In a work environment, relationships can be strengthened by building deeper and more meaningful connections. Personality profiling, when embraced for what it truly is, becomes a highly useful tool for understanding oneself and navigating relationships with those you manage.
Understanding Different Personalities
At home, I live with a personality type that’s rules-driven, resistant to change, and a perfectionist. I’m referring to my dog, and over time, I’ve learned to handle his quirks—like avoiding walks in the rain—to get along better.
This example illustrates how different personality types interact, not only in personal relationships but also in professional settings. We’ve all experienced breakdowns in communication at work, misunderstandings, and strained collaborations. Navigating these challenges isn’t easy.
The Power of Personality Profiling
Enter personality profiling, also known as psychometric testing. You might recognise common ones like Myers-Briggs or DISC. However, scepticism often surrounds personality profiling due to misconceptions. It’s essential to remember that profiling reveals preferences, not rigid judgments. These preferences can change based on life experiences and vary across situations.
For managers, personality profiling is a valuable tool. It helps us better care for and engage our teams, fostering a stronger company culture. By understanding personality types, we can anticipate future interactions, develop formulas for difficult conversations, act with confidence, and enhance overall effectiveness. Externally, it’s also beneficial for improving client management.
A Brief History
Psychometric testing dates back 4000 years when the Chinese Emperor used it for recruiting defence forces. Ancient Rome also employed similar methods. In 1879, psychologist Wilhelm Wundt revived personality profiling. Remarkably, despite technological advances, the core principles remain consistent.
When I first encountered the Myers-Briggs system, I carried a book around for a week. To simplify matters, our system at Libby O categorises personalities as North, South, East, or West (or combinations thereof). We don’t need to delve into the science or memorise extensive information. Our goal is workplace improvement, not turning everyone into psychologists.
Facets of Personality
Understanding your personality involves considering different facets:
- Projection: What you want others to believe about you.
- Self-image: Your own perception of yourself.
- Pressure: How you behave under stress—revealing both your best and worst sides. It’s like seeing a teacher outside of school and realising they’re a different person.
Understanding Different Personality Types
- Northies
Northies are decisive risk-takers who thrive on quick thinking, results-driven approaches, and thick skin. They’re naturally suited for leadership and management positions. However, they can also be competitive, lacking self-reflection, and sometimes blunt.- Influence them by appealing to their competitive side.
- Provide feedback—they assimilate it well due to their thick skin.
- When they’re in business mode, speak their language.
- Easties
Confident, friendly, and high-energy, Easties excel at multitasking and naturally influence others. On the flip side, they may overlook details, fall prey to “shiny object syndrome” (chasing new ideas), and struggle with giving constructive feedback. Easties shine in change management and training roles, especially those involving stakeholder management.- Assign lots of tasks but keep them short and sharp.
- Hold them accountable to details.
- Let them work in groups.
- Offer plenty of positive feedback.
- Southies
Southies are the natural helpers, always asking, “How can we fix this?” They exhibit self-control, predictability, and patience. Excellent with people, they thrive in “caring” roles and customer service, always eager to assist clients. However, they can also be critical, emotional, and status-seeking.- Consult with them frequently.
- Show how decisions benefit their staff or clients.
- Keep interactions friendly and professional.
- Westies
Thinkers and processors, Westies operate systematically and often possess charm. However, negative traits include perfectionism, stubbornness, and difficulty adapting to change. Westies frequently fill roles like accountants, auditors, and engineers.- Maintain professionalism and back discussions with facts.
- Don’t leave them alone when leading projects.
Now you have a deeper understanding of what is personality profiling, try assigning these types to yourself, you co-workers, relatives and friends. Or why not try it on your dog?
Soon, you will begin to see that with some deeper understanding of where others are coming from, your own communication and relationships improve out of sight.
More Info
If you’d like to learn more about personality profiling and how it forms part of our manager training courses, then why not have a nosey around our website, or chat to me? You can also read more on the subject here.
