In my blog series, Part 1: What’s Your SCARF- The Meaning, we laid the foundation by defining a simple leadership model called SCARF to help identify what universal human drivers are important to you so you can navigate situations in your personal and professional life.
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In this blog, we take it to the next level: How do you use SCARF?
With the understanding of each of these universal drivers or domains, you can determine which domain(s) are more dominant for you. We demonstrate to some degree all five domains, but some are more prominent than others.
What is your SCARF profile? My top two are autonomy and certainty. When these two are shaken, I go into “ultra-stress” mode. SCARF can be used in all aspects of life, and there are strong links with SCARF and culture, workplace engagement, change, and my favorite – leadership.
Here is a personal example of how I used SCARF to understand what was holding me back from taking the leap to launch my own business:
Personal Ties: SCARF & Career
In my midlife (some may say “mid-life crisis”), I came to a turning point: What do I want to do in the next chapter of my life? I toggled with the idea of opening my own coaching and consulting practice before and tried and failed. I sat down with friends and family to contemplate: Do I go into franchising vs. my own firm? I was at a cross-road. I felt STUCK. Then, I was introduced to the SCARF model. I thought… why not try to use this model to figure out my hesitation?
Based on understanding the domains and taking a brief assessment, I realized that my domain of CERTAINTY was shaken, one of my dominant domains. The ability for me to know what was next and how to approach was a blur. I did not know what to do. I was scared of failure (again). At the same time, there was excitement of having something of my own that I really enjoy doing… that I am passionate about… something I have done for over 25 years of my life – leadership development.
The AUTONOMY domain was also being tapped into with this possible new venture. Once I figured out where the toward and away domains (read more in Part 1: What’s Your SCARF- The Meaning) – were being impacted, I took steps to “minimize” the uncertainty. I created an action plan. Part of the plan included getting feedback from multiple sources to understand what is involved in launching a business and pros/cons. I spoke to other coaches and professionals who started their coaching and franchising businesses, joined professional organizations, and tapped into my mentor and coach’s guidance. I made the uncertain … certain.
Leadership Development Ties: SCARF & Leadership
When we speak about using SCARF in the context of leadership development, it involves self-awareness and self-management as a leader. The role of a manager in and of itself impacts different domains in SCARF: By nature, having a manager creates STATUS threat by being a lower-status person (as an employee). Some managers may tend to create more uncertainty by not having SMART goals/expectations for you. Managers have the final control and say, thus reducing one’s AUTONOMY. Managers tend to keep themselves separate by putting themselves in the “leadership team” (in-group – RELATENESS). They may be seen as unfair due to pay-scale and delegating vs. doing the work. All domains are under threat. This is can lead to impacting individual and team performance that ultimately impacts bottom-line. A disaster waiting to happen.
How can we “nip it in the bud”? Here are some tips you can implement as a leader:
- Set clear expectations: Define roles and responsibilities for your team members
- Share information: What you do and don’t know
- Collaborate: Seek ideas and feedback from your team
- Be Human: Admit mistakes, create opportunities to get to know your team on a personal level- luncheons, outings, stopping by their desk to say hello
With any model, there are pros and cons. I spoke about how the model can help identify what is important to you, so you can adapt in a situation. Social concerns are a primary motivator in human behavior and our brain is primed to process social info in a certain manner. With any model one must consider that your SCARF profile may not be an absolute. In life, we go through different phases and experiences, and our priorities may shift, thus domain preferences may change. Ultimately, you are the final judge of what domains are important to you – no matter what an assessment result indicates.
With that being said… take a moment to discover your SCARF profile by taking this FREE assessment
Find out What’s Your SCARF?