People who fall into the Expressive quadrant are typically characterized by these positive and negative traits:
(+) (-)
Idea people Poor listener
Articulate Impatient
Fast-paced Impractical
Visionary Distracting
Fun-Loving Frivolous
Expressives are spontaneous, outgoing, social and love to be the life of the party. They are strong idea-people and can provide a hundred different ideas on how to solve a problem. They are very energetic and love to take risks. Expressives also take things personally if they are criticized and may attack back.
When working with Expressives, solicit their input and appreciate their contributions. Try to avoid criticizing their ideas because you may lose their participation in the group. Instead, say things like, “That’s a great start. Let’s see how we can build on that idea.” In general, Expressives can produce a lot of ideas but there may not be a lot of thought behind them. Analytics are the opposite and are discussed below. Appreciate what Expressives can bring to a group and use it to your group’s advantage.
If you are an Expressive and are looking for ways to grow and develop into a more versatile leader, Merrill and Reid suggest some things to work on:
• Check Yourself
• Be patient
• Consider facts and feelings of others
• Keep humor and fun in check
• Stay on task with the group