Company cultures change and may demand that we adjust and even change our styles or quit. One executive I was coaching was told flat out that if he didn’t change from a Driver style to a more collaborative style, he would lose his job. By using “Style Tune-up,” we were able to identify areas to improve and accelerate his behavioral changes. He was successful in not only modifying his style, but also got a promotion. He confessed to me later, “If I can modify my behaviors, anyone can. But, you have to know that in my heart, I still prefer to be bossy, dominating and right. I just learned how to act differently and more appropriately.”

As effective leaders, we not only have to take stock of our own styles and how to improve, but we have to coach others to do same. To get most out of our staff, we need to learn to motivate them according to their style needs. Have your team go through a style tune-up on a regular basis. Use goals they set as part of their performance evaluations. Successful change demands lots of positive reinforcement.

Are we born with our style or do we learn it? Does nationality impact styles? Does gender? Does your job alter your style? I believe all of above play into picture. Obviously, none or us fits neatly into just one of four categories. We do, however, have predominant styles that influence our choices and values. The more we know about styles, more we can capitalize on diversity.

After assessing and coaching thousands of managers in United States my research shows that majority of American workforce has “Diplomat” style (more than 60 percent), with approximately 13-15 percent equally divided among other three orientations. My research in South Africa, Europe and Malaysia yielded different results. Through profiling close to 2,000 managers in those three locations, I found that majority of managers have “Analyzer” style (more than 50 percent), with other three equally divided.

Research in a wide variety of industries shows that certain industries and professions attract distinct styles. For example, engineers (often Analyticals) vs. counselors (usually Diplomats) vs. police officers (the Drivers) vs. sales people (the Expressives). Of course, there are exceptions, but you will see job related trends. There are definitely style similarities within different cultures, be they organizational or geographical.

So, can we be everything to everybody? No, but we can learn to know our styles intimately. Knowing and modifying our weaknesses helps remover our blind spots. Self-awareness leads to greater personal power. Learning to lead as a facilitator and situational manager will build better teams. Balancing personalities of people who have to work together is a key step in team success. From my experience in organizational development work, most productive and cohesive teams are composed of members representing all four styles. Each brings richness to table. When any style is missing from a team, creativity and critical thinking can be limited. As leaders, we need to learn to appreciate and work with all of styles, reward them appropriately, and coach them to continually strive for their fullest potential.

The search for financing may be lengthy, so don't give up. If one angel says no, move on to another. A negative response doesn't mean that your idea is bad. The next person your speak to may think it's terrific.

Finding angels isn't as hard to find as you might think. They are your neighbors, store owner around corner, retired executives; everyday people for most part. Start your search for your own angel at these sites:

International Angel Investors Institute http://angelinvestors.infopoint.com/

University Angels http://www.universityangels.com/universityangels/index.jsp

Angel Directory http://www.nextwavestocks.com/angeldirectory.html