Understanding Your Work Style

What’s your work style? Are you currently in a work situation that supports that style or stifles it?

Today, Chris Brogan posted a great video about cubicle farming on his site and posed a simple question: do you like working in a cubicle?

While many of you out there may be rolling your eyes and sighing “No!” it is important to realize that there is a population of people out there who actually enjoy and succeed working in a cubicle.  Just as you might prefer to work in a self-directed entrepreneurial environment, there are others who prefer to work under the guidance of a manager in an office environment.

Neither choice is right or wrong.  They are just examples of different work styles, and as you shape your Uncommon Life it is important you understand your own work style to help you lay a foundation of success.

Work styles are like finger prints – no one has exactly the same constellation of needs.  Some may overlap, but your work style is unique to you.  I know first hand from my cubicle days just how important knowing your work style is to success – I was crawling out of my skin in a cubicle and never got much done.  That’s because my work style requires more freedom of time and control over projects.  As soon as I figured that out I began to not only succeed but enjoy work and play much more.

A person’s work style is the combination of three essential elements: work environment, structure, and responsibility.  Let’s explore each of these briefly and identify your answers.

Work Environment: This component of work style refers to the physical environment where you are most comfortable and productive.  As Chris noted, some people love their cubicles, others love working in loft offices, others do best in their home office, while still others work best in Starbucks.  Remember, there is no right or wrong answer, it is just a place where you feel inspired, motivated to work, and able to get stuff done.

Here are some questions to help you identify your optimal work environment:

• Do you like to work in or out of the home?
• Do you work best around people or in an isolated area?
• If you work best around others, is it in an environment where you are known or anonymous?
• Where have you felt most productive in your working life? What were the attributes of that area?

Structure: This component of work style refers to what type of time structure you find most conducive to productive work.  Some people like to be on the clock 9 to 5 with one hour for lunch, others like to have a more flexible schedule and do little bursts of work throughout the day.  Some people are more productive in the morning while others have better progress at night. Think of structure as existing on a spectrum with typical office structure on one end and total freedom to manage time on the other end.

Here are some questions to help you identify your optimal time structure:

• Are you productive during rigid work blocks?
  
• Can you manage your time effectively, or do you do better when someone else manages it for you?
  
• Do you work better in the morning, afternoon, or evening?
• Do you work better in short spurts or long stretches?
  

Responsibility: This component of work style refers to whether you like to direct your projects and goals or prefer to work under someone else’s direction.  This is often a hard thing for people to identify about themselves, since the entrepreneur is so glamorized.  But many people do better in situations where they have some ownership of a project but are taking overall direction from a manager, CEO, or president.  Again, there is no right or wrong – the world needs people of all work types to go round!

Here are some questions to help you identify your optimal responsibility level:

• Do you prefer to manage projects alone, with a partner, or at all?
  
• Are you comfortable with the buck stopping with you?
  
• Can you be productive knowing a project’s success or failure rests on your shoulders?
• Do you feel comfortable in leadership positions, or do you prefer to provide support?

Your Work Style

As an Uncommoner, you need to know your work style so you can put yourself into a vocational situation that supports that style, thereby leading to more productivity and job satisfaction.  I believe that a good portion of people who are miserable in their jobs are unhappy because they are in situations that don’t support, or even contradict, their work style.

Knowing your work style can help you pick an Uncommon Vocation where you can truly flourish.

I am putting together a post showcasing different people’s work styles – if you want to be included, respond below telling me about your style!

Here’s to your Uncommon Life,