The title is lifted from a famous quote by the renowned social philosopher (and blues icon) McKinley Morganfield.  Mr. Morganfield, also known as Muddy Waters, was repeating the sentiment written by Preston Foster back in 1956 in the famous blues song, “Got My Mojo Working”.  When I think of “mojo”, I think of that mysterious “kavorka” that each of us use to connect with other people.  (Writers note:  I really enjoy using words like “mojo” and “kavorka” just to stump my spell check software.)  Every single one of us have had those moments when we feel like we have our “mojo” working when talking with another person, and other times we experience that frustrating feeling of that same “mojo” not working on someone else.  In our personal lives that experience is at the very least irritating.  Professionally, it can be devastating.

I think of “mojo” as the ability to build rapport with another person.  Whether applied to customer service, selling, negotiation or networking, the notion of building rapport is one of the most valuable components of establishing effective relationships.  Those individuals who master the art of rapport often excel in each and all of these critical business communication scenarios.  Sometimes, establishing rapport with another professional or client seems to occur naturally (“I got my mojo working”).  On occasion we meet someone and within a few minutes we are connected like two old friends.  Unfortunately, it is just as common to meet someone and experience nearly the opposite; an initial “clunkiness” that can potentially damage any chance for a long term and successful relationship (“But it just don’t work on you”).  Our ability to maximize the former scenario and minimize the latter has a huge impact on our success as professionals.

When considering the communication styles of individuals, it his helpful to understand the work of Carl Jung – the influential psychologist and mojo purveyor par excellence.  The song – and the sentiment – reflected in the title could be seen as an ode to Carl Jung and his contributions to analytical psychology.  Carl, upon researching the concept of interactive style written about throughout modern history (Aristotle, Plato and Socrates pondered endlessly on this issue), identified archetypes:  common and diverse approaches to perceiving our environment that influence how we communicate.  Diverse approaches to perceiving experiences are called schemas.   Keeping it simple – something Carl rarely did – individuals use one of four distinct interactive style preferences when communicating, and these style preferences have a huge impact on rapport.  If your style matches the style of the person with whom you are conversing, then the two of you are more likely to develop rapport.  If your style is extremely different from the other person, well…your mojo ain’t working, so to speak.

The four iconic interactive styles are:  Romantic, Warrior, Mastermind and Expert.  Carl Jung had other names; more clinical and less entertaining.  If I were penning this article for Psychology Today, I might (MIGHT) use Carl’s term, but the reader of this article is likely far more interested in practical applications than clinical titles.  So, for our purposes today, we’ll stick with the more whimsical names.  Quoting a blues song in the title of an article about human interaction should have been your first clue that I am not clinical by nature.

Each of these four styles perceives the world through a filter (schema) that is quite different.  As a result, the ways they communicate and build rapport are significantly different.  Developing an ability to identify each style’s unique behavioral cues and adjusting quickly to their style is the cornerstone to developing effective leadership, selling, and customer service related relationships.

In part two, we will explore these four unique schemas in more detail.  You’ll learn more about yourself, and others, and how to get your mojo working…on everyone!