SOCIAL STYLE

Does SOCIAL STYLE Affect Political Success

by Casey M. on Wednesday, August 17, 2011 4:08:36 PM MST

A debate is brewing among the TRACOM SOCIAL STYLE LinkedIn Group.  Does SOCIAL STYLE and Versatility affect political success?  As one commenter said: 

"Was Al Gore 'too Analytical', or did he just fail to connect with the last .003% of votors because he wasn't versatile enough? Was Reagan the teflon president because he was in part so versatile? Probably."

People who are strongly committed to a political party are less likely to be influenced by a candidate’s Style since they’ve made their voting decision before a candidate is even named or nominated. It’s known that people make very fast judgments about candidates, so elements of Versatility are likely to be important for politicians, above and beyond their natural Styles.  

Visit or join our LinkedIn Group to read more on this topic or share your thoughts. 

Sean E. 1 (posts) Wednesday, August 17, 2011 4:37:04 PM MST

I wonder how the "second-hand" nature of political discussion relates to this. We often hear about or read about politicians and candidates in the newspaper or from friends/colleagues without actually observing the person ourself. So we don't necessarily have an opportunity to assess Style and Versatility first-hand. This is particularly true early in campaigns where we may be unfamiliar with many of the candidates.

John M. 3 (posts) Wednesday, August 17, 2011 4:38:07 PM MST

Great question and one that will be of growing interest in the coming year as we approach the 2012 elections. David Merrill and I discussed this very issue in the late 80's and we both were of the opinion that Versatility carries a greater weight than SOCIAL STYLE. David actually had profiles completed on candidates and it was the Versatility scores that were more predictive of success in the election. Candidates who connect positively with the various constituencies they encounter do so because they have developed their skills at knowing others and then engaging in behaviors that "do something for others" in terms of meeting their style needs.