Personalize Your Leadership Approach Using the CPI 260© “Lifestyle” Diagram

The Challenge: The CPI 260© Assessment developed by The Myers Briggs Company is a widely used and highly reputable instrument that identifies the strengths and development needs in one’s leadership skillset. AAPL has collaborated with Myers-Briggs to provide targeted leadership insights to physician leaders through the CPI 260© Assessment.

The self-awareness gleaned from this tool is invaluable to physicians seeking to optimize their leadership approach and pursuing opportunities for leadership development.

The 4 Ways of Living, or Lifestyle Diagram, provided in the Coaching Report for Physician Leaders can not only enhance your leadership approach, but also identify character strengths you may benefit from accentuating.

Key Takeaways

The Lifestyle Diagram contains four quadrants (or Lifestyles).

1. Implementers: Tend to see themselves as ambitious, efficient, industrious, and organized. They don’t identify as confused, dissatisfied, lazy, or moody. They tend to be seen by others as active, ambitious, enterprising, and organized, as opposed to apathetic, cynical, moody, or shy. They are oriented toward rule-favoring and initiating action.

2. Supporters: Tend to see themselves as conscientious, modest, patient, and reserved, as opposed to assertive, irritable, outspoken, or sarcastic. Others tend to see them as cautious, inhibited, peaceable, and retiring, as opposed to adventurous, daring, individualistic, or quick. They are oriented toward rule favoring and focusing on the inner life.

3. Innovators: Tend to see themselves as complicated, humorous, pleasure-seeking, and spontaneous, as opposed to conservative, conventional, placid, or submissive. Others tend to see them as clever, frank, impulsive, and witty, as opposed to conservative, conventional, methodical, or timid. They are oriented toward rule-questioning and initiating action.

4. Visualizers: Tend to see themselves as detached, frank, reflective, and unconventional, as opposed to cheerful, enthusiastic, forceful, or sociable. Others tend to see them as dreamy, modest, quiet, and unassuming, as opposed to assertive, energetic, outgoing, or talkative. They are oriented toward rule questioning and focusing on the inner life.

It should be noted that an individual can fall along the “cusp” of more than one Lifestyle, displaying traits of one Lifestyle while also displaying traits that closely resonate with another.

With this perspective, we can begin to understand how individuals within each Lifestyle might benefit from differentiating their leadership approach. For example, the way you communicate with others will play a role in how you may delegate tasks, conduct meetings, or influence others as a physician leader.

A typically quiet Implementer might decide that being more vocal about sharing some ambitious ideas with team members could garner useful feedback. This increase in verbal communication could lead to greater rapport with the team members. Because Implementers are seen as ambitious and enterprising, the ideas they present are more likely to be received with intrigue and respect.

Perhaps a highly agreeable Supporter struggles to create change within their team because of a lack of authoritativeness. The Supporter might identify that an alternate way to influence the team is by using a talent for inspiration and insight and developing a strategy to inspire the desired behaviors from team members.

The Bottom Line: By analyzing key attributes of the Lifestyle(s) your assessment results align with, you can begin constructing a personalized approach to physician leadership that honors your unique strengths and tendencies. Taking this application even further, becoming fluent in the attributes of all four Lifestyles will not only allow you to tailor leadership strategies to your own traits, but also to the traits of constituent team members.

To learn more about the utility and specifics of this Lifestyle Diagram for physician leaders, see our course by Sherrie Haynie, MEd, “The CPI 260© Introductory Course.” www.physicianleaders.org/assessment

Find more information about our educational offerings at physicianleaders.org/education.