complexity at work 19 Prefer tasks that are quite complicated Tend to prefer tasks that are quite complicated Are attracted to complex tasks only some of the time Tend to dislike tasks that are too complicated Dislike tasks that are too complicated 94 Enjoy complexity at work Quite enjoy complexity at work Only enjoy complexity within certain tasks at work, not all of the time Don't particularly enjoy complexity at work Don't enjoy complexity at work 169 Prefer activities with a high degree of difficulty Tend to prefer activities with quite a high degree of difficulty Enjoy working on activities with a high degree of difficulty some of the time Will sometimes avoid activities with a high degree of difficulty Will tend to avoid activities with a high degree of difficulty 68 Prefer any changes at work to be made gradually Usually prefer any changes at work to be made gradually Sometimes prefer change to happen gradually Usually prefer any changes at work to be made quickly Prefer any changes at work to be made quickly 136 Prefer familiar tasks to frequently changing ones Usually prefer familiar tasks to frequently changing ones At times prefer familiar tasks to frequently changing ones 104 Can find change threatening May find change threatening On occasion, find change threatening Rarely find change threatening Don't find change threatening, instead you welcome it 26 Always prefer your working days to be similar in some way Tend to prefer your working days to be similar in some way May like your working days to be similar in some way Don't like your working days to be too similar Don't like your working days to be similar 56 Become bored very quickly by familiar tasks Become bored quickly by familiar tasks Can become bored by familiar tasks Rarely become bored by familiar tasks Don't become bored by familiar tasks, in fact you rather enjoy their familiarity 65 Have a low tolerance for change in a working environment Have a low tolerance for change in a working environment May have a low tolerance for change in a working environment at times May become bored in a very stable environment May become bored in a very stable environment 15 Like every day to be different in some way Like every day to be different in some way Like a degree of variety in your working days Don't like too much variety at work Don't like much variety at work 42 Really enjoy having a variety of tasks to do at work Like to have a variety of tasks to do at work 5 Are motivated to 'make a difference' at work if you can Like to 'make a difference' at work if you can Usually like to 'make a difference' at work Are not particularly interested in 'making a difference' at work Are not interested in 'making a difference' at work 114 Find periods of radical change at work very exciting and stimulating Find periods of radical change at work exciting and stimulating Sometimes find periods of radical change at work exciting and stimulating Don't usually find periods of radical change at work particularly exciting and stimulating Don't find periods of radical change at work particularly exciting and stimulating 105 Are almost always attracted to ideas that are different Are attracted to ideas that are different Tend to find ideas that are different quite attractive Are not particularly attracted to ideas that are different Are not attracted to ideas that are different 4 Prefer a great deal of variety in your job role Prefer variety in your job role Prefer a degree of variety in your job role Do not particularly like variety in your job role Dislike too much variety in your job role The rest of this page has been left blank for you to make your own notes. For example, there may be some actions that you would like to work on as a result of receiving your Thinking Styles profile. % Spread Score Dimension Preference Level STEN Score Variance to for %name No. (Cont.) Project: Date Completed: Question Response Data Group: an asterisx (*) signifies that a question's response is reversed