Personality Profiling: Unlocking YOUR Super Powers
Picture a world where you go into a meeting or interaction and heads are nodding because your message is getting through....that you have met the audience needs...they understand the mission and they want to work with YOU! Where you are listening...learning and embracing the ideas of others to make the solution better and ensuring greater success. That world is possible....it just takes some self reflection...personal change and understanding of others which will ultimately unlock YOUR superpowers!
A Story
The first personality profile I did was in 2004 (LSI). There was a group of us that did it as part of our leadership development and many of us were skeptical about the value we would get out of it. We didn't need to change...everyone else just needed to understand us better. Like the Simon and Garfunkel song says "A man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest"*
No surprise many of the skeptics fell to the wayside. While the information was interesting...it would take some work to actually do something with it. I put on my big girl pants and made a conscious decision to start the journey and continue on. It didn't mean I liked all that I heard...it just meant I knew more about who I was...good...bad or indifferent. I viewed it a lot like a wellness check with your doctor. You may not want to hear that you are over weight...need to change your diet because you are low on iron or get more exercise. You can chose to ignore it but you will continue to find that your clothes don't fit...you are tired more often than you would like and you are winded climbing stairs. It is something to point you in the right direction and affect change....if you chose to focus on it.
How to Get Started
DO a personality profile assessment! The instrument doesn't matter (About 13% of companies use personality tests so I recommend using whatever your company uses). YOU can't embrace your super powers or be aware of your kryptonite until YOU do
Make Personality Profiling a Team Building Event. It's good to know who YOU are but it's even better to know who THEY are
Interact...communicate...question...to meet THEIR needs NOT YOURs! Once YOU start to be self aware of who YOU are and how others think... YOU can change YOUR approach to maximize YOUR impact on others (talk numbers with numbers people, talk empathy to people people)
Mind the gap. Once YOU know who YOU are and who THEY are...it starts to become obvious that you have gaps or concentration of personality types on the team. In order to be successful...ideally there is a colorful diversity of traits across the group. Fill those in if you can...you all need each other
Use the power wisely. Over the years I have found sharing personality types and talking about them is a very powerful way to disarm potentially challenging relationships or situations. It can also create shared understanding on why you drive each other crazy and why YOU need each other. Come to agreement on HOW you BOTH will use this information in moments where things can get heated to diffuse the situation and turn it into something productive
Here's A Bit About ME
While there is a lot of data and information that personality profiling instruments can give YOU....there is typically a common theme among them. It will not only indicate your strongest traits...it will also tell YOU who YOU are under "normal" circumstances....who YOU are Under Pressure...how others can work best with YOU.
For example....this week we reviewed our leadership team across the business and our IT colleagues. The instrument we used was HBDI . Even though I have done LSI, DISC, Myers-Briggs, and PI over the the years they all ring true to the core of my personality.
It was a great reminder of....
My Profile vs My Profile Under Pressure. As you can see from the graph...the solid line is who I am "day to day" and the dotted line is who I am under pressure. That wasn't always the case. Early in my career I was influential or relational "day to day" and very dominate or commanding under pressure. You can only imagine what a roller coaster ride that was for people around me....especially if THEY didn't see or feel the pressure too. This is something I am aware of and I have worked on so if "I feel I am under pressure" I pay specific attention...and take steps to become even more relational so I can take others with me
I'm Light on Details. I also recognize that even though I appreciate others attention to details and recognize the need for them....under pressure that becomes even less important to me. I need high level information...I need to know how this fits into the overall picture...and I need to know WHO we are involving and what we need to do to ensure they understand and are on-board to do it. I always find it amusing that I chose engineering as my degree but I think it was just what I needed. It forced me to become appreciative of details and numbers as well as someone who can do it themselves. I can create a plan...run a spreadsheet and analyze data....I just have to force myself into the chair and carve out time to do it. I don't always like it but I am always glad I did
Win Hearts and Minds. Our facilitator, Paul Gustavson, put on a master class on how we can leverage the 4 Quadrants to win others over. If we take the time to craft our communication to resonate with all personality types we can avoid a lot of frustration, fear, uncertainty and doubt. As he reminded us...the best way to increase the chance that your message will be remembered is to use a story, metaphor or associate it with music.
In Closing...
If you find yourself getting frustrated with someone else I hope YOU will pause...smile...and reflect on who YOU are in juxtaposition to THEM.
Engage in a conversation about YOUR superpowers and how to get the best out of YOU and hopefully they will share in kind. For example; have a conversation with your boss about ways you can add value to the team leveraging your personality strengths
Be OPEN to accepting their help to adjust YOUR style to meet them and offer help in return
Treat YOURSELF and others with kindness. We all mean well...we all work hard...we all want to be successful...we just see the world differently and bring different perspectives to the party
Engage with an Executive Coach if you can. No different than getting a personal trainer at the gym, an executive coach can give you exercises...support and motivation to ensure you meet your goals
When in doubt....tell a story or find a metaphor!
Leadership Questions of the Week for YOU:
Are you skeptical about personality profiling? Is it more voodoo or do you view it like an annual wellness check where you can find out what you need to do differently for personal improvement?
Have YOU done a personality profile assessment? If so, what did you learn?
What instrument(s) have you used and what advice would you give someone else about it?
What metaphor or story do YOU have around why personality profiling can make a difference? Conversely, do you have a metaphor, story or data around why they don't work or aren't worth your time?
Do YOU agree that personality profiling can unlock YOUR super powers for success?
Thanks for reading….and remember…YOU make a difference!
Please continue the conversation by liking…commenting or sharing this article. You can also follow me on twitter @marciedwhite or LinkedIn
*credit goes to Paul Gustavson for the reminder of this song in our workshop. I also believe that even though the line says "man" that it applies to everyone!
