How to Read People | Psychology Today
Robin was hired by a founder as Chief Operations Officer to help the company grow organically and through acquisitions. The aim was to position the company for a subsequent sale within five years. After six months, Robin gave the founder a formal PowerPoint presentation to outline their plans.
The Founder’s polite but vague response indicated that the Founder had declined the recommended course of action. Robin’s response was, “I’m being hired to grow the founder’s business and he’s not listening. Why I’m here??!!”
As consultants, we wondered if the problem was Robin’s recommendations or the way the recommendations had been presented. There is a well-known cliché in gastronomy: “50% of enjoyment is presentation.” Could this also apply to business life?
Your ideas vs. how you present your ideas.
We suggested that Robin believed “the facts speak for themselves” while the CEO/Founder believed “that is my Company. I am the decision maker!“
Robin presented information to the CEO in a manner that was comfortable for Robin. She hadn’t thought enough about how to phrase the information for the CEO to listen openly.
We suggested letting things sit for 90 days and then arranging a second meeting. Have the PowerPoint deck ready if the CEO wants to see it. Focus Robin’s communication on “This is your Company. You have clear goals and some of the recommendations may make you uncomfortable. You are the boss.”
how to read people
Reading people is important so that your ideas can be presented effectively. The framework we use was inspired by Harvard University psychologist Howard Gardner (2006), but we have extended it. There are seven factors to consider, each rated on a scale of 0-10. Use “FAD HOPE” as a mnemonic to remember the frame.
(F) Facts (0-10).
Are facts used to rationalize decisions? A rating of 0 means that the person is not convinced of facts. A 10 means the person finds it extremely important that arguments are data-driven. You may be a 10, but if your goal is a 2, you better charge your presentation with emotion. A case in point is the CEO of a family business who claims that the goal is 15% revenue growth per year – but is really emotionally driven and wants to be seen as superior to their peers in the industry.
(A) Probable acceptance (0-10).
What is the probability that the person will accept your suggestion 100%? A score of 0 means the probability is zero. A 10 means 100% chance that the person will accept your suggestion 100%. Anything between 0 and 10 is your estimate of how big a first step should be. If this first step is successful, trust will be built for future steps. Your vision may be big, but what sells best can be a small step.
(D) “I am the decision maker” (0-10)
Who makes the decisions? A rating of 0 means the person strongly believes in the team consensus. A 10 means that the person firmly believes that “I am the decision maker”. A 7 means the person wants to go through the consensus process, but ultimately the decision making rules. The higher the score on this factor, the more you need to verbally humiliate yourself.
(H) sense of humor” (0-10).
Does the person have a good sense of humor? A rating of 0 means the person has no sense of humor. A rating of 1 means the person is open to humor at the expense of others – by ridiculing competitors, opponents, colleagues, etc. A 10 means the person is open to humor where all parties can laugh together.
(O) Disagreements (0-10)
How open is the person to other perspectives? A 0 means the person does not welcome new ideas. A 10 indicates a preference for dialogue and conflicting views.
(P) Getting to the point (0-10)
What is the person’s preferred style, to get to the point? A 0 means the person prefers you to get your point across indirectly through stories and analogies. A 10 means you prefer to get to the point quickly with a summary at the beginning of your presentation.
Summary and conclusion.
Robin was an example of an executive who spent too much time on data but not enough time on how the data should be presented to the audience.
FAD HOP is our framework to read others. This framework assumes that you are trying to persuade one person or a relatively homogeneous group. It is assumed that you have enough primary or secondary data to make an educated guess.
FAD HOP requires sensitivity to situational factors: your CEO might appreciate humor when it comes to business growth, but not when it comes to bankruptcy.