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Discover Yourself – Jungian Psychology for Teams

Personality tests for business

In the past I’ve talked about the basics of Jungian psychology and how psychometric testing can benefit businesses. Today I’ll dig more into this topic to show the practical ways that Jungian psychology can help to form, manage, and motivate a team at work.

Expressing Preferences

One of the most valuable ways that personality testing can benefit a team is by giving team members space to express their preferences on matters such as favored methods of communication, feedback style, motivation, and so on. In the typical workplace, there are processes that are followed and methods that are used across entire departments or companies. But it can help to tweak these processes in recognition of the fact that individual workers have different habits and styles which allow them to work mostly effectively. For instance, maybe one person prefers to always be kept in the loop about a project, even including the small details that don’t directly affect them, so that they can understand the overall project. Other people could find constant updates that they don’t need to be annoying or distracting.

In this way, both performing personality assessments and the process of discussing personality test results with a team are opportunities for team members to express their ideal working situation and setup. A manager might not necessarily be able to meet all of these preferences – for example, if a team member indicates that they prefer to communicate via email over communicating by phone, there might still be a weekly meeting with a client which needs to be done over the phone. But often, preferences can be taken into consideration with no loss of productivity or achievement. In fact, letting people choose the manner and style in which they work can be beneficial to both morale and results.

Different Strengths of Different Team Members

Some people think that in order to be successful, a team needs to be made up of members with similar personality types. It’s common, especially among new managers, to think that a team with similar temperaments will work together more efficiently. However, a team made up of a mixture of personality types is usually more effective. For example, it can help to have one team member who is outgoing and social, who can build bonds with other teams; one member who is detail oriented and will check all work for mistakes; one team member who takes a leadership role and corrals and motivates the others, and so on.

For this reason, it’s good to have a team that is diverse in terms of personality type. What a Jungian style personality assessment can describe is the strengths and weaknesses of each team member, so that tasks can be assigned accordingly. Of course, tasks can also be assigned to someone who is not specifically typed to be good at them. For example, if a team member has a role that requires communicating with customers then they will need to develop strong social skills, even if they are naturally more introverted. It is not impossible for an introverted person to perform this task well, but they may need more coaching and support in this area than a person who is naturally more outgoing and sociable.

Understanding Interpersonal Relations

Another useful way to apply personality data to teams is using it to understand interpersonal conflicts. Even on the most professional teams, there will still be times when the needs or priorities of team members conflict. When this happens, a work issue can quickly become personal and team members can feel bullied, undervalued, or unhappy.

Understanding personality types can help throw light onto these conflicts. For example, it might be that one person values direct, forthright discussions, but another person perceives this communication style as brusque or rude. By educating each person about the other’s perspective, these team members can identify the source of their conflict and adapt to the needs of the other. Or if someone is anxious because they feel they are being left out of the loop, it will help other team members to understand not only that they ought to update the person more often, but also the reason for this action (that the person is someone who likes to keep an eye on the big picture and therefore wants to stay informed).

Using Personality Data to Build a Team

There are many ways that psychology insights can be used to build a team. One of the most common uses of personality assessments is during recruitment, where candidates are given personality assessments as part of the hiring process. These assessments can be a great source of information, but they should be used carefully. Too often, a hiring manager has an idea of what type of person that they want on their team – for example, that they want a new hire to be of a similar age and background to other team members, with similar interests and experience. This can lead to an overly narrow focus in which excellent candidates are passed over because they do not fit the narrow scope of what the hiring manager is looking for.

Like the concept of “company culture,” personality assessments can be used in a way that is discriminatory if they are not approached with care. A personality assessment should give information about the potential strengths, weaknesses, and preferences of a candidate, but hiring managers should remember that a diversity of personality types on a team is a key to success. Managers should not be afraid to hire a great candidate with relevant experience just because they are not the “right” personality type.

More Ways to Use Personality Data

Other ways that learning about personality types can benefit a team include as part of team building exercises so that team members can learn more about each other and how to interact, in personal and professional development such as identifying current weaknesses, or mentoring and coaching to improve on those weaknesses. But perhaps the most valuable use of personality information is the creation of a space in which a team’s communications, processes and brainstorming can be improved.

In the next post I’ll discuss how to effectively lead a team with a post on self-aware leadership, so come back soon for that!

Does wearing a mask in the workplace mean you are “fake”?

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When you are the supervisor or the manager at your workplace, you are being counted on (and paid too) by your employer to effectively teach, manage, and develop the employees they hire. With the uniqueness of humans, no two employees will respond the same way to getting trained, managed, developed, or even disciplined.

Some supervisors and managers just supervise and manage only one way. Sometimes they don’t care and have that “it’s my way or the highway” attitude. Those managers run the risk of burning out after a few years on the job. And some supervisors and managers just don’t know how to manage any other way. These managers won’t burn out, but will only get average work quality from the employees they supervise and manage. Does wearing a “mask” in the workplace make you fake? No. In fact, this is a great way to communicate with different personalities, and to get above and excellent work from your employees.

What does it mean to wear a Mask?

A lot of people wear a mask in the real world and in the workplace for many different reasons. Wearing a mask typically, means that when the person is aware someone is watching them, they tend to wear a different colored mask and not act like their normal selves.

However, wearing a masking mask in our example, is close to the above. But, we are specifically speaking about strategically wearing a different color mask to communicate more effectively with employees who not all may be wired the same.

Looking at this from the Insights Discovery® Color Energies’ point of view

For example, let’s say that you have four employees who lead with either, Fiery Red, Cool Blue, Earth Green, or Sunshine Yellow. An effective supervisor or manager who has the ability of “full and total awareness” would have four different ways of approaching, speaking and communicating with all four of these different personality types. This supervisor or manager is wearing a mask, especially if they normally lead with another color while at home and another color when at work. A not so effective supervisor or manager would address all four employees in one way and most likely, NEVER would truly make a connection with these employees or get their best work.

So as you can see, people wear masks for many different reasons in life, good and bad. With respects to trying to communicate effectively in the workplace with today’s highly diverse workforces, wearing a mask to be more effective, and getting your employees’ best effort, is the a mask worth wearing.

Every organization needs a good mix of color energies and a few people who know how to wear a mask properly. If you’d like help in identifying this person (s) on your team, schedule me, Scott Schwefel, as your keynote speaker, I will come to your group and address the difference of personalities in a truthful, fun, and easy to understand way.  Follow me on FacebookLinkedIn, and Twitter to share my blogs with the color energies you work with!

The Cool Blue Energy – As cool as the other side of the pillow

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Documentation, preparation and just being precise in corporate America has never been more important. Good organizational practices are key in teaching new employees the way your company does things, complying with regulatory bodies such as the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC), the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and other Federal governing bodies. Good documentation practices can also keep you and your company out of the courtrooms and with your money still intact. No one knows this better than the Insights Discovery® Color Energy: Cool Blue.
This Is What I Mean
As a case in point, while at the office, have you ever called someone in the office to get an explanation, or to ask a question of any kind of importance, only to have the phone go right to voicemail, but 60 seconds later, you receive a “ping” (a notification of an instant message alert) from that same person? Doesn’t that drive you crazy sometimes? Well, truth be told, this person is strategically trying to either:
1. Avoid speaking with you altogether
2. Really busy and simply was just on another line
3. Was not by their phone
4. Is an Insights Discovery® Color Energy: Cool Blue

What Are The Characteristics Of An Insights Discovery® Color Energy Cool Blue Personality?
Insights Discovery does personality assessment profiles for businesses across the world similar to a Myers-Briggs personality assessment, but more in depth. When a person takes a profile assessment, their results will be sprinkled over the four Insights Discovery® Color Energies with one of the four colors, Fiery Red, Sunshine Yellow, Earth Green and Cool Blue, leading the way.
A person who leads with Cool Blue in the phone vs ping scenarios from up above is most likely choosing to ping over call, not because they don’t want to speak with you (which actually could be one of the reasons as people who lead with this color tend to be introverted), but because they want their reply, or your reply to be documented to cover their tails in the event something down the road goes wrong. They now would have a paper trail to clear their name and/or avoid not being prepared for any given business situation.
The Classic Characteristics Of A Person Leading With Cool Blue
A person in your office who leads with this color will have a hard time not displaying to you and other co-workers that they are very formal and are usually very conservative. These people will also display that:
• They are an introvert
• They are very thorough
• Want to be correct by being prepared
• Are cautious
• Precise
• Deliberate
• Questioning
• Formal
Fears Of The Cool Blue Personality
A co-worker, or even a boss for that matter, leading with Cool Blue is very cool as they will make your team very organized, prepared, accurate and ready for just about whatever business issue that shows its ugly face. However, this person is not superman or superwoman, they too have fears. Some of the fears this person will do everything they can to avoid are:
• Not being prepared for a big meeting
• General embarrassment
• Having to move and process very fast, as sometimes speeding up means more mistakes

When a person leading with a Cool Blue energy is on your team, they will be systematic, and the process will be very important to them. If you would like further help in identifying this person, schedule me, Scott Schwefel, as your keynote speaker. I will come to your group and address the differences in personalities in a truthful, fun, and easy-to-understand way. Follow me on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter to share my blogs with the color energies you work with!

You must let a person who leads with Sunshine Yellow SHINE!

Insights

Do you know a person in your workplace that is just the life of the company parties, or just is full of life at work EVERYDAY? Well, they are not putting on an act to make you laugh, feel better, or anything like that. These people are wired this way, and some of them have been this way as far back as they can remember. If you still do not know exactly who this person is at your job, this might help. Is there a person there who is always naturally positive and always trying to encourage people to not lose their paths, and to keep pushing forward?

I bet you now know who this person is at your workplace. The Insights Discovery® Color Energies knows this person all too well. In fact, they have even given this personality type a name; Sunshine Yellow.

What are the classic signs of a person who leads with a Sunshine Yellow energy?

Since you have been reading all the blogs here on this site, you know there are four major colors to the Insights Discovery® Color Energies; Red, Blue, Green, and Yellow. It is normal for any given person to showcase personality characteristics of all four colors. In fact, if you were to do a Insights Discovery Profile Assessment, your final results would reflect properties of all four colors. However, each person still tends to lead with their predominant color. The more aware a person is of this trait they have, they better at it they can become.

For example, if a sunshine yellow personality was aware that they could make people who were, let’s say sad, laugh again as a result of being around them. This person, depending on how much sunshine yellow they possess, would be able to almost turn it on and off at will. This is a great power to possess, especially in a business setting.

The classic characteristics of the sunshine yellow personality are:

  • A person who is very sociable
  • Dynamic
  • Demonstrative
  • Enthusiastic
  • Persuasive

If you are NOT a person who leads with this color first, it would be very helpful for you to know how to deal with this personality type. When involved with a sunshine yellow person:

  • Show them enthusiasm– This is the way they will know you are listening to them. You also might have to make sure you look at them when they are speaking to you. Not because they were in the military and have a purple heart and demand this of everyone. It’s because most people who are sunshine yellow need the person whom they are speaking with to give them eye contact or they think that the person is not really listening to them.
  • Be friendly – If you are friendly to this person, they will bend over backward for you and could become a loyal co-worker and friend to you.
  • Be open and flexible– This person may have advice for you that they think is fun and exciting and they will be dying to tell it to you.
  • Get Involved– Getting involved is the easiest way to show this personality type that you do care.

Now that you know who this person is (it may be you), you can identify them in your head when you have an interaction with them and most importantly, you will know what to say, and how to act around them to get the desired results you are looking for out of them.

If you would like help identifying this person, schedule me, Scott Schwefel, as your keynote speaker. I will come to your group and address the differences in personalities in a truthful, fun, and easy-to-understand way. Follow me on FacebookLinkedIn, and Twitter to share my blogs with the color energies you work with!

 

How to Build Strong Work Relationships by Leading With Earth Green?

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Are you that one person on your team whom others come to for advice? Advice on how to handle another troublesome employee, how to handle a mean boss, or how to handle a personal issue that is eating away at someone and affecting their work? Have you ever stopped to think why these people seem always to choose you? The reason your peers and mostly other people choose you for all these issues is because they absolutely trust you. There is also another reason, too—you are free of all judgment. You do not lie, you are easy to approach, you take an interest in their issues, you offer up other solutions and ideas to their issues and, most importantly, you are sincere. Every workplace needs someone like you there. With respect to Discovery® Color Energies, you are what the personality industry describes as being a person who leads with Earth Green Energy.

What Is Earth Green?

On the Discovery Color Energies wheel, the colors are Cool Blue, Fiery Red, Sunshine Yellow, and Earth Green, A.K.A. the Supporter. Unlike the Myers-Briggs test, a person is not stuck inside only one color or “box.” As human beings, we are highly complex creatures and could never be relegated to just one color; with Discovery Color Energies, a person does not have to be. More times than not, everyone has traces of all four colors in their personality; it’s just that some have higher energy levels of any given color than others, thus allowing them to better use and lead more often with this one energy.

In addition, even though a person can demonstrate personality traits from all four colors, the other reason they would lead more with one color over the other colors is sometimes out of their control; it’s just who they are.

So if you are the person who seems to get a lot of your peers’ work and personal issues dropped on you daily, and you always take care and help these people each time, you are a person who leads with Earth Green.

Is Leading With Earth Green Bad?

Absolutely not! Every job in the world needs a person like this for it to run effectively. The world needs people like this, too. The classic characteristics of a person who tends to lead with Earth Green Energy are as follows:

  • Is a supporter
  • Is genuinely very caring toward others
  • Encourages people when they are down or have a big decision to make
  • Is an open book and is very sharing
  • Is very patient and a great listener
  • Stays relaxed even when the person with the issue is not
  • Usually has introverted feelings
  • Values close relationships
  • Is very loyal

If you are the “supporter” or have one as an office friend, consider yourself lucky. These personalities value close relationships, are loyal, are very considerate, and are irritated by others who may be insensitive or impatient with you. Basically, they have your back!

If you’d like help in identifying this person(s) on your team, schedule me, Scott Schwefel, as your keynote speaker. I will come to your group and address the differences in personalities in a truthful, fun, and easy-to-understand way. Follow me on FacebookLinkedIn, and Twitter to share my blogs with the color energies you work with!

The Gift and the Curse of a boss who leads with Fiery Red energy!

Fiery Red

Have you ever had a boss that you hate, but sometimes you love them? Well, this love/hate type of feeling you may have for your boss has the potential to turn into far more positive interactions with them, and less negative interactions with them where you walk away feeling horrible and small. How can you achieve this? All you have to do is read up on the Fiery Red energy and master it!

What is Fiery Red energy?

The Fiery Red energy is like no other energy color out there. The red color selected for this energy kind of spills the beans on what personality types this energy is referring to; the fiery part of the name also gives it away.

A person, who leads with Fiery Red energy is always on the move, doesn’t have time for nonsense or small talk, and quite frankly, they do not have time for you either. If you want to get along with, or should we just say, co-exist, with a boss who leads with this type of energy, you must know what else to look for. Take a look at the classic warning signs your boss might be leading with Fiery Red energy:

  • Tends to avoid emotions
  • Really needs you to get right to the point
  • Needs to be clear on actions
  • Needs you to be brief when speaking to them
  • Needs you to be bright
  • Needs you to be gone
  • Are competitive
  • Are demanding
  • Are determined
  • Very strong willed
  • Purposeful

At this junction in the article, you probably have figured out if your boss is this person. Knowing the classic warning signs of this energy, can put you ahead of the game, and even teach you how to communicate effetely with your boss. Some vital positive outcomes that can be had from this invaluable knowledge is:

  • You better understand your boss now
  • You don’t hate them anymore
  • You don’t feel like you are walking on egg shells every time you need to speak with them
  • You feel better about work in general and your job too

The boss who leads with Fiery Red energy is not perfect, like most of us, and they can do things that get in the way sometimes. Or, they can do things that you didn’t expect that work in your favor…

What is there to love about the boss who leads with Fiery Red energy?

Believe it or not, the boss who leads with Fiery Red energy can actually be extremely useful in that they will fight tooth & nail for you, and shield you from any nonsense coming down from upper management. If you have a boss who leads with this color of energy, it is unlikely they will have you doing mindless work that is not going to help the overall goal, which is always the completion of the next big project. Also, if another business segment within your organization is ripping your team or speaking in a not so flattering matter because of a mistake you made, this energy type will defend you and the team almost every time. However, expect them also to rip you face to face when they get alone with you for those mistakes.

What is there not to love about the boss who leads with Fiery Red energy?

Now that you understand the Fiery Red energy a little more, there is a flipside to this color. If some of their strengths are overused, or abused, this energy can get in its own way and hinder the team’s chances for high performance. For example, on the start of a new day, it is quite possible that after only 10 minutes of being clocked in, the boss who leads with Fiery Red energy will already have left a trail of devastation behind them. With the secretary in tears and other teammates asking themselves, “What did I do wrong?” A boss leading with this energy is prone to lash out, displaying some of the following characteristics when faced with pressure from work.

  • Aggressive
  • Controlling
  • Driving
  • Intolerant
  • Overbearing

Does your job need a person who leads with Fiery Red energy there?

Absolutely! After you gain this person’s trust, you will have a strong ally for life at the workplace. Once the trust part has fully been established, the Fiery Red energy leading boss will understand that your relationship with them is worth making compromises for, and that your points of views are surprisingly valuable and worth listening to.  Having this strong personality type as the boss or just as a team member is a great move. With this person around, you will know your team has a “rock” that knows how to get things done!

Every organization needs a good mix of color energies; especially a Fiery Red color. If you’d like help in identifying this person (s) on your team, schedule me, Scott Schwefel, as your keynote speaker, I will come to your group and address the difference of personalities in a truthful, fun, and easy to understand way.  Follow me on FacebookLinkedIn, and Twitter to share my blogs with the color energies you work with!

Step outside of your box – Stop hiring yourself

Sunshine Yellow

Imagine yourself in the position of a hiring manager deciding between two potential new employees. One is obviously more qualified, but the other reminds you of yourself in the way they interact or even take a seat. You weigh the qualifications of both and assess which would be the most valuable addition to your team.

You might be surprised to hear that research shows that in this scenario the latter applicant is more likely to get the job. Studies have brought up the idea of a “cultural fit,” an unwritten category of the hiring phase in which an employer looks for someone who matches them on a socially desirable level. Sometimes even making the decision just based on who they can see themselves having a beer with! This does not necessarily lead to the wrong hires in every case, but it raises concern that a biased haze could be preventing a team from growing to its fullest potential.We, as leaders, have a habit of building teams made of individuals who remind us of ourselves. That doesn’t seem like such a bad thing, especially if you’re constantly reminded of your hard work ethic, enthusiasm, and level-headed judgment. However, this mindset when applied to hiring insulates your group from gaining the insight and experience that can only be obtained through employing a diverse range of staff. Lacking the awareness that you are cloning current members of your team also robs you of gauging where your group excels—and where fine tuning needs to be done.

Getting down to it

For example, your current team may be proficient in achieving client satisfaction with completed projects, but lacks the organization required to meet deadlines. Gathering a group of similar individuals may mean your group consistently delivers good work, but aggravates your failure regarding promptness. This sequence of events would noticeably damage your credibility, and your business will suffer as an end result.

We can consider this problem in a more visual way. An emerging idea dedicated toward helping professionals build the most well-rounded team possible is the concept of “color energy.” Take a Sunshine Yellow type, for example, a real go-getter who invigorates the staff with visionary ideas and provides a fresh outlook on projects and assignments. A Sunshine Yellow, however, can fall prey to disorganization, a habit of jumping from project to project without giving each its due and closing on those with loose ends. You can mitigate the flaws of the well-intentioned Sunshine Yellow with a Cool Blue type who is more guarded against new visions but performs copious amounts of research on current projects. Fire Red personalities are hustlers, rarely short on confidence, but potentially on patience. Thankfully, we can count on Earth Green leaders to act as pillars of support for the group, providing guidance and mentorship—although they, too, may be a bit traditional in their ways.

Mixing creates the strongest teams

A balanced team is not a blinding yellow or endless blue, but rather a spectrum of vivid colors and personalities. As a hiring manager, your job is a two-step process. One: judge each applicant’s skill set and weaknesses objectively—as you normally would. Two: make an honest and critical analysis of your current team. Where do we have gaps and who can fill them? You may be inclined to recruit an individual with years of experience with analytics, but if your team already has a handful of those professionals, it may be best for you to hire the applicant with accounting experience. Similarly, you may consider yourself a Yellow Sunshine and be turned off by the sight of a deflating realist. But the success of your team may depend on the grounded Cool Blue who can keep them from flying too close to the sun.

This is not to say that hiring an employee who would be an ideal tennis partner is a bad idea. Your job as a responsible employer and business owner, however, is to put the interests of your team first. The work socials come after that.

To get assistance on how to hire a well-rounded team, contact me, Scott Schwefel of Insights, and get me on the schedule as the keynote speaker for your next team-building event.  To see what I’m up to and get notified of my new blog posts, follow me on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.  For a sneak peek of what you can expect for your next company event, find me on YouTube!