The Behavior Reader | DKA Toolkit

Someone at work does something that makes no sense to you. The first explanation you reach for is the person: lazy, difficult, not committed. That explanation is usually wrong, and even when it is partly right you cannot act on it.

The Behavior Reader is built on Duane K. Andrews's course How to Read Why People Do What They Do at Work. It helps you read behavior as an equation and read it backward: which way the act traveled, what would make it make sense, how often it happens, what the room is doing, and the person last.

◆ Name the act in a sentence the other person would sign, before you put a label on it
◆ Map the vector first: whether the act traveled down, across or up the org chart, and who else saw it
◆ Ask the quick question: what would make this make sense
◆ Count it, so you can tell a one-off from a pattern before you respond
◆ Move the room: the calendar, the incentive, the audience or the unwritten rule
◆ Read the person last, as a snapshot and not a verdict, and check your own lens first

Paired assessment: Emotional Intelligence Index

Unlock Full Access: $147

Already purchased? Enter your access code

Invalid access code. Please try again.

Have a membership? Sign in with your email

The Behavior Reader is a professional leadership tool built on the frameworks of Duane K. Andrews, MBA. Please acknowledge the following before proceeding.

I understand this is a leadership strategy tool, not therapy, counseling, or legal advice. Duane K. Andrews is an Organization Effectiveness Consultant and Executive Coach, not a therapist or attorney.

I understand that my conversations are used to generate AI responses within this session only. No conversation data is stored or retained after the session ends.

I understand this tool provides strategy and frameworks, not guarantees. Every workplace situation is unique and results depend on many factors beyond any single conversation.

I am using this tool voluntarily to develop my professional capabilities and I take responsibility for how I apply what I learn here in my actual workplace.

The Behavior Reader

Someone at work did something you cannot explain, and the easy answer is already in your head: lazy, difficult, not a team player. That answer feels like a read. It is a label, and a label freezes the conversation before it starts.

Behavior is a function. Before we talk about who this person is, we read which way the act traveled, how often it happens, and what in the room is turning it up.

I am The Behavior Reader. Tell me what the person actually did, in words they would agree with, and when it started.

The Behavior Reader

Where do you want to start?