PERSONALITY THEORY

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PERSONALITY THEORY

• A SEQUUS PRESENTATION

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Personality Consulting

• Why learn about personality?
• Consulting on the left, managing on the right
• Communications issues parallel vs. complement
• Writing, listening, learning, presenting, time
  management, dealing with data etc. At each step
  in process...

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Why learn about personality?

• Leadership
• motivation
• teams
• conflict
• sales
• communications
• decision-making

• Influence
• assigning work
• recruiting and selecting
• etc.

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Some Origins..

• Carl Jung
• Paul Mok
• Myers Briggs
• Michael Maccoby Why work
• and a host of other spin-offs including...
• Nisberg, Reimer, Trump (Dumas, Terkel)

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4 Classic Personality types

• Thinker
• Doer
• Feeler
• Intuitor
• plus the SELF-DEVELOPER

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Introversion Extroversion

• Thinker Introvert/Extrovert
• Doer Introvert/Extrovert
• Feeler Introvert/Extrovert
• Intuitor Introvert/Extrovert
• plus the SELF-DEVELOPER

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Stress/Non-Stress

• Thinker Stress/Non-Stress
• Doer Stress/Non-Stress
• Feeler Stress/Non-Stress
• IntuitorStress/Non-Stress

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What do we know about each type?

• Basic description
• Time orientation
• at best, at worst
• how to spot quickly
• what they like from work
• what kind of leader they prefer

• What kind of leader /consultant they make
• how to influence them
• what they think of the other types
• sources of conflict
• and more...

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INTUITOR also ARTIST, INNOVATOR etc.

• CREATIVE
• VISIONARY
• ABSTRACT
• CONCEPTUAL
• TIME FUTURE-FOCUSSED
• not concerned about details
• needs to understand big picture
• Why? Why not?

I approach my work as an innovator who knows how
to play the game. I want to make organization
more successful.
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Intuitor

• Effective
• ideological
• conceptual
• creative
• broad
• insightful
• sees relationships
• intellectually persistent
• innovative

• Ineffective
• wordy
• too abstract
• unrealistic
• pie in the sky
• out of touch
• vague
• unstructured
• hard to pin down

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How to spot an intuitor...

• Office
• messy, books, modern, abstracts
• Dress
• introverts not conscious, extroverts avant
  garde
• Reading
• philosophy, theory, new, science fiction

• Hobbies Recreation
• creative, arts, music, new, complex
• Verbal Comunication
• pedantic, broad, jumps, poor listener,
  self-centered
• Body language
• reflective, sometimes dynamic

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Helping an Intuitor to decide..

• OVERALL IMPLICATIONS
• BIG PICTURE
• WATCH OUT FOR DETAILS

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What does INTUITOR want from work?

• Opportunities to explore, invent, experiment,
  play and make change
• value freedom, flexibility, fun
• get committed, work becomes life
• want smart leaders who let them do their thing
• dont like bureaucracies

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INTUITOR as Leaders

• Charismatic visionaries
• Inspire others with enthusiasm
• create new organization structures
• often seen as egotists, manipulators and dreamers
  with low tolerance for those who dont buy-in

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INTUITOR as Consultants

• Can be leaders in theory and application
• Can inspire others with enthusiasm
• create new solutions to old problems
• often seen as pie in the sky, dreamers who are
  out of touch with the realities of everyday life.

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THINKER also Judge, Expert, etc.

• LOGICAL
• RATIONAL
• STRUCTURED
• ORGANIZED
• TIME PAST-PRESENT-FUTURE
• Needs time to decide
• Needs lots of data options
• Cautious, conservative, what if, yes but,

I approach my work as an expert. I want to
provide high quality work and exercise my skill
and competence
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thinker

• Effective
• data
• deliberative
• weighs options
• objective
• rational
• precise
• well-organized
• cool under pressure

• Ineffective
• indecisive
• too cautious
• unemotional
• controlling
• slow to decide
• rigid
• dogmatic
• nit-picking

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How to spot a thinker...

• Office
• neat, sterile, technical books, conservative
• Dress
• coordinated, neat, greys blues
• Reading
• how to, technical, detective

• Hobbies Recreation
• woodwork, crafts, puzzles, games, gardening
• Verbal Communication
• precise, logical flow, debates, listens
• Body language
• sits back, counts, expressionless

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Helping a thinker to decide..

• LOTS OF DATA
• LOTS OF OPTIONS
• LOTS OF TIME

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What does the THINKER want from work?

• Opportunities for..
• Independent judgement personal control
• Pay promotion
• Respect a challenge
• A leader with clear goals, high standards, and
  who delegates and leaves them alone.

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THINKER as a Leader

• CONTROLLING
• NIT-PICKERS
• DONT PRAISE EASY
• WANT TO KNOW EVERYTHING
• BUREAUCRATS
• But can learn to set clear goals, delegate,
  follow through and praise.

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THINKER as a Consultant

• CONTROLLING
• JUDGEMENTAL
• EXPERTS
• NEED TO KNOW EVERYTHING
• THOROUGH
• ANALYTICAL

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FEELER also Helper, Facilitator etc.

• WARM, FRIENDLY
• CONCERNED
• COOPERATIVE
• TRADITIONAL
• TIME PAST-FOCUSSED
• slow to make people -decisions
• political
• Who is involved? How do they feel?

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Feeler

• Effective
• people-oriented
• spontaneous
• persuasive
• emphatic
• warm, friendly
• loyal
• politically sensitive
• sensitive to needs

• Ineffective
• too soft
• manipulative
• over-personalizes
• sentimental
• guilt-ridden
• probing
• subjective
• thin-skinned

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How to spot a Feeler...

• Office
• comfortable, personal touches, momentos, colour,
  tradition
• Dress
• casual but appropriate, colour, for impression
• Reading
• people, biography, history, love, psychology

• Hobbies Recreation
• camping, travel, collecting, community, groups
• Verbal Comunication
• spontaneous, funny, listens, name-drops,
• Body language
• active listener, touch, shows emotions

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Helping a Feeler to decide..

• IMPACT ON OTHERS
• WHO ELSE HAS DONE IT?
• LOW THREAT

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What does FEELER want from work

• Good relationships
• see people grow and develop
• be needed and appreciated
• to help others
• be part of a caring team
• Want a leader who cares, listens and helps

Get frustrated if they cant make a difference in
the lives of others
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FEELER as Leader

• Dont want to be boss
• enjoy developing others and building teams
• foster dependency, over-involve and avoid tough
  decisions
• good at politics
• rarely innovate or take risks
• get frustrated trying to humanize bureaucracies

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FEELER as consultant

• GOOD LISTENERS
• ENJOY HELPER ROLE
• AVOID TOUGH CALLS
• GOOD AT POLITICS
• NOT INNOVATORS
• AVOID RISK
• FACILITATOR STYLE DOMINATES

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DOER also Sensor, Defender, Warrior etc.

• PRACTICAL
• ACTION-ORIENTED
• COMPETITIVE
• DECISIVE
• TIME PRESENT-FOCUSSED
• quick to decide
• harried, impatient, Type A
• How? Whats the bottom-line?

I approach my work as a doer. Someone else can
plan it, just leave it with me and it will get
done.
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DOER

• Effective
• action
• practical
• assertive
• objective
• decisive
• skillful
• resourceful
• measurable terms

• Ineffective
• short sighted
• cant handle ideas
• self-seeking
• poor planner
• not trusting
• impulsive
• opinionated
• biased

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How to spot a DOER...

• Office
• cluttered, disorder, action pictures, trophies,
• Dress
• functional, simple, rushed
• Reading
• not much, action, sports, spys, westerns,

• Hobbies Recreation
• active, competitive, gambling, horses,
• Verbal Comunication
• confrontative, fast, poor listeners, pushes in,
• Body language
• impatient, harried, demonstrative, pushy

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Helping a Doer to decide..

• BOTTOM-LINE IMPACT
• RESULTS
• SLOW THEM DOWN

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What does DOER want from work?

• Results, making a difference
• Action, score keeping
• Winning, power
• Money Promotion is a right
• Treated with dignity, be heard
• Want leaders to back them and not play favourites
  or tolerate butt kissers

At their worst they can be divisive bullies.
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DOER as LEADER

• Like to be boss
• Effective fighters against system
• build protect loyal teams
• succeed in low-trust situations
• support loyal incompetents
• tough, demand openness

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DOER as CONSULTANT

• Rarely become consultants
• Need a cause
• Call a spade a spade
• Defenders of standards, morals, rules
• Competitiveness can build a business
• Can be good coaches

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SELF-DEVELOPER an emerging type?

• Work is a means to a self-fulfilling life
• work is building a resume
• want new learning, growth and development
• want money to become independent
• natural team players but want a unique role
• want leaders to lead

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SELF-DEVELOPER as Leader

• Dont want to be the manager
• want to be equals with other adults
• not threatened by staff who know more
• like meetings, teams and fun
• not very caring, not judgmental, seen as
  self-serving, uncommitted

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PERSONALITY in TEAMS

• How will each type deal with
• agendas
• conflict
• decisions
• timetables
• new information
• new members
• leadership