IMPRESS: Find Your Social Style

On Sept. 18, Associate Dean Amanda Nicholson hosted an IMPRESS event for the “Alpha” students of the Whitman School of Management. The term “Alpha” was given to the current sophomore class, as they were the first class to implement the IMPRESS program a year ago when they were freshmen. The current freshmen class is “Bravo.” In attendance were all four house mentors, John Petosa (Adams), Alex Kostakis (Harrison), Ray Wimer (Marshall) and Will Geoghegan (Waverly).

Dean Nicholson presented on the subject of Social Style, which broke down different business personalities. There are four categories that someone can be classified as: Analytical, Driver, Amiable or Expressive. Knowing one’s own personal style can improve on new or existing relationships with colleagues, classmates and employers.

Analytical (“How?”)

• Controls emotional expression
• Concerned with how things get done
• Tends to avoid risks
• Makes decisions based on facts
• Displays a preference for order

Driver (“What?”)

• Likes to maintain control
• Leadership qualities
• Takes risks when making decisions
• May display serious attitude
• Appears to be busy

Expressive (“Who?”)

• Takes social initiatives
• Encourages informality
• Expresses emotional opinions
• Seeks to gain personal recognition
• Appears to be active

Amiable (“Why?”)

• Listens attentively
• Involved with feelings and relationships
• Uses personal opinions to make decisions
• Tends to avoid risks
• Appears to be quiet and reserved

By understanding your own social style, you will learn to adapt to another person’s style. Developing the ability to coexist with people who exhibit different social styles is crucial in today’s business environment. To be a valuable employee, one must be able to communicate and work effectively in a diverse team. Which social style fits you? Identifying with one of the above categories will help you be more successful in team engagements.