The Life Orientations® method helps
managers be better managers. It helps them understand how the people they
manage think, how the teams they are part of work together and how the
business operate son a day-to-day basis.
Having understood all of this, the Lifo® method points managers towards
new personal as well as organisational strategies and tactics aimed at
getting the best out of their people . By understanding how their people
think, managers can form better teams, and with better performing teams,
improved bottom line business results follow.
In short the Lifo® method helps managers
be better managers who run better businesses.
Your Lifo® Profile
Why should I use it?
When getting it right first time matters, the Lifo® method
offers a truly fast, effective and lasting path to high performance in
individuals, teams and organisations through:
reducing ineffective behaviour and targeting the strategies that work
getting rid of self- or team-inflicted barriers to achieving high
performance
giving insight and understanding into what makes people tick, so improving
communication and motivation
increasing personal skills of persuading and influencing, delegation
and planning
improving personal organisation and focus
improved problem-solving strategies
coping more effectively in stressful situations
identifying behavioural skill sets so helping match people to jobs
and putting together better performing teams
When can I use it?
The Lifo® method can be used in
many ways:
coaching
development workshops – personal and skill-based
self-directed learning
team building and development workshops
diagnostic consultancy
resourcing and assessment
How does it work?
The easy-to-use paper-based and on-line Personal Style Survey highlights each person’s
preferred way of doing things both in normal circumstances and under stress
or conflict conditions. Its effectiveness is due to a number of unique
factors:
it is not a test and there are no right or wrong answers, just a
recognition of why people approach tasks and people in different ways
the feedback you receive is all about you – not you compared
to a statistical average person – and is powerful whilst being
straightforward.
the feedback is accurate because the survey forces you to identify
what you actually do, not what you would like to do or think others
want you to do
the issues that arise from the feedback are relevant and practical,
and give a robust basis for choosing new strategies quickly
it is a facilitator of personal exploration rather than a cold diagnostic
tool
the Lifo® method helps people
identify their strengths in relation to when things are going well and
when they are faced with opposition, stress or conflict
it also identifies where someone is overdoing their strengths and
not getting the results they envisaged
it offers practical guidance about the multitude of developmental
ways forward
individuals can receive a comprehensive profile report to back-up
consultant feedback and a resource workbook that enables personal development
to continue after a workshop or one-to-one session
it is a dynamic measure, which means that it can be used time and
again to check on personal development
The core of the Lifo® method experience
is a personal style survey which enables us to describe the way each of
us lives our lives to achieve our goals and how our game plans work or
don’t work for us. This insight helps us understand where we are
going wrong and what is stopping us from achieving even higher performance.
the Lifo® method approach then offers
convincing and persuasive suggestions on how to put it right.
Where did it come from?
This practical methodology is based on a sound psychological model that
can be applied equally to individuals, teams and organisations.
Its three main influences are based on the work of Erich
Fromm, Carl Rogers and Peter
Drucker. This impressive background has been translated into a practical,
effective tool that has been used in most countries of the world since
the late 60s. Drs Allan Katcher and Stuart Atkins who developed the Method
continue to develop and refine the model and its materials to reflect
the changing needs of business and people in the 21st century.
Life Orientations® provides pragmatic
ways to enhance performance by letting individuals make the most of the
strengths they already possess and appreciate the strengths of others,
whether operating in day-to-day mode or under stress.
How is the Lifo® method
different?
The Lifo® method has so many advantages over other instruments:
it does not suggest in any way, shape or form that there is only one
good style of working and behaving
no-one is forced into a narrow stereotype or measured against pre-chosen
criteria
it emphasises the strategies that can give each person the edge –
it doesn’t just hold up a mirror
it explains how someone operates in normal and stressful circumstances
it is values-based and so goes to the heart of motivation and what
makes someone tick
it will help tease out where communication is going awry and offer
solutions
it celebrates strengths and throws light on why excessive use of those
strengths doesn’t deliver hoped for outcomes
there is no “black box” interpretation – anyone completing
the Lifo® method survey is shown
how it works and what it means
How can I use it?
Our highly-experienced, senior consultants can make a real difference
to your organisation and its people or Life Orientations®
Ltd offers an accreditation programme for those wishing to incorporate
the Lifo® method into their own coaching,
training or development.(see courses and
events)
Erich Fromm (1900-1980), psychoanalyst and social philosopher, in his
book Man for Himself (1947) introduced the concept of each person having
an orientation to life which influences strongly how that person behaves.
These orientations are described as four different sets of values producing
four differing sets of behaviours and the combination of the four making
up each individuals unique behavioural style. He also developed the theory
that the drivers of each orientation, when used appropriately, produce
productive and useful behaviours but when used excessively or inappropriately
do not deliver expected outcomes and are seen as weaknesses.
“Our weaknesses are seldom more than the excessive use of one’s
strengths”
Contribution to the Lifo® method
• four orientations based on values-driven behaviour
• strength-weakness paradox
Carl Rogers (1902-1987), psychologist and therapist, in his book Client-Centred
Therapy (1951) and many others, expanded the view that in a therapy or
learning session, the client usually knows the answers to the therapist’s
questions better than the therapist – ie they are the expert. This
must involve the “expert” becoming a facilitator of the “client’s”
learning rather than retaining the power of interpretation.
Contribution to the Lifo® method • a respect for the individual’s knowledge of themselves
• the concept that individuals will chose a path of self-actualisation
if they can discover it
• the components of effective behaviour – developing a congruency
between how people set out to behave, what they actually do, and how they
think others experience their impact
Peter Drucker (1909- ), consultant, specialising in strategy and policy
for both businesses and nonprofits, and in the work and organisation of
top management. He argued that management is really as much an attitude
as a set of techniques.
Contribution to the Lifo® method • realising that everyone could optimise the use of their
talents by managing the ways in which they were used
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