Our very own team building expert suggests that famous Star Trek characters reflect 4 different behavioural types.

Everyone knows that we all have different personalities, and that we have various likes and dislikes, but sometimes it’s hard to visualize what these differences look like, especially in the workplace. We are all different and there is no right or wrong behavioural style, but if we can better understand ourselves and others, then we can play to our strengths and work well together creating a better team!

Mark Fanning, our very own ‘Trekkie’ and team building expert believes that the Four main Star Trek characters reflect 4 different human behavioural types. Mark, who heads up ACF Teambuilding and Events, says that research has shown that people can usually be placed into four categories based on the sci-fi hit.

The personality types include:

• Captain Kirk, who is a driving ‘red’;
• Dr Leonard ‘Bones’ McCoy, an energising ‘yellow’;
• Montgomery Scott (‘Scotty’), an organizing ‘green,’
• Spock, an analyzing ‘blue’.

The show demonstrates how different personality styles behave, and more importantly, how they can work together to achieve great things under stressful situations.

For example, Spock’s logical evaluations often clashed with Captain Kirk’s more emotional style and were frustrating for the sociable Bones, but in the in the end, people from different worlds and cultures all had to cooperate for the common good. We can learn from this to bolster relationships at home and in work.

Arguably Star Trek is one of the most influential and iconic franchises of on-screen and cinematic history, and although it is based on exploring the realms of space and science fiction, it also looks at the human aspect of the characters. Here at ACF we offer MiRo psychometric tests to better understand members of a team, look at their communication styles and talk about how they can work to their strengths.

Mark has watched every episode of the original series and tells us that Kirk’s style, which is ‘red,’ is to want short, sharp facts. People with this personality type take quite a direct approach, which some people find abrupt.

Green Scottys tend to like organisation and routine, whereas Yellow types like Bones are ‘sunshiny’ people, but can sometimes be easily distracted. Blue Spock types have a need for the finer details and can sometimes appear unemotional. However, although we are all different and there is no right or wrong behavioural style, it is valuable to an organisation to recognise that everyone has a different style of working. If we can better understand ourselves and others in our team, then we can play to our strengths and work well together.

ACF organises team building days at venues across the country, including a ‘Space Mission’ challenge which involves building ‘moon buggies’ with ‘radioactive parts’. If the project was operated only by Spock types, then the build wouldn’t move very quickly. Likewise, if it was managed only by Kirk types, then the moon buggy would probably explode!!

It helps to get the balance right with a mixture of people on board. We spend a lot of our time with our work colleagues, so it’s important to be able to trust and respect them. If we have the right tools in place, the workplace can be a much easier place to navigate.

For example, if you understand ‘Bill in accounts’ is a ‘blue ‘Spock type’, you won’t be upset if he isn’t too chatty. Instead, you will better appreciate his eye for detail and facts.

Our own team based here at Aldwick Court Farm and Vineyard, practice what we preach. We have a mixture of red, yellow, blue and green behavioural types on the team.

Mark is a ‘’red’ driven type, whereas his colleague Christina Cooke is a ‘yellow’. She is fantastic at making phone calls and chatting to people. Storm Kennedy, who is a sales executive is ‘green’ and is very methodical and organised. Richard Birkett who is also on the events team is a ‘blue’, and his eye for details helps make sure everything runs like clockwork.

Behavioral styles are, of course, less clear cut than in the TV series and most people tend to include a mixture – with one style dominating. Complementary behavioural styles, which ensured the smooth running of The Enterprise starship, can help a team to ‘live long and prosper’ in the workplace.

If you would like to talk about how a MiRo psychometrics can help your organisation, then the Events Team at ACF will be happy to talk to you about arranging a team development day.

www.acfteambuilding.co.uk

We’re delighted to announce that we will be at The B2B Marketing Expo at Excel, London on the 22nd and 23rd of March, check us out at Stand 1490!

You can order tickets for the show here

www.b2bmarketingexpo.co.uk/

Are you worried about making the same mistakes as your competitors when it comes to choosing the most effective promotional product to market your business?

Are you scared of investing your time and money in a promotional product that does not perform the way you need it to?

Well fear not, I’m going to introduce you to the 3 golden rules of how to choose the most effective promotional products to market your business.

The first thing to remember is that we all make mistakes. If you keep choosing the wrong ingredients, however, the end result will stay the same.

You shouldn’t be surprised, therefore, if your competition slowly starts eating into your share of profits.

So, I hear you cry, how do I choose the most effective promotional products? Well, read on…

Golden Rule No. 1

It’s no. 1 because everything begins and ends with this. I am of course talking about quality.

Your customers will spot a cheap promotional item from a mile away, and this perception will stick to your brand. Do you really want to be known for being low-quality and cheap?

Change your focus from spending as little as possible, to getting the best quality products for your budget.

Spending just that little bit more can make all the difference.

For instance, check out this amazing new Max Brand Bluetooth Speaker.  (www.clubrowcreations.co.uk/products/max-brand-bluetooth-speaker)

Small but powerful, ergonomically designed to fit neatly on any shelf, seamlessly blending in with its environment and still powerful enough to deliver over 10 hours of playback.

All held together by the toughest aluminium encased in a presentation box with PVC cover.

This Bluetooth speaker oozes quality out of every pore. If your chosen product is not good quality, the recipients will not get a good impression of your company.

Golden Rule No. 2

Golden rule two is usefulness.

Take this Module Fusion Powerbank as an example (www.clubrowcreations.co.uk/products/module-fusion-powerbank).

It does exactly what it says on the tin and then some!  Small enough to fit in your pocket and available in five different colours.

Two sides of the Powerbank are covered with soft plastic suction pads, making this product light, durable and portable. The third side can be used to personalise the product with your company’s name.

It can also be used as a phone stand for freeing up hands for note taking.

The aim for your promotional product is to be regularly used by your customer or prospects, so that your company stays at the forefront of their minds.

Ensure your gift is useful and when they need your products or services, they’ll think of you first!

Golden Rule No. 3

The third golden rule is being different. Yes, variety really is the spice of life. Don’t send your customers the same tired gifts everyone else sends them. You need to stand out to be remembered.

For example, this Desk Top Garden Plant (http://www.clubrowcreations.co.uk/products/desk-top-garden-plant/) can transform the dullest office into a living, breathing paradise of greenery.

Personalised company engraving on the side of the plant pot not only offers individuality but also creates a real sense of ownership.

Now that’s good quality, useful and different all rolled into one.

Remember if it’s not different, it won’t be memorable. If it’s not memorable, it’s forgettable and the whole point is to be remembered!

Well the facts are pretty clear to see; the promotional product you send to your customers or prospects has got to be of a good quality, useful and different in order to be effective.

Looking for high quality promotional products right now and would like a bit of free, friendly, expert advice? Click the link, www.clubrowcreations.co.uk/contact-us add your details and we’ll get straight back to you.

We Brits love a good coffee. What better way to get back into the swing of daily life than with our favourite caffeine fix to sooth the January Blues?

But our addiction to the black stuff, especially in take-away form, is having a serious impact on the environment. According to the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee, a staggering 2.5 BILLION disposable cups are thrown away in the UK EVERY year! That’s 5000 every minute with less than 1 in 400 currently being recycled.

That’s why MPs are proposing that single use cups should be banned by 2023 and have suggested a 25p “latte levy” on paper cups. They point to the carrier bag tax, introduced in 2015, as successful evidence of the impact a small charge can have in changing our habits when it comes to throwaway items.

Surely the big retailers should be doing more? In a bid to encourage customers to bin the paper cup for good, some of the high street coffee chains offer discounts to those who bring their own reusable cup. This has been done for a number of years without much fanfare, until Tuesday (2^nd Jan 2018) when Pret-A-Manger, Chief Executive, Clive Schlee, tweeted they had doubled their discount to 50p per hot drink for reusable cup users. Others such as Starbucks & Costa will give you 25p off, while at Greggs it will save you 20p per drink.

The retailers kindly ask that your reusable cup is clean (seems obvious!) and that it also has a suitable lid if you are taking it out of their shop. (They will let you use an open mug if you’re happy to sit in and enjoy it.) So, what are your reusable cup options?

Lancashire is the home of one the leading manufacturers of multi-use coffee cups. The Americano range, made in Blackpool, is one of the bestselling promotional mugs in Europe, supplied with a lid and comes in three handy sizes to suit most people’s hot drink preferences.

Stephen Ward, M.D. of distributors www.BusinessGiftUK.com explained why these products are a “win win” solution to the huge waste problem. “The Americano mugs are great advert carriers for businesses, so they cover the costs, and the advertiser gets a topical and practical promotion. The cups are usually then passed on to the consumer free of charge, who can then also get a discount at most leading drinks providers. The cafes in turn have both a saving on cup costs and much reduced disposal problems. Finally, we are all winners environmentally. Seems like a no brainer to me.”

BusinessGiftUK.com have been established since 1985 and can be contacted on 01772 429111.