“He has a personality!” - The concept of personality in the world of work
Posted: Thu Dec 26, 2024 4:23 am
Have you ever been surprised, or even bothered, by a colleague's behavior/reaction, because it was very different from what you would have done in the same situation?
Have you ever wished you were more like someone you know, in a certain way?
Do you know why recruiters ask "strange" questions in interviews?
All these situations have their origins in the concept of personality , the jamaica whatsapp number database of which, since the end of the 19th century, has sought to explain why, when faced with the same situation/stimulus, different people have such different behaviors/responses.
There are several theories that attempt to explain these differences. I highlight the 2 most robust/studied:
Psychometric -> Each person has stable and quantifiable personality traits that, in interaction with the situation, generate a certain behavior.
Cognitive -> Our mind is a "computer" and our behavioral differences are the output of the processing of several inputs :
i) information coming from outside,
ii) memories (good or bad),
iii) cognitive schemes.
Cognitive schemes are mental associations that we make automatically and often unconsciously, which reduce the enormous amount of external information to a manageable quantity for us. But there is a problem… We oversimplify and have cognitive distortions , such as generalization (extrapolating an isolated situation), or dichotomous thinking (all or nothing).
No theory is, in itself, sufficient to explain the complexity of our behavioral differences, but there are fundamental aspects on which there is scientific consensus:
· Each person has behavioral predispositions (predispositions, not sentences!), which result from the combination of their genetic inheritance, education and experiences;
· The combination of our characteristics makes us have certain:
Motivators - Aspects that we value and seek, often unconsciously, whether in the simplest tasks or in major life goals;
Fears - Things we fear, avoid as much as possible and that, when they happen, make us anxious, defensive or even aggressive.
Given that the work context is the one in which we spend on average 1/3 of our lives, and given that the diversity of profiles is so important for the success of teams/companies, how do we deal with so many differences?
@All
Understand, accept and be interested in difference
Knowing that it is our (human) tendency to oversimplify the information around us, bring this awareness to your interactions. How?
Do not generalize isolated events or behaviors;
Don't react emotionally/impulsively. In case of disagreement, before insisting on your point of view, take the time to understand what is behind the other person's position: what are the motivators and fears that might be behind that position? How can I show interest in the motivators and help with the fears?
Don't take personally what isn't (good news: in the world of work, almost nothing will be!)
Everyone, even those you are close to, sees reality through a different lens than you. Getting to know others better is an important soft skill that greatly improves teamwork.
Change and help to change
None of our characteristics are static and sometimes we would like to change some of them to feel better or be more successful at work. Try to become aware of your characteristics (strengths and areas you would like to develop) and be receptive to being influenced and to influencing others in areas that they would also like to change.
@Leaders
Lead with empathy (and more success!)
The goal of any leader is to get others to act in order to achieve the best results. This involves communicating objectives, choosing and delegating tasks, monitoring, and giving feedback. None of these tasks will be performed well if you do not know, and consider in your decisions, the personality of each person who works with you: what motivates them and what they fear.
Would it make sense to give feedback every six months to someone who values it monthly? Would it make sense to choose someone to give a talk who doesn't like to expose themselves, doesn't want to, and doesn't need to change that characteristic? Would it make sense to give closed instructions to someone who values freedom of thought?
Do you know how to identify when employee A and B are unmotivated?
Empathy is a (soft) skill and, as such, can be trained. This takes more work than reducing situations to the other person's "character", but the results are more than worth it! Will you try it?
Have you ever wished you were more like someone you know, in a certain way?
Do you know why recruiters ask "strange" questions in interviews?
All these situations have their origins in the concept of personality , the jamaica whatsapp number database of which, since the end of the 19th century, has sought to explain why, when faced with the same situation/stimulus, different people have such different behaviors/responses.
There are several theories that attempt to explain these differences. I highlight the 2 most robust/studied:
Psychometric -> Each person has stable and quantifiable personality traits that, in interaction with the situation, generate a certain behavior.
Cognitive -> Our mind is a "computer" and our behavioral differences are the output of the processing of several inputs :
i) information coming from outside,
ii) memories (good or bad),
iii) cognitive schemes.
Cognitive schemes are mental associations that we make automatically and often unconsciously, which reduce the enormous amount of external information to a manageable quantity for us. But there is a problem… We oversimplify and have cognitive distortions , such as generalization (extrapolating an isolated situation), or dichotomous thinking (all or nothing).
No theory is, in itself, sufficient to explain the complexity of our behavioral differences, but there are fundamental aspects on which there is scientific consensus:
· Each person has behavioral predispositions (predispositions, not sentences!), which result from the combination of their genetic inheritance, education and experiences;
· The combination of our characteristics makes us have certain:
Motivators - Aspects that we value and seek, often unconsciously, whether in the simplest tasks or in major life goals;
Fears - Things we fear, avoid as much as possible and that, when they happen, make us anxious, defensive or even aggressive.
Given that the work context is the one in which we spend on average 1/3 of our lives, and given that the diversity of profiles is so important for the success of teams/companies, how do we deal with so many differences?
@All
Understand, accept and be interested in difference
Knowing that it is our (human) tendency to oversimplify the information around us, bring this awareness to your interactions. How?
Do not generalize isolated events or behaviors;
Don't react emotionally/impulsively. In case of disagreement, before insisting on your point of view, take the time to understand what is behind the other person's position: what are the motivators and fears that might be behind that position? How can I show interest in the motivators and help with the fears?
Don't take personally what isn't (good news: in the world of work, almost nothing will be!)
Everyone, even those you are close to, sees reality through a different lens than you. Getting to know others better is an important soft skill that greatly improves teamwork.
Change and help to change
None of our characteristics are static and sometimes we would like to change some of them to feel better or be more successful at work. Try to become aware of your characteristics (strengths and areas you would like to develop) and be receptive to being influenced and to influencing others in areas that they would also like to change.
@Leaders
Lead with empathy (and more success!)
The goal of any leader is to get others to act in order to achieve the best results. This involves communicating objectives, choosing and delegating tasks, monitoring, and giving feedback. None of these tasks will be performed well if you do not know, and consider in your decisions, the personality of each person who works with you: what motivates them and what they fear.
Would it make sense to give feedback every six months to someone who values it monthly? Would it make sense to choose someone to give a talk who doesn't like to expose themselves, doesn't want to, and doesn't need to change that characteristic? Would it make sense to give closed instructions to someone who values freedom of thought?
Do you know how to identify when employee A and B are unmotivated?
Empathy is a (soft) skill and, as such, can be trained. This takes more work than reducing situations to the other person's "character", but the results are more than worth it! Will you try it?