Authority Reversal
By: Amy Shepley
What is a “reversal” and how do you explain it? In Birkman, a “reversal” occurs when an individual’s Usual style (which can be seen by others) and his Stress behavior (unfortunately, also seen!) is the opposite of his underlying Need. This is where it can get difficult for him: because his displayed Usual and Stress behaviors are exactly the opposite, they continue to solicit and reinforce the wrong behavior from other people, and from the person’s environment. As a result, the person’s Needs are not as apparent to others, and they continue to not be met in many social situations. Thus, the destructive cycle continues.
From a consultant’s perspective, this is the social answering pattern we call a “reversal”. I want to emphasize that this is not how we recommend you explain a reversal during the interpretation of a Birkman report. An expert in the Birkman office says she explains a reversal as “a surprise.” In other words, the person’s Stress reaction is not what is expected by the outside world and might come as a shock. This disparity can lead to issues for both the individual and the individual’s environment.
The fix? Emphasize to the person the importance of being aware of his/her unique underlying Needs and communicating these needs to the rest of the world.
The Authority Reversal
Examples: U/N/S 45/37/75 51/3/75 91/37/75
The Authority reversal has the distinction of being one of the most common reversals you will see especially if you are working management level and up. If we go back to the basics you will remember that Authority is really measuring Verbal Dominance. The higher the score, the more comfortable the individual is disagreeing openly, playing devil’s advocate, or simply airing an opinion. In a nutshell, the Authority reversal says, “I am happy to speak up and tell you what I think, but I would prefer if you would respond in a more suggestive way. Otherwise, you may see me become argumentative and domineering under Stress.
Let’s see why this might be the case:
You will notice in the examples above that the Usual score is higher than the person’s Need score. In other words, the individual sees himself as a person who speaks up, gives directions and disagrees openly when necessary. However, his lower Need means he prefers for other people to be suggestive,
diplomatic and not argumentative. When he comes across more verbally dominant (high Authority in Birkmanese), it creates a feeling of defensiveness. In response and under Stress, he responds by becoming increasingly argumentative and domineering.
Let’s take a closer look at the mechanics of this reversal. In the Authority reversal, we have an individual who describes himself as a verbally dominant person who is most effective when giving directions and sharing his opinion. In fact, he distinctly sees himself as being more verbally dominant than most people. In each case, the Usual score is higher than the Need. This person is making the statement that he sees himself as being more verbally dominant than he perceives other people to be. In fact, we can even see to what extent he sees himself as being more verbally dominant. The first example (45/37/75) is a smaller gap. This individual may say something like “I am slightly more verbally dominant than other people.” The last example (99/37/75) indicates a significant gap. This person is likely to say something like “I am significantly more verbally dominant than most people.” [Again, when we refer to “most people” we are referring to this person’s perception of other people.]
So again, we have a person who is describing himself as an authoritative, opinionated person. This is how he is most effective. It would make sense that when this person goes into Stress, his tendency is to become a more exaggerated version of how he usually describes himself: more opinionated, more verbally aggressive, more domineering. And as is true with anyone, as we move into our Stress behavior we move from an effective style to an ineffective style.
But here is the surprise:
The big idea of a reversal is that the Need is hidden and the Authority component is no exception. Despite this person’s more forceful style, his lower Need means he does not prefer this aggressive style in return. In fact, he expects that others will be more low-key and less forceful then he typically shows up. As he comes across in a verbally dominant style (again, high Authority Usual); it rubs him the wrong way and he can quickly feel defensive. As he becomes increasingly uncomfortable, he starts to raise his voice, argue louder and perhaps arguing for its own sake.
Of course, this will come as a surprise to people around him. We see his self-assertive style and immediately think this is a guy who doesn’t mind a little friendly debate. “He tells me what he thinks, why shouldn’t I do the same” we rationalize. And while our assumption is fair, it does little to keep our colleague in his usual, productive mode.
So now that you understand the mechanics of the Authority reversal, the next important piece of information is, how do you coach this person? What’s the “so what?” How does this person move forward with more understanding and self-awareness?
The important takeaway is that people will not assume this person prefers a low-key, diplomatic environment where everybody gets along. In fact, people will assume the opposite is true. They will see a self-assertive person and assume that style is desired in return. Our Authority reversal friend can manage this response by being upfront and forthright about his underlying Need. “You may not assume this about me but I actually really appreciate working with people who are suggestive, pleasant and agreeable. People with very dominant, aggressive styles can make me uncomfortable.” I would take it a step further and coach this person to try and temper their own style if they wish to receive a different response. Do you know the trick about what to do when a person is talking too loud? Lower your voice to a quiet level, just above a whisper. Almost immediately the other party will be conscious of their own
volume level and start to lower their voice. The same is true with the Authority component. If a high Authority person borrows some behaviors from their low Authority counterparts, he will find others will respond with a more suggestive style.
Do you have a reversal on Authority? (I know you are out there!) Have you had an “a-ha” with a client? I would love to hear about your experiences. Jump over to LinkedIn and let’s continue this conversation on reversals.