Personality. We talk about it a lot here at Mattersight, because it’s integral to who we are and what we do. What makes that integration possible is the Process Communication Model®, or PCM, the behavioral model developed by Dr. Taibi Kahler which is at the core of Mattersight’s suite of products. By leveraging this model with our advanced analytics, our solutions help companies to connect with their customers in ways that are personal, meaningful and dramatically more positive than the kind of brand interaction they’ve come to expect.
Mattersight is the only company applying PCM in call centers. But we’re not the only ones using it out there in the wider world. One of the foremost practitioners of PCM is Dr. Brad Spencer, founder and president of the behavioral consulting firm Spencer Shenk Capers & Associates. SSCA works with dozens of clients across a range of industries, from Fortune 500 companies to NFL coaches, helping them to improve their games — literally and figuratively — in part through a deeper understanding of personality differences and emotional intelligence.
We recently chatted with Brad to find out why he incorporates PCM into his consulting and how he sees the power of personality play out in his clients’ professional and personal lives.
Q: What are some of the most common personality issues you help clients work through?
SPENCER: People come to me when they’re experiencing a significant professional challenge. The challenges and the reasons behind them are never the same, so I don’t have a clear answer for the most common issue presented to me. Sometimes it’s that someone’s personal issues are interfering with their work performance. Other times, someone needs help developing skills to better interact with their coworkers. Often business leaders will come for help with motivating their team.
Most of my clients try and deal with these issues on their own for some time, but eventually, when their personal challenge becomes a larger issue, they’ll come to me for help. PCM is one of the most powerful tools I have to help a client better understand and deal with the interpersonal problems they face.
Q: What does an average week look like for you, logistically?
SPENCER: I make it a point to have in-person meetings with clients, so I spend most of my time on planes. Client meetings can be either one-on-one or in groups.
In an average day I will meet with the CEO of a multi-million dollar company for breakfast to talk him through a challenge he’s having with the board, then meet with a healthcare executive going through a bad divorce and then hop on a plane to give a seminar to help a speaker prep for a speech. In each of these meetings I analyze PPI [Personality Pattern Inventory] assessments in order to help people grow and help people better address their issues. The rest of the time I’m in the office managing my business. Weekends are reserved for relaxing.
Q: Can you walk us through a highly-relatable business scenario in which a person’s emotional intelligence means the difference between failure and success?
SPENCER: Emotional intelligence is a function of the thought processes that develop into behaviors. There is no behavior without a precedent thought or feeling. What is your natural thought process? Do you think about how to do things better, faster and more efficiently? Are you thinking about how you can build a relationship with that person? Or are you thinking about how you can influence an individual or a group?
What’s important is for people to not only understand their own thought process, but those of the people around them, too. This is the key to predicting and changing your effectiveness.
Q: What is the single greatest epiphany or breakthrough you’ve seen a client experience as a result of personality awareness?
SPENCER: No client’s breakthrough is better than another’s. I am most proud anytime I can help someone meet their goals. Whether that’s a stock price growth, selling a company or getting a promotion, it’s always exciting to see the power of emotional intelligence.
Q: You work with many powerful people, including NFL coaches. What is it about PCM that you find works so well when coaching people with leadership roles within powerful organizations?
SPENCER: I actually find that it’s easier to coach a coach, than an executive. Coaches are already primed to want to improve and do things better on a daily basis. They have a great understanding that you have to change up the playbook to be successful. When I make a suggestion, they adopt it with very little pushback. They are also willing to go through the process necessary to adopt a new approach.
Coaches realize that in order to develop a muscle memory, practice is necessary. Executives can sometimes think they should get it on the first try. This is not a question of IQ. This is why I use PCM – it’s about understanding and providing the “how to” needed to accomplish the goal.
Q: What specific challenges do NFL coaches face and how does PCM help them?
SPENCER: NFL coaches have to build rapport with organization executives, other coaches, players and fans – and each group wants something different from them. PCM gives people a solid base understanding of different types of people and how to communicate with each of them, making it easier to speak to each of them, increasing the probability that each of these target audiences will truly understand and appreciate the intended message.
Q: What are some of the parallels you see between NFL coaches and customer service executives?
SPENCER: Both NFL coaches and customer service executives need to make sure they have the right team on the field to get the job done. Football is violent – injuries occur all the time and coaches have to build a new team every week. You have to know the players, know their strengths and how they complement each other. The goal is to win and get there any way that you can. In both fields, delegation and trust are crucial. You do well if your team does well.
Q: Is there anything you think call center representatives can learn from NFL coaches, and vice versa?
SPENCER: Coaches know their players inside and out because they need to create the strongest team to bring in positive results. Similarly, call center representatives need to understand their clientele. What are the most common reasons that people will call in? What are the pain points? How do different people express their distress? Having this full understanding of the clientele and the state they’re in when they call the call center will help call center representatives to also bring in the results they want to see.
People calling into call centers are usually doing so because there’s a problem – they’re in distress. When a call center rep can read the distress and not personalize it, he or she is better equipped to solve the problem. The experience for the caller will be far better and that person is likely to become a return customer.