The early stages of joining a new team can sometimes feel unfamiliar and unclear.
You're still decoding who wants details and who just wants decisions. Who needs time to think, and who thrives on fast-moving conversation. You're trying to figure out who likes structure, who prefers spontaneity, and who wants information delivered in a certain way. In those early days, it feels like you're walking a tightrope between overexplaining and not explaining enough, and you're trying to figure out how to openly communicate without friction.
Not only awkward, but can also be quite expensive.
Teams lose time, energy, and momentum in this “learning each other” phase. Misaligned expectations lead to avoidable misunderstandings.
Meetings run long because people aren’t speaking the same language. Feedback is softened or overcompensated. Progress slows not because of the work, but because of the differences we can’t yet see.
This is often the moment when team leaders start searching for ways to improve communication skills, strengthen collaboration, and create a more predictable rhythm for how the team interacts.
The truth is, high-performing teams are built on clarity — and clarity comes from knowing not just what people do, but how they do it. When employees feel understood at this level, it becomes much easier to build trust and establish the kind of company culture where people participate openly and confidently.
Most teams don’t struggle because people are difficult. They struggle because people are different, and we don’t always know what to do with that.
That’s exactly where the Workstyle Differentiators Report comes in.
A Simpler Way to See What Makes People Tick
Designed to bring immediate clarity to team dynamics, the Workstyle Differentiators Report is a visual, one-page snapshot of how a person naturally engages, communicates, and reacts at work.
It shortens the learning curve that typically takes weeks or months. Instead of guessing how someone works, you get clear insights upfront that help you navigate your team with confidence.
No deep-dive psychometrics. No long read. No jargon that needs translation.
Just three fast, powerful insights:
You may notice that I am…
This section highlights your top three distinct strengths, visually illustrated and simply worded. Think “tactful,” “strategic,” or “energizing,” each with a short reflection on how that strength presents itself at work.
This matters because strengths aren’t always obvious. Some people bring calm problem-solving. Others bring contagious energy. Others bring thoughtful questioning or a drive for clarity.
When teammates know this about each other upfront, they collaborate faster and more naturally. Teams stop undervaluing certain contributions and start recognizing the full range of skills in the room. This is one of the earliest markers of a successful team, where strengths are acknowledged, used intentionally, and tied back to common goals.
I prefer…
These are the three most unique needs that drive your best performance — things like candor, structure, autonomy, or inclusivity. These needs are often invisible, even to the individual. Yet they shape everything from how someone communicates to how they make decisions.
When teams understand each other’s needs, they support one another with fewer assumptions. Meetings are designed more intentionally. Workflows become smoother. Feedback lands more effectively.
Most importantly, needs help distinguish preferences from problems. Someone who asks for clarity isn’t being difficult — they need it to do their best work. Someone who prefers collaboration isn’t trying to slow things down — they think better with people.
Understanding these needs is also a powerful anchor for organizational culture. When employees feel that their core workstyle is respected, they experience a greater sense of belonging and psychological comfort — critical ingredients for employee retention and improving team engagement.
Under stress, I may…
This section is a quick heads-up about what stress might look like for you when your needs aren’t met, so teammates can interpret reactions with more empathy and less confusion.
Stress patterns aren’t flaws; they’re signals. Some people become quieter. Some get more direct. Some become protective of their time or their ideas. These shifts often get misinterpreted, which is why naming them early helps teams avoid unnecessary tension.
When teammates can recognize these patterns in themselves and others, conversations stay more grounded. Instead of reacting to the reaction, teams look at what Need might be missing.
This awareness has a direct impact on team meetings, conflict prevention, and everyday collaboration. It helps people feel safe being honest about what they need, which strengthens trust and supports the open communication that high-performing teams depend on.
Each report is rooted in Birkman’s robust personality data, but distilled for practical use in real team environments. Easy to read and easy to reference. Designed to be shared: on your desk, in your digital workspace, or as part of onboarding and team-building.
This isn’t a theoretical exercise — it’s a hands-on tool that becomes part of everyday communication.
The real power: Differentiators + High-Performing Teams (HPT)
Workstyle Differentiators become even more impactful when paired with our High-Performing Teams (HPT) program.
Built around three core pillars of team excellence — Purpose, Clarity, and Psychological Safety — HPT gives teams a shared language to understand not just what they’re working toward, but how to get there together.
Purpose
Purpose thrives when each person knows the unique strengths they bring and sees how those strengths align with team goals. Workstyle Differentiators make that visible from day one.
Clarity
Clarity emerges when teammates understand each other’s work preferences, needs, and blind spots. The Differentiators report brings those insights to the surface in a way that’s easy to grasp and even easier to apply.
Employees stop guessing how to interpret one another. Leaders stop relying on one-size-fits-all communication. Teams start collaborating with more efficiency and less frustration.
Psychological Safety
Psychological Safety grows when people feel known, understood, and respected, especially when stress shows up. By naming those patterns early, Differentiators help teams build empathy before misunderstandings take root.
Rather than interpreting the behavior as a problem, teammates can ask, "What might they need right now?"
The combination of Differentiators + HPT becomes a living, breathing approach to team culture grounded in personal insight and collective strength — a foundation that naturally improves the way teams work together day-to-day.
Why It Works
- It’s fast, meaning people don’t need to “learn Birkman” before they use it.
- It’s visual with an icon-based, clean design that's ideal for busy teams.
- It’s practical and highlights only what’s most different about you, based on Birkman’s normative data.
- It’s sticky meaning teams can keep it visible, revisit it often, and refer to it when they need to reset.
The result? Teams communicate with more ease, give feedback more effectively, and navigate conflict with more empathy. And over time, these improvements reinforce a stronger company culture, better team-building activities, and a more resilient, high-performing team.
