Your personality is more than just
the way you act. It affects the way you do your job and how you interact with
other people. Understanding your personality will help you do your job better,
and understanding the personalities of your coworkers and managers will help,
too.
So, what type of personality do
you have? How about your boss and colleagues?
Introversion and extroversion are
the two main types of personalities, and you can tell which you are right away:
Introverts get their energy from internal sources—reflection, lots of time
alone. Introverts don’t want external stimulus. Extroverts are the opposite; they
get their energy from the outside world. The more time extroverts spend with
people the more energy they get.
So, an extrovert in a small, quiet
office may feel out of place and not be their best self. Extroverts are going
to do best when they are in energetic, open settings. They like working in
teams, they like dialogue and interaction. Introverts are the opposite. They are not
going to like open offices, and they prefer to work alone. Teleworking is great
for introverts.
Of course, these are not absolutes.
For example, there are lots of extroverts who do not like to work on teams and
there are lots of introverts who do. Just because someone is an introvert
doesn’t mean they are antisocial.
Most people are a combination of
the two, but it is important to understand and appreciate people’s personality
preferences. If coworkers don’t understand your personality preferences (and
vice versa) your work life may not be as pleasant as possible. For example,
extroverts may be bubbly and happy to interact with people while an introvert
may prefer to keep to himself. So don’t take it personally if an introverted
coworker doesn’t pop over to your desk and ask about your weekend.
If you know James in an introvert
the fact that he doesn’t say hello every morning is probably more a function of
him being in his own head rather than him not liking you. Similarly, just
because an extrovert talks a lot doesn’t necessarily mean she wants attention; she most likely just wants to connect. Remember, people come at their personality traits as honestly
as you do, so don’t be judgy. Separate the intent from the impact. Respect the
differences.
Now, America loves extroverts.
Seventy-one percent of America’s leaders type as extroverts, even if they are
not, because they have learned and adapted some of the extrovert’s skill sets,
so I always tell introverts to up their game. In the American workplace, extroversion
is highly valued, and if you are a leader it is expected.
In order to connect with people
you need to be extroverted. You can’t stay in your head and lead or manage. I also
counsel extroverts to leave some space for the introvert. Count to five after
you finish a sentence; give them a chance to respond. Introverts think first and then speak, while extroverts tend to speak and think at the same time. If you
are an extrovert and you are speaking, an introvert may assume you’ve already
made up your mind because an introvert probably won’t
speak until she had made up her mind.
If you are an extrovert, you may
need to cool it a little. Give other people a chance to speak. When you are
talking, ask yourself, why am I talking? Learn to be OK with silence.
If you are an introvert learn to jump in sooner. If you wait for your thoughts to be perfect your moment may have passed by.
Don’t wait.
If you are a leader it is
especially important to understand the personalities on your team. You need to
be an ambivert, someone who can display and understand both introversion and
extroversion. For example, if you are in a meeting, your job is to ensure that
the extroverts don’t take over and that the introverts are encouraged to
participate.
(For more info on extroverted leaders, read this: http://careerstonegroup.blogspot.com/2014/03/extroverted-leaders-7-tips-for-success.html)
(For more info on introverted leaders, read this: http://careerstonegroup.blogspot.com/2014/03/introverted-leaders-7-tips-for-success.html)
(For more info on extroverted leaders, read this: http://careerstonegroup.blogspot.com/2014/03/extroverted-leaders-7-tips-for-success.html)
(For more info on introverted leaders, read this: http://careerstonegroup.blogspot.com/2014/03/introverted-leaders-7-tips-for-success.html)
Your personality is your operating
system. Understand your personality preference so you can tell if it’s working
against you or for you. At the end of the day, it’s your operating system not
your program, so you can change it. And know your colleagues so you can work better
together.
Good luck!
To watch my TV segment on personalities
with ABC 7’s Bruce DePuyt, click here: http://bit.ly/1HFHXVw
Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/maryabbajay
To watch my “Workplace Guru” TV segments, please visit my
media page: http://www.careerstonegroup.com/media.html
For more information on Careerstone, please visit my
website: http://www.careerstonegroup.com
