As we continue with our self-awareness and wellbeing theme, in this blog we’re going to touch on personality types to help you learn more about your personality and its traits in the workplace.
How you like your coffee is a preference, you might enjoy a flat white, a latte, or the kick of espresso. In a similar vein, the kind of people you enjoy spending time with, in and out of work is down to an internal preference, not based on taste or the amount of frothy milk, but a deeper understanding and meeting of minds – often on an unconscious level. So why is it that you can communicate better with Mike in the IT department than you do with Sarah in Marketing? It’s often down to personality type.
Personality Type Measuring tools:
There are many different models of personality and personality measurement tools available. This blog does not seek to outline every model of personality type available, it aims to make you more aware of personality types to provoke further reading. Personality measurement tools are often used in organisations to gain an insight into the behaviours of job candidates through a recruitment process or, to enable development planning as part of a program of management development. So how can understanding your personality type enhance your career development prospects?
We’re going to start with an overview of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), based on Carl Jung’s theory of personality types. This is a relatively simple model that encourages us to look at people who are different from ourselves with interest, rather than with judgement. We will go on to look at the four main behavioural styles in extreme simplification so you can establish which one you relate to the most.
Before we begin, it is important to stress, that your personality is far more complex than any personality profile can reveal. Going through a test process will indicate your preferred behaviours, and should be considered in context of your work and personal life. Furthermore, understanding yourself does not only come from your own perspectives of yourself. Feedback and interpretation of our behaviours and actions from others is an extremely valuable part of our self-awareness.
What is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
The 16 personality types of the MBTI were developed to make the insights of type theory accessible to individuals and groups. Testers are grouped into 16 “types” based on their answers to a range of questions designed to assess behaviour and modes of thinking. The test allows respondents to further explore and understand their personalities including their likes, dislikes, strengths, weaknesses as well as compatibility with other people.
There are four main categories to the MBTI:
Introversion/Extraversion
Sensing/Intuition
Thinking/Feeling
Judging/Perceiving.
Each person is said to have one preferred quality from each category, producing 16 unique types.
The MBTI has its critics, as do most types of personality measurements, here at Leap Like A Salmon we believe it’s important to get to know your personality type in some capacity whether that’s through an official MBTI test or other means. Understanding your core personality traits as well as those of the people you are close to is helpful when forming personal and professional relationships and could help you in challenging situations you maybe faced with. Also by having insight on their preferences will help you to understand people’s needs you can then better respond to their demands and build stronger partnerships. We all have weaknesses (yes, we really do!), understanding yours and those around you will mean you’re kinder to yourself and can accept where and when you might need assistance.
To learn more about MBTI and to take the official test, head this way.
The four main behavioural styles
We all have a particular behaviour style and establishing which camp you sit in will help you figure out why you get on with certain people better than others. Below is a brief outline of the four main behaviour styles:
The Driver:
Results-focused and rooted in the present, drivers love action, to put it simply, they get stuff done in an independent and practical manner. On the flip side, they can be harsh on themselves and those around them when under pressure, and sometimes they will stop at nothing to get a project over the line.
Communication with other styles:
Drivers work well with Analyticals – when they’re both working towards the same goals, they’ll complete the work required of them in no time.
The Expressive:
On a hunt for the bigger picture, Expressives are future-orientated, intuitive, and creative. If you have an ambitious project that’s slightly off-the-wall and you need it pulling together an Expressive person is the one you want. They can be manipulating, undisciplined, and egotistical when pushed.
Communication with other styles:
Expressives work well with Amiables who form a willing audience for their sometimes out-there ideas.
The Amiable:
People orientated, considerate and empathetic, they are the warm and welcoming people in the world. They have their opinions but prefer to know the opinions of others and are strong when it comes to understanding relationships. However when under pressure, they can cave, become awkward and unsure of their actions.
Communication with other styles:
Amiable people get on well with Expressives thanks to both being interested in people and exploring their emotions.
The Analytical:
The perfectionists of the world. It’s fair to say Analytical people are often right because they give matters time, reflection, and rational consideration before expressing their opinion. Sometimes this reflection and cautiousness is a barrier to success, especially when put under pressure for a decision.
Communication with other styles:
A Driver is an Analytical person’s best friend, they can help them get work tasks done. They might not get on so well with an Expressive due to their risk-averse nature.
We hope this blog has been helpful in serving as an introduction to the different personality types and that, on a basic level, it helps you figure out your behavioural style to understand how you react in certain situations. If this has got you thinking and you’d like to know more about your personality type or receive further training check out our events page for more information on how Leap Like A Salmon could help you.
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