I Pissed Off the Boss Because I Ignored How He is Wired
Personality profiles are a good place to start staff training
The opportunity in front of me is excellent. I have the chance to hire my main competitor and bring over half of his clients. The trouble is that the cost of the hire is not in the business plan. Nor does the president of the firm know the candidate. I press forward anyway.
The results are predictable. I get shot down. The idea was good, but it was not the boss’s idea. I should have considered his personality profile a little more.
Personality Profiles
Personality is the collection of emotional and behavioral traits that characterize a person. A profile is a representation of something in outline. Personality profiles, or the expression of a person’s emotional and behavioral traits in some form of a framework, have been around for hundreds of years.
If this is starting to sound a little technical, simply consider a personality profile as to how we operate naturally. We are talking about the way a person is “wired.”
Determining Someone’s Personality Profile
My boss was a “D,” which depending on which outline you adhere to, means Dominant, Driver, Powerful, Competing, or Controlling-Taking. The high “D” likes a challenge, tends to take control, and usually wants to make the decision. I knew better than to appear to decide for him. I did anyway.
There are numerous ways to determine someone’s personality [profile. Most commonly, it is done with a written survey that focuses on word choices. I like to focus on basic needs, key take-way behaviors, and reactions under pressure.
Basic Needs
D: Challenge, Decision Making
I: Recognition, Interaction
S: Appreciation, Service
C: Quality, Correctness
Take-away Behaviors
D: Takes charge and takes controls; Autocratic
I: Personal confrontation; Attacks
S: Agrees; Acquiesces
C: Pulls back; Avoids
Under Stress
D: Addresses Problems
I: Attacks People
S: Retreats and Avoids Personal Tension
C: Retreats and Analyzes
Oversimplification
Of course, evaluating someone’s personality is more complicated than a simple personality profile. Even with this simple method, people are usually at least two of the classifications and some are more dominant in one than another. There are many frameworks and approaches, but to my friends who wish to split hairs on individuals, I say that any individual personality approach is a simplification. Group effects dominate any decisions under high levels of complexity and uncertainty.
A simple method and the considerations provided here will at least keep you out of major trouble. Apply the basics. Learn more.
Understanding someone’s personality profile is a good start for better communications and more effective negotiations. It will also keep your ass out of trouble.
