Figuring out your optimal career environment
When choosing the right company for you, it really does take two to tango
For those that know dance, the tango is a ‘apasionada’ dance between two people. But what if both people, who are equally good dancers, are just out of sync? Agreed, it is definitely hard to look at, but who is actually to blame? As the saying goes, ‘it takes two to tango!’
Now, I want to use this analogy in a different context. Let’s say the dance partners are a company and an employee, and they both have different values. Or, they don’t even know what their values are! Is this a situation you are familiar with?
Find out your workstyle and figure out which company will help you flourish
As Sjiva De Meester can confirm, you are not alone. Sjiva is the Founder & Director of 9 Yards Innovation, a boutique consulting firm based in Singapore. She is also the pioneer of 2 2 Tango (say it out loud), which is a brilliant test that helps people figure out their workstyle and give them direction on the types of companies that will help them flourish! All you need to get started is your LinkedIn Profile, resume and 5 minutes to choose certain characteristics important to you.
Before meeting Sjiva, I decided to take the 22Tango Test myself. After inputting in the above details, it whipped out my results and I was pleasantly surprised how accurate it was. The three top characteristics were ‘Discipline, Standards and Structure’. Wow, that’s all the proof I needed to start loosening up a bit!
I loved the algorithm that used the results to highlight my strengths, weaknesses and some advice on how to use or improve them.
But, the most valuable feature for me were the tips on how to boost my resume with a recruiter eye in mind. Also, because it is connected to my LinkedIn it keeps my results. I’m extremely interested to see how I compare when I take the test next year.
What happens when you have a mismatch between your values and an organisation?
As a matter of fact, Sjiva kicked-off 22Tango because of her husband. “One day I noticed that my husband was less motivated to go work” she explains. “He was in bed longer and did not seem to enjoy his time at work anymore. Whilst he had the skills to do the job well, his work environment had values much different to his. The organisation was more concerned about stability, following rules and running a well-oiled machine, while my husband wanted to do something new and innovative, and achieve results fast!”
Sjiva points out that “this is an example of a fundamental mismatch in values that affected him despite being qualified for the job. He then changed jobs to a more entrepreneurial yet collaborative company where he was able to do ‘new’ and ‘innovative’ things”
These reflections sent Sjiva on a mission to create a tool that could potentially use culture as the driving force of matching candidates with companies and vice versa.
“When you align the individual and company’s values:
- employees will be more productive and satisfied, and
- companies tend to achieve better results.
That being said, a company also need to consider their workstyle diversity, especially when innovation is key”.
So, whether it is you or the company creating a scene on the dance floor, take the 22Tango Test, to get you on your way to finding that ‘perfect’ partner.
