November 17, 2011
Ever seen HBO's series Sex and the City? Those four women are archetypes for the personality styles first identified by the ancient Greeks.
The search to understand others has existed since the beginning of time. Why? Because we have noticed certain types of people are easy to deal with and others just, well, aren't.
Have you had that exasperating moment when you were trying to train someone and you finally said, "I just don't know how to reach them!"
Or maybe you had a boss that just got under your skin nitpicking everything you did?
Years ago I learned the power of knowing my own personality style, and I've found it helpful to not only manage employees better, but also advance my retail sales training and consulting programs.
No matter what your business, you should know which of the four personality styles best represent you. Once you know that you will be able to understand:
- What ticks you off is as much your fault as the other person's and why.
- Which personalities you'll feel comfortable with-and which ones you probably won't hire.
- Which personality style you could most use help from.
No, it's not scientific because ultimately it is a self-test - you'll be the one saying its right or wrong. But I've found couples understanding their relationships better, business owners clarifying their understanding of the opportunities to grow their business and employees able to sell to all four types by becoming a chameleon.
So what do you have to lose?
Take the personality quiz and you'll be presented with additional information about the Driver, the Analytical, the Expressive and the Amiable.
Great point to make sure to share with the rest of the crew so they all understand how to talk to each other.
Bob, did you have me in mind when you wrote this post? I'm a huge Sex & the City fan, so I was thrilled to see my four ladies featured. It's interesting and true that the more you know yourself, the better leader, manager, partner, co-worker, employee you'll be. Knowing your strengths and weaknesses allows you to bring in people that complement you and help you understand how to best settle conflict. Every team should do a personality assessment of some kind and share the results, so that everyone knows the best ways to work with each other. Well done, as always!
-Heather