Mark Mayfield, CFO, Mayfield Productions
REPORTING FROM LAS VEGAS — There’s a difference between stress and inconvenience, and learning the difference can make you a better manager.
“Will it make the 6 o'clock news?”
That’s how Mark Mayfield, CFO, Mayfield Productions, distinguishes between a crisis and an ordinary event. “People get confused about this every day,” said Mayfield. “If you are in the supermarket and the cashier can’t scan an item, that’s an inconvenience. It’s not stress. If you are in the supermarket and you lose your nephew Doug; well, that’s a crisis.”
What is most people’s biggest stress? Other people.
“The ‘Golden Rule’ — treat people as you would want them to treat you — doesn’t really apply to dealing with people,” said Mayfield. “People are all different. Why would you treat everyone the same?”
“That implies everyone is just like us,” he said. “And that’s not true. People are all different. If you deal with people the same way, three-fourths of the time you will be wrong.”
Mayfield said there are two types of people, the tortoises and the hares. “At the end of the tortoise and the hare story, the tortoise wins by a nose. That doesn’t make the tortoise better, it makes the tortoise the one with the longer neck.” One is not better, one is just different.”
Mayfield said that the first way to differentiate different people is to start with whether the person is a tortoise or a hare. “What is your pace? A tortoise takes its time. A hare races to the finish line. If you are a tortoise you rate a ‘1’. If you are a hare you rate a ‘2’.
The second number you need to reveal your personality number is whether you are an internal person or an external person. “Do you keep everything inside? Does no one know if you are having a good day or a bad day? Do you internalize? Then you are a 1. If you externalize everything and everyone knows what mood you are in, then you are a 2.”
Mayfield said that you then take your first number and your second number and become either a 21, 11, 12, or a 22.“These are the four personality types,” he said. Mayfield then asked for a show of hands as to whether people thought they were 21, 11, 12, or 22 and pointed out that the room was divided fairly equally into the four groups.”
A 21 —someone who is fast but internal is — a Jerk. “This is someone who is a mover and shaker. 21’s are aggressive, driven, focused, results-oriented; but you create unrest.”
11’s are slow and internal. Mayfield files them as in control, analytical and detailed. “We call all 11’s Nerds or Geeks. They are organized and they are people in tech support. Without them we’d all be in the Dark Ages.”
12’s are slow and external. “We classify them as Wimp,” he said. “They care about everyone. They get emotional over a pin dropping. They are warm and generous. They care about the group and everyone in it.” Mayfield said the wimps are the most important people on the team. Without them we’d all fall apart.
The last couplings are the 22’s. “This group is loud,” said Mayfield. “They tell everyone what they are thinking; everyone knows what mood they are in and whether they are having a good day or a bad day.” 22’s are expressive and captivating.
The magic secret silver bullet is that it doesn’t matter what type you are. “What’s important is to know your strengths and weaknesses and in the world of interpersonal relationships, your job is to understand what makes the other person tick.”
In a world of stress, people fall back on what they know which is to treat everyone the same. “Take pause,” said Mayfield. “You must shift, move and be flexible,” he said. “Give people what they want.”
REACH
Mayfield explained a simple system to reach the goal of smart communication — REACH.
“Relaxation is number one,” he said. “Find a way to relax. Take 10 seconds and breathe.”
Exercise is number two. “Do something that relieves your physical stress. Walk, run, play tennis. It doesn’t matter, just get physical.”
“Avocation — a hobby — is number three. “Find something you love but make sure it stays a hobby. If it stresses you out, it’s not a hobby anymore.”
Communication is next. “Find a way to say what you mean in a way the other person will understand it. Don’t talk down to someone; talk with someone.”
Humor is last. “Humor creates distance,” Mayfield said. “A good joke creates distance and clears up the tension.”
“REACH solves many problems,” said Mayfield. “Learn it and use it. If we can communicate better with people, we will solve 99 percent of our interactions.”
Interviewed for this story: Mark Mayfield, (816) 532-8702