IN THIS CORNER…ROCKY BALBOA
Remember when you watched and felt the first punch of the original Rocky movie, starring Sylvester Stallone? And what about the music from that muscle-pumping soundtrack… ♫da-da-dah♪… ♫da-da-dah♪ … ♪da-dum …♫da-da-dum♪-dum-dum …. It still makes me want to punch bags, do sit-ups, sprint up hundreds of steps, and leap up-and-down in celebration! I enjoyed watching this classic with my wife and daughters recently.
Do you recall the story line? In one corner of the ring is Apollo Creed, the heavyweight boxing champion of the world, who is, at the moment, in a pinch for a payday. The other corner was occupied by a Philly Italian underdog boxer named Rocky, who had nothing to lose and who trained by breaking the ribs of slabs of beef hanging in a meat freezer.
Each man was a skilled, thriller fighter. Could it be that Rocky was an Empathizer-type communicator, in the Talk To Me© system, who was known for being super-sensitively tuned-in, as my wife suggested? Adrian! And what about idea-man Apollo Creed, whose promotional genius saved the day? Here comes a left jab…you tell me. Rocky was an Empathizer, but how do I know?
CHARACTERISTICS THAT EXPLAIN WHY UNDERDOG ROCKY WAS AN EMPATHIZER COMMUNICATOR
Although Empathizer-type communicators have guts that don’t quit, and they possess “jerk radar,” they can also be saps and neglectful about sharpening their talent tools. E-types don’t want to stand out and risk falling down. (In fact, when slammed or shunned, E-types shut down and disappear on you.)
E-type talk-traits that Rocky demonstrated…
…Sensitively talked to his two turtles, Cuff and Link
…Dreamed big but thought small
…Put a great deal of thought into joking with Adrian at the pet store, to gain her favor
…Although he felt slighted, he avoided conflict with his gym manager
…Procrastinated working out at the gym and lost his locker
…Intuited that although Adrian was shy, she was a beautiful woman, inside and out
…Couldn’t bring himself to break the thumbs of a client who owed the loan shark cash
…Kept forgiving Adrian’s brother, when he was an “anger alcoholic” repeatedly
…Had difficulty believing in his natural born boxing talents
…Really valued talking to everyone on the street and being in relationships with people
Rocky always empathized and connected with people and creatures of all kinds. He was muscled, big and rough, and tough spoken, but he had a soft heart of bright gold.
ARE YOUR TALENTS SHUFFLED AROUND BY OTHER PEOPLE?
Empathizers can lose track of who they are, which results in a forfeiture of confidence. Rocky set his goal to go more than three rounds and still be standing at the end. The fight ended in a tie, so he got his wish. Are you in an invisible boxing ring or cage, feeling as though you’re being shuffled around, causing you to get off track and unable to reach your goals, my dear Empathizer communicators? Don’t let anyone, anyhow, anyway toss you into the backseat of your life or throw you out of your communicator car!
ARE YOU AN EMPATHIZER-TALK BOXER?
If you are an Empathizer communicator, these traits will fit you like a hand in a boxing glove:
• You tell the truth and listen more than talk, to really know what’s really going on.
• You dislike, “I know best…” or “I’m right and you’re wrong…” extremism.
• You care about people, not just about their money, so you can sleep at night.
• You may not have book-smarts, but you do have street-smarts. Unlike many people, you actually learn from life.
• You are able to predict which strategies will fly or fail, based on your uncanny ability to look into your crystal ball and see the future.
• An Achilles heel for you, however, is that you get your knuckles bloodied, trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.
• You are able to command great respect and loyalty, not only because you put your customers’ needs first, but also because you genuinely care about their satisfaction as well as their frustration, over the long haul on the two-way communication highway.
• You have uncanny relationship savvy.
• You are opposed to doing more of what isn’t working.
• You have irreplaceable wisdom, earned through painful experiences.
• Although humble, you do know best.
• You are a role model for how to get along with anyone.
• You tend to stay loyal to people who aren’t being loyal to you, to the company, or to the project.
What about the communicator type of Apollo Creed? Where does he fit into the scheme of things…? Stay tuned for the next round of good communication in the Friday Talk News.
ABOUT “TALK DOC” DENNIS E. O’GRADY, PSY.D.
Dr. Dennis O’Grady is the new Talk Doc in town, a corporate consultant, team trainer, and the insightful, original developer and researcher of the Talk to Me© positive and effective communication system. T2Me has been successfully implemented in multi-generational family companies and couples communication training.