WorkStyle Alignment Testimonials

“I’ve used the WSP™ process as an invaluable tool in my consulting work for over 25 years. In my experience, it offers insights that other inventories and employment instruments miss.

The WSP™ Inventory offers each individual an understanding of how they most prefer to approach work - what they can love about work - that resonates deeply. “I have been seen!

The WSP™ process opens a view of what each individual potentially adds to the work team, and the character of the team as a result of this gathering of individuals with similar or differing preferences. “This is how I fit in!

The WSP™ process can bring startling understanding of how far people bend to meet the demands of a role that is very far from their preference, and where the stress for that lack of match is felt.”

Personally, I’ve used the WSP™ Inventory and alignment process to shape my business practice to reflect changes over time to my own preferences; to select business partners; and to guide my adult children in shaping their careers.”

What is this thing? Is it like other assessments? Why take this inventory? What do I get out of it? Are all standard questions I get asked when talking about the WorkStyle Patterns® (WSP™) Inventory with clients.

In some ways I can’t really tell you what it is because you have to experience it to know the difference and to obtain insight. It is not your work skills or experience such as what you would show on your resume. It is not your personality, which we know is formed in early childhood and is a description of who you are. This WSP™ Inventory is an indicator of how you think and act when at work. It is the only validated and reliable instrument based in the language of work I am aware of available to you today.

Early in my career “the work was the work” and “the job was the job” and I “could take it or leave it.” My conception was that I had to fit myself to the work and that often made work miserable for me. The first time I learned that work was not immutable and could be designed to fit the person, I like to say my head exploded like the TV commercial with purple dust coming out of my head — it turned my world upside down.

Work is so much more than earning a living. It can help one express a sense of belonging to a work team, organization or company. It can help you express a sense of pride and identity. There is something deeply intrinsic and value adding to an individual for their part in a job well-done; especially purposeful and meaningful work.

So, if you want to:
• Get better results
• Build better teams
• Create flow / alignment
• Reduce stress
• Improve productivity
• Find fit
• Improve the bottom line
• Feel good about yourself at work
• Make a difference at work in a new way

Then you have to learn your WorkStyle preference. I encourage you to do so. It made a difference for me and I know it can for you as well.

The WSP™ Inventory has been an extremely helpful resource in guiding my own work as well as mentoring and guiding classes of young adults in their internships.

For me it has clarified the “reasons” behind the way I work, which has allowed me to dig deeper in doing what I do with greater conviction, but it has also allowed me to recognize potential shortcomings and develop a team around me for which we can work together. As for our interns, we able mentor them through their internship placement, whether aligned or not, to help guide them in the long-term perspective of work alignment as well as professional and ministerial development. I particularly like the Teaming capabilities with the WSP™ Inventory and the empathy it brings when working together as aligned groups.

The WSP™ Inventory has even helped deepen our marriage as we work together professionally and on all the things that being a family implies.

In 1988 while establishing the Training and Development Department for 3M Austin Center in Austin Texas, I was introduced to Donna and Tomas McIntosh-Fletcher of the McFletcher Corporation and the WorkStyle Patterns (WSPTM). It was the beginning of a long relationship in which I would learn so much about the Alignment Process and the impact it would have on an organization and in my life.
The WSP™ process has been a life changing experience in my life. I came to understand my successes, why I worked the way that I did, why some people worked better with me than others, why some projects were accomplished faster than others, and why some projects failed. This understanding has served me in helping organizations but mostly, it has helped me perform better in my different endeavors. With an Innovator profile, I came to understood my past successes and challenges. In my careers, positions were always made for me and I had to develop the department and projects from scratch. I was creating and loved it. Once the project was done, I needed someone else to administer it. Luckily, my accomplishments were noticed and I was promoted or recruited to another organization to a similar task.

As an entrepreneur, I was challenged to work in areas outside of my preference in order for my company to flourish. It was the understanding of the WSP™ framework that helped me bridge into another WorkStyle Patterns®, especially when doing detail work. I did not like it but knew it had to be done in order to succeed on my own. As I work with organizations, I share the WSP™ concept for getting their projects off the ground. Once, when leaving a particular organization after only three years, an Executive said, “You accomplished in three years what it took others twenty-five years to do.” I did that by selecting staff members and allowing them to work in their Preferred WorkStyle areas. Together as a team we accomplished huge goals.

The WSP™ knowledge is powerful for individuals because it becomes a part of self-knowledge and self-understanding on how they prefer to work. This information helps people in selecting a position that is a good fit for them within an organization. It helps individuals select jobs that are better aligned with their preference and skills. It is a win-win both for the individual and the organization.

Today, as I pursue new goals, this valuable Inventory is embedded in my way of thinking and working. With a Masters and Ph.D. in Adult Learning and certifications and knowledge of most major assessment instruments, the WSP™ Inventory is my assessment of choice. It is what makes an organization richer in their development of individuals, teams and managers.

David Bradley Consulting Group Inc. works with organizations, both large and small, to assist in the selection and development of key personnel. We use the WorkStyle Patterns Process (WSP™) to focus is on the factors that contribute to job satisfaction by defining the work a person ‘WANTS TO DO’ versus ‘HAVE TO DO’. The critical link is work alignment – the ‘fit’.

Developed by the McFletcher Corporation, we use the WSP™ alignment process to work with our client(s) to determine the APPROACH required in a targeted position. Using the same process we then evaluate short-listed candidates to examine their preferred approach to work versus the needed approach. The results, once validated by the candidate, allows objective gap analysis of the work alignment and fosters constructive communication on the candidates ‘fit’ to the needs of the position. The closer the match, the better the alignment, increases the potential for success.

EXISTING EMPLOYEES
Research shows there is often a discrepancy, or misalignment between the preferred WorkStyle of a person to that required by the work they are doing. For some, the differences are exciting and challenging – for others these differences are confusing and stressful. Some people simply cannot perform well in the wrong sandbox.

When working with existing employees we use the WSP™ work alignment process to reveal and explain any alignment gaps. We are then afforded the opportunity to analyze potential alignment issues and, in a non-defensive manner, develop plans to manage any gaps for the benefit of all.

The way conflicting WorkStyle alignment issues are managed determine a person’s work satisfaction that directly impacts the organizations ability to meet targeted goals and objectives.

The McFletcher work alignment process is a critical tool in the selection and development of an organization’s talent pool.

From a client perspective - how I use the WSP™ process when having a team and leaders to coach:

As a leader, having an understanding of how your employees will naturally approach their work yields tremendous results. You can tap into employee’s amazing potential and position them to use their gifts in ways that allows them to feel purposeful and passionate, they will serve your customers better, be more innovative and engaged with their work. My clients use WorkStyle Patterns® in the workplace to bridge conversations and create new opportunities for the work to be done.

Personally, When I learned that my preference was Project Manager and it make sense to me as I love to coordinate people and projects and help to align the work with the bigger picture. I find it easy to build relationships, get other excited about the project and, together, we make amazing things happen. Armed with this knowledge of who I am and what I can offer to the workplace and community, I seek out work that allows me to use my strengths to support the execution of the work.

I learned about WorkStyle Patterns® (WSP™) process in a Leadership Training Class at a global energy company. At first we were hesitant, but once we learned this was not a test (no right/wrong answers) we opened our minds to learn something new about ourselves and each other. Each class member learned about their own work preference profile and then of their classmates. As we shared the results around the room we realized the descriptions were fitting each of us to a ‘T’ and that this was a new way to organize around work.

Knowing the company needed better performance in safety we then broke into groups to form ‘safety committees’ to choose the best profile combinations for the job. This effort produced effective results: reduced incidents, healthier employees, and happier employees aligned to that role.

This was very effective and set the pattern for future WSPTM exercises. A couple of years later I was appointed to a Refinery Training Coordinator position and knew right away that WSPTM process would be at the top of my action list so I could repeat that prior success. I applied it to:

1. New Employees
2. Associates in the three-year Formal Operator Training Program.
3. Shift Supervisors
4. Console Operators
5. Various Teams and Groups requesting the WSP

Using this alignment process with individuals and groups opened a new door of understanding in that it answered questions before employees even knew they had a question. The results are intuitive and immediately usable to everyone taking the inventory.

Over time we generated and used a database of WSP™ Inventory results. For example, new employees used the result insights as they moved along from job to job through their career. This enabled us to do an in-depth study of supervisors and console operators using their original inventory results and compare those to the results of a supervisor/console operator job inventory to match them with their preference.

As a Licensed Professional Counselor and Certified Career Transition Coach, I found the WSP™ process to be a valuable resource in my work with executive and professional clients in mid-career transition. It provides the “missing piece” in an individual assessment profile and offers unique insight for making choices that honor each person’s true preference for how they do their best work.
 
For me personally, I’ve used to WSP™ process to learn about my Dynamic Adaptor Preference. These insights supported me to make a choice to balance my private practice with accepting a regularly scheduled position at Pima Community College. For the first time in my life, I have a good balance between structure work responsibilities and unstructured, free time.

Having completed my own WSP™‎ assessment, I was surprised not only by its precision but also the sense of self-awareness on how to approach work it has created.

I also recognized the value of the assessment to implement the WSP concept into our consulting portfolio to address the market in German speaking countries.

The need for an accurate translation is obvious ‎and in progress.

"I was introduced to the McFletchers and their comprehensive WSP™ inventory in 1993 when I was doing a business startup for a new Division of a large defense contractor. I selected the McFletcher's to help us with our hiring practices because the organization needed to operate a small cohesive unit in order to meet our contractual obligations.

We used the WSP™ process in developing our position descriptions and in hiring and training our staff with truly amazing results. Over and eight year period of time turnover was less than 1%, we only had one lost time accident, and disciplinary actions rarely were necessary.

I attribute this success to the fact that we hired the right people for the right positions. And though our organizational structure was extremely flat, the staff found other outlets for expression that kept them satisfied. Of the 88 members of the staff nearly 25 completed advanced degrees before the division finished it contract with the government. This was truly a testament to the value of the McFletcher Organization and the WSP™ alignment process.