June 21, 2006
Do You Have The Personality For Franchising?
In deciding whether or not to buy a franchise you'''''ll obviously need to consider your financial position and personal aspirations. However it's equally important to consider your psychological traits.
O Knowing who you are can be very useful in deciding whether or not to buy a franchise as well as enlightening you about some of the joys and headaches your personality will create.
A popular psychological model splits the human population into four main temperaments each of which greatly affects our relationship to business and working life. These temperaments are drawn from the pioneering work of Carl Jung who analysed the way in which we think, behave and make decisions.
The four temperaments derived from his work are:
Traditionalists look at the world around them and primarily see concrete facts that need to be organised. They thrive on policies and procedures, are excellent planners and dependable workers. They are also realistic, practical and decisive. This temperament is ideal for franchising, which is all about implementing proven systems. The more fluid and intuitive aspects of business, such as branding and product development, are taken out of a traditionalist's hands and their vulnerabilities are therefore never tested. A traditionalist does have some important weaknesses to be aware of though. They are not always responsive to the need for change and stick ardently to the motto 'a rule is a rule'. This philosophy can sometimes alienate customers and staff, many of whom may not share such rigid temperaments. They can also be impatient with delays and complications, seeing them as a disruption to 'the plan'. Their main contribution to the workplace is that they do what needs to be done and pride themselves on producing careful, thorough work.
Like Traditionalists, Trouble Shooters share a love of concrete facts and detail. Unlike traditionalists though, they are bored by plans. They prefer spontaneity, action and excitement and will sometimes even create crises to feed that urge. They are highly practical and excel at managing dire situations. They're also adaptable, flexible and comfortable with risk. In a franchise setting, it's the day-to-day excitement of winning customers and beating the competition that inspires them, not the proven procedures of the operating manual. They can provide essential vigour to a franchise operation providing they can keep some of their weaknesses in check. These include being unpredictable and impulsive, becoming easily bored if there isn't much action happening and being hesitant about taking a stand. On balance though, they are very useful and pride themselves on the ingenious way in which they make things happen.
Catalysts differ from both traditionalists and trouble-shooters in that they care more about people and possibility than they do about hard details. They are driven by the need to form a meaningful identity and are excellent at getting people to work together. They have great verbal and listening skills, are sensitive to others and are generally creative. They also love learning new things about themselves and others. This makes them ideal for customer service and staff management as they have an uncanny talent for building rapport. While they have a humanistic outlook, their emotionality does create problems for catalysts in some of the 'harder' aspects of commercial life. They often make decisions based on their personal likes and dislikes, which may not be in the best interests of the franchise. They are also hurt easily and have trouble making tough but necessary decisions that might hurt others. Despite this, they bring rare passion and humanism to a franchise and pride themselves on the important contribution they are making.
Visionaries face the greatest difficulty in taking on a franchise operation. Like catalysts they have little interest in detail, but unlike catalysts, they are inspired by ideas rather than people. The highly detailed, people focused world of running a franchise can therefore be challenging fora committed visionary. In large corporations, these people are often the architects of change. They are powerful intellectuals with great new ideas, penetrating insights and a good grasp of 'the big picture'. On the flipside, they aren't particularly sensitive or appreciative of others, they often get bored with routine and can look down on those whom they don't view as their intellectual equal. To succeed in a franchise, a visionary needs to make a serious effort to develop some of the qualities found naturally in other temperaments or they need to partner with someone who already possesses them.
In considering which temperament you fit into, remember this model is just a guide. In reality, humans are mixed and varied and will rarely fit perfectly into neat academic boxes. However, the temperament model does offer insights into the way you operate. This knowledge can help clarify both what you can bring to a franchise business and some of the complications you will need to take steps to redress. At this stage you need to be answering yourself important questions. Can I learn to be more flexible? Can I learn to pay more attention to detail? Can I partner with someone who does have those skills?
Answer these questions first and then begin your discussions with a potential franchisor. It's probably also a good idea to speak to some of the people who know you best to get an independent opinion on your temperament. There are some qualities you might be unable or unwilling to identify within yourself.
Other news articles from the same month
May 2006
April 2006
March 2006
February 2006
|
