RPS Helps in Both Work and Life

In speaking to people about our new book: 'Rock, Paper, Scissors: The Instant Leadership Solution’, I get may questions on what type I am and if the RPS system only is useful for #Work situations. Well, I am a very large Scissor and of course like many things, good #Leadership strategies work well in both work and in life. Here is an example of a life situation with my wife. I hope you enjoy it.

When I have a major decision to make, my Scissors personality comes out in full. The problem is that my wife, as a Rock, doesn’t always understand where I’m coming from. A few years ago, when we were living in Zürich, we decided we needed a new car, and given that I process information analytically by comparing one thing with another, it was natural — and fun — for me to build a spreadsheet comparing the different models. I looked at features, pricing, dealership details, and all sorts of other factors.

Then I handed the spreadsheet to my wife before heading off on a short business trip. When I returned, I was surprised to learn she’d come to a decision. Surely she wouldn’t have had time to test-drive all the models I’d analyzed in the week I’d been away?

‘Did you use my spreadsheet?’ I asked her. ‘Oh yes, it was really helpful,’ she replied.

‘I had coffee with a friend and we looked at it. She recommended a Land Rover, and I used the sheet to find the contact details of the nearest dealership. I checked it out and it was great, so that’s the one we’re going to get.’

Her #Rock personality dictated she needed only a small amount of information to make a decision. And the result? One shiny new car.

But I was frustrated my hard work had been ignored. What about the other hundred cells of data on that spreadsheet? Shouldn’t she have taken them into account? I’d have weighted each factor for importance and built an algorithm to score them; whichever had come out a winner would have been the one I’d have bought. As it happened, though, my efforts weren’t wasted because that spreadsheet ended up being passed around to twenty other ex-pat families and took on a life of its own.

This story shows how Rocks can wear Scissors down when they don’t see the value in Scissors’ evidence and facts. The Scissors are left feeling disempowered and frustrated. A Rock typically has only one point of view on a topic but a Scissors wants to consider it from all angles. If this isn’t taken into account, over time, a Scissors can feel dulled, resulting in apathy.

‘What’s the point? They never listen. All they want is for me to back up their own assumptions. They’re not interested in the facts.’ This is because a Scissors evaluates their self-worth based on their ability to provide detailed evidence for a course of action.

On the other hand, when a Rock or Paper pays attention to a Scissors’ data, the combination can be magical!

Are you a scissor, rock or perhaps a paper? How do you combine your best strengths to make magic happen? We would love to hear from you!

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Interested in learning more? Please check out our book: 'Rock, Paper, Scissors: The Instant Leadership Solution'  available NOW on Amazon.com

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