High performers Marketing Teams

How to Identify Advantages in the Workplace

In the workplace, you will either succeed or fail based on your ability to communicate with confidence.

If you succeed, your words will motivate and inspire action from others.

If you fail, your message could be ignored or rejected.

There are seven different ways you can communicate. Seven ways to earn respect, build trust, and inspire action. When you speak using your primary Advantage, you’re communicating in the way that comes most naturally to you. This isn’t about trying harder, it’s about leaning into how you’re already wired to connect and lead.

Your primary and secondary Advantages are the ones you’ll use most naturally, but your personality is a mix of all seven. Each one influences how you build relationships, lead teams, pitch ideas, and close deals.

Here’s how they break down:

INNOVATION speaks the language of creativity.

PASSION speaks the language of relationships.

POWER speaks the language of confidence.

PRESTIGE speaks the language of excellence.

TRUST speaks the language of stability.

MYSTIQUE speaks the language of listening.

ALERT speaks the language of details.

There’s no one right way to communicate.

In our research with over a million professionals, we’ve found that the highest-performing teams are balanced teams. When everyone communicates the same way, blind spots grow. But when a team brings together a variety of Advantages, collaboration improves and results follow.

Depending on the situation and audience, you may turn to different team members to persuade, pitch, or problem-solve. Knowing how each person communicates helps you assign roles more effectively and avoid friction in your workflow.

Understanding your clients’ and coworkers’ communication styles can be the difference between a deal that lands and one that fizzles.

Curious how these styles show up in real conversations?

Here’s how each Advantage might sound in action:

Someone with high INNOVATION may find a creative way to present. They don’t deliver a standard line, and might even try a new approach each time. They’ll grab your attention with something unexpected, like an offbeat idea, a surprising metaphor, or a bold reframe that changes how you see the problem.

A PASSION personality may say, “I am very emotionally invested in this, you’ll have my personal involvement every step of the way.” They might use body language to emphasize their point and inspire us.

A person high in POWER may come in with authority and give their opinion directly, quickly driving their listener to make a decision. This is the quintessential closer, a sales manager who tells you why you need this and where to sign. They’ll have a lot of energy and will focus on getting the deal done.

Those with high PRESTIGE may explain why something is going to be improved with their input. Prestige closes by clarifying the future benefit of working together and how this will advance them toward their goal.

A person with high TRUST may say, “You’ve always worked with me, so let’s continue. We have a successful history together. Why risk losing that?”

Someone with the MYSTIQUE may be more subtle. They won’t employ a hard sell and they’re not going to push somebody into something they don’t want. They’ll earn that interest over time by delivering useful information.

Those who score high in ALERT may say, “If you don’t pay attention to this, here’s what could happen that could be negative.” They use statistics and consequences to create urgency and drive action.

Every Advantage has a distinct way of persuading others.

Some drive action with emotion. Others with logic. Some with authority. When you know how each person communicates best, you can shape conversations that actually land.