All of Us Possess a Dual Nature Whether We Like it or Not

Ever Wonder Why People Do the Things They Do and Why It Is Such a Trigger? 

All of us possess a dual nature whether we like it or not

One of my favorite cartoon characters as a youth was a Warner Bros creature called “The Tasmanian Devil.” At times he could be thoughtful and kind, and at times controlling, manipulative and hyper-critical. We all have a little T.D in us!

It is not at all difficult to identify your own “TD”.  And if you do so, you will learn that your behavioral composite is unique to you and no one else.  With amazing accuracy, the PRINT® assessment reveals your Best Self as well as your Shadow Self so that you, the user, can work toward limiting challenges while increasing strengths.  It even provides specific guidelines for how to get out of your Shadow Self if you suddenly find yourself in its midst.  

Born out of the popular Enneagram, the PRINT® assessment that we offer has distinct advantages due to a specific focus on Emotional Triggers and the resultant Shadow Self.  It is in this Shadow space that conflict is born.  

Emotional triggers are the stimulus for the Shadow which may lie dormant for days, weeks, or even months.  To help illustrate, you can think of the Shadow as similar to a physical injury that won’t heal.  Most of us are able to adjust to these sprains, breaks, cuts, and bruises. We even forget they are there unless we accidentally bump, twist, or scrape the injured area again.  Then the pain suddenly returns, and we react by grimacing or cursing.     

Shadow Behavior is a negative – and often automatic, unintentional, and unconscious – response to events, people, and situations. 

Interestingly the blueprint of the Shadow Self  originates in our childhood and way our way to emotionally survive.  Perhaps you were valued for achievement.  Thus, you may be impatient at times.  Perhaps you were strong and self-reliant.  Thus, you may have become somewhat bossy at times.  Perhaps you were a people pleaser.  Thus, you may have difficulty saying “no” at times.  We each exhibit different Shadow Behaviors.  Defensiveness, resistance, manipulation, or aggression are simply a few of the ways you may have learned to get your needs met.  Birth order, level of functionality in your family, and genetic predisposition all play a role in the development of Best Self and the Shadow Self.    

The PRINT® assessment provides a thorough description of your behavioral nature and specifically outlines why you behave the way you do.  This information is invaluable for those of you in leadership.  Not only will you come to understand the “hard-wiring” of your employees and colleagues, but also how you can avoid being triggered by them.  This knowledge and practice offer you tremendous confidence and control over your own emotional reactions.  Thus, you are able to remain calmer under pressure and the ability to think more clearly.   Think of the advantages of this when in the midst of response emergencies or difficult leadership discussions.  

During this past decade, PRINT’s prescriptive approach has solved mysteries that plague organizations in hundreds of different industries.  

Whatever your Shadow Behaviors are, they are UNIQUE to your PRINT.

And they are predictable as well as preventable.

Of course, people display Shadow Behavior in varying degrees – as you might expect, the effect can be severe. Shadow Behavior damages relationships, erodes communication, interferes with teamwork, destroys morale, generates turnover and undermines decision making.

These problems carry a huge cost. According to independent research …

42% of a manager’s time is spent addressing Shadow Behavior in the workplace.

96% of people have experienced Shadow Behavior at work.

94% of people on the receiving end of Shadow Behavior vow to “get even” with the offender.

88% people on the receiving end of Shadow Behavior vow to “get even” with the organization.

Up to 90% of involuntary dismissals are a result of Shadow Behavior.

More than 65% of performance problems are a result of Shadow Behavior.

And the good news?

Employing the use of assessment as part of your (hiring, performance review and training initiatives) will head you in the direction of being a more healthy work culture by demonstrating care regarding the employee’s personal growth. A recent workplace report found that 94% of surveyed employees responded that if a company that invests in helping them learn, they would stay longer.

And this makes for a happy workplace.