Personality

How Does Self Awareness Affect Career Planning?

I’m pretty passionate about this topic. I’ve got a daughter who knew she wanted to be a choral teacher since the 7th grade. I’ve got a son, who has NO IDEA what he wants to do as a rising junior in high school. That’s fine of course. However, most students don’t have any idea the variety of career paths that are out there. Our school has moved away from career fair day to job shadowing day. Most kids just take the day off and are left with no idea about various careers outside of doctor, lawyer, teacher and whatever their parents do for a living.

However, to find a career that will best suit someone, it is important to know what jobs and what environments would work well with a person. Knowing yourself is the key here. We are all a blend of 4 different personality styles: D, I, S and C. Finding out which one is the highest for you will do wonders in choosing which career path you should take.

I will break down four personality styles and what should they do:

D personality style: you belong here along with the rest of 10% of population if you have never found a challenge you can’t face and you like to be in charge. D personalities are risk takers and love to be rewarder for their individual success. If that sounds like you, choose a fast-paced environment and you’re up to a great start in your career!

I personality style is someone who loves influencing others and is oozing charisma all the time. This 25 to 30% of population just wants to have fun all the time. That’s why a great career choice for an I is anything where they can express themselves, like acting, teaching or even sales.

S personality style is supporting, exceedingly kind, a kind of person that is a great friend and excellent listener. So if you recognize yourself in this go after it: your career path should involve health care, counselling, education…. Any position where you find you can lift others up as you will be remarkable at it!

And finally a C personality style: high-level thinkers, people who don’t say much but when they finally do, it is so carefully thought out that listeners are in awe. C’s are all about understanding why and organization so a career as a lawyer, doctor or engineer is a path to consider.

It is important to remember we are all a blend of all four personality types. But one of them is dominant.

That’s why not everyone is wired to go out there and perform on a high level in a pressured environment in a sales department. And that’s perfectly fine! What is important is that you have to understand yourself. If you are an I you cannot compare yourself to a D. Stop comparing yourself to others because you are gifted in areas someone else is not and vice versa.

No one is right or wrong. And I hate the saying “You do you”. But when choosing a career you can’t look at what your mom or brother or anyone else did. You got to find out where your passions are.

Quite frankly, no one fits the career path that you will choose like you will. You are a unique individual, remember that.

And in order to find that job that you would do for free and that makes you tired in a good way (and trust me, that exists!), you need to take it step by step. The first step is self-awareness. And to do that you need a tool that will give you that objective data. It can be done for an adult, teenager, kid…. You name it. Find out more in the Store and take the first step today!

By Alex Swire-Clark

The Supportive High S Personality

Do you feel as if some people in your organization do a lot of work and carry the teamwork but don’t get enough recognition? And the reason for that is that they don’t mind doing the work and don’t like to be put in the limelight? Chances are, that excellent team member is a High S personality.

A high S is typically reserved, and people oriented.
Very good examples of that kind of behavior and people who lived their High S personality style to the fullest are Andy Griffith and Mother Teresa.

Wonderful thoughts for a nation, society and the world. How much better would the world be if we all lived these words?

High S personality style has some really remarkable characteristics. Let’s see some of the key ones:

Supportive – High S personality style will make great sacrifices and most of the time, as I mentioned, will not want and limelight. In a group, they will do whatever is needed to show that they are a part of a group. They will also make sure that the recognition goes where it should. So for example, as I am a High I and a High S, this latter part of my personality will make me do the survey when someone asks me to. Not because I will get a reward for doing it, but because I honestly think that a certain employee of a company is doing a great job and I want hers or his manager to know that.

Steady – High S is a glue of every organization. They make things happen but in subtle ways, and you can expect a lot of work but no drama from them. This steadiness comes from their loyalty, whether its is to their colleagues, friends or partners. Also, you can expect their behavior to be steady; they are typically positive people but are never too high or too low.

Sincere – a High S cares very, very deeply. It can be anything that they are passionate about, but they will be loyal to that group or a cause and will protect it if needed.

Sentimental – As a High S I cried during the movie “Tango”. Who does that?!

Status Quo – “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is a life motto of any High s personality. They do not like to rock the boat or to make any changes.

If you recognize yourself in these characteristics and you are starting to realize you are a High S, I would like to throw in another S word that can describe you, and you do not want it. The word is a sucker. Since you have a very hard time saying no to people, they can sometimes use it. I.e., if you are working in an HR department, be mindful that if you are easily pushed into saying Yes to employees demands of any sort, that could get you into a position where people ask more and more from you just because they know you will always approve the request.

Great position for a High S would be a poker player. Well not exactly, but this is what one of key traits of a High S personality could be used for. In conflict a High S will withdraw and have a response that is lacking emotions, a typical Poker face. But this is just the outside, because while the face makes no change, the mind is on a rollercoaster of emotions, thoughts and questions.

One of the reasons for this lies in the fact that a High S personality style likes peace and harmony. That is a huge thing for a High S, so they tend to be more agreeable than other personality styles.

It is important to note that High S personality style also really likes to stay the same. This can be useful for real estate agents. If you are one and you can identify a High S buyer, try mentioning all the positive features of their current house that are similar to the new one and the sale will be easier to make.

Being a High S personality means also wanting to be accepted, to be a part of a group. This can be very tricky at a young age (parents of a High S, watch out for this!) and I know it well. As a High S, I was struggling with this in my youth. But I have also shown some other High S characteristics like being very sincere. Even in the event when I saved a squirrel and had a very dramatic visit to the veterinarian. I don’t own a squirrel nor I ever did, but the whole story is hilarious from today’s standpoint. Hear the story and more about a High S personality style in my Podcast or visit my YouTube channel for the video.

By Alex Swire-Clark

How Does Self Awareness Help You Achieve Career Success

Definition of a perfect job and success is a very subjective definition. You have probably unintentionally had an image in your head at the moment you read the word “success” and the amazing thing is that I have an image of success as well while writing these lines. Do we see the same thing? Absolutely not.

The reason for that is that we all have are own wishes, dreams, sources of good feeling, atmospheres where we feel energetic, useful, loved, respected… We all have our own personality style. And to achieve career success you have to know which style makes you: you.

To figure out where do we fit in the grand scheme of jobs, economics, and entrepreneurialism, we need to figure out WHO we are.

To be more exact, it is crucial to know are you a people person or are you more task oriented, are you outgoing or are you more reserved. If you want to achieve career success, whatever you find success to be, you will want to follow these three steps:

1. Know your environment

Knowing will you be isolated or work remotely or will you be surrounded by a lot of colleagues can help you enormously. If you are a D or a C personality type and you will be working in a cubicle or from your home office where no one interrupts you, you can be sure that you will be successful in your job. However, if you are a I or an S personality style you won’t be happy in that cubicle. You need people they give you energy and in order to be successful you should look for a position that allows you to interact with others. The point is to find a place where you won’t have to adapt all the time to what surrounds you, because if you do that all the time, you will be miserable. And no one wants that.

2. Know the personality style of your boss

This is the key to career success. If you understand your boss and why he or she is doing things in a certain way, you will be able to better answer their questions and needs and it will be easier to get that promotion. Here are just a few examples:

If your boss is a D personality style, he or she will be direct and if you don’t give them that directness back, they will see it as a sign of weakness.

Having an I personality style for a boss means you will need to give them energy, show them passion and you will be leading that project you’ve been wanting, because they will feel as they have influenced you and that’s what I style is after.

If your boss is a great listener, probably they are a S personality style. That means that they care of welfare of others, so to succeed with them, you will want to focus on the impact on the team and effect on people when you are presenting a project.

Lastly, if your boss is a C personality style, they are very analytical. So, keep it down to the facts and nothing more. And make sure to give them some time to think over what you told them before you ask them what they want your next step to be.

3. Understand what you’re willing to sacrifice

Whatever you see as a sacrifice, you have to figure out how far are you willing to go with it to achieve success. Sacrifice for you can be anything from time away from family to money, and it is crucial to know what your limits are and what you do not want to sacrifice.

And the most important thing: stop comparing what success looks like to you and what does it look like for others! Every style has its own definition and so do you. And to find that path that will lead you to your success having that self-awareness and knowing which style is yours is crucial.

You can get an idea of your style in this video, along with a practical example of how a DISC assessment looks like when it’s done on someone. I promise you; you will learn a lot.

By Alex Swire-Clark

The Inspiring High I Personality Style

Throughout our lives, we all knew people in our school, family, neighbourhood or workplace who somehow always had almost all attention on them, and they seemed to attract it in such a natural way. They are little bundles of joy and people feel great in their company. Those people were probably a member of 25 to 30 percent of the population that gladly call themselves high I.

I’s are definitely okay with their personality. They adore being in the spotlight and just having fun all the time. To recognize a high I you should look for these characteristics:

INSPIRING: Those who can be described as a high I inspire other people and do so easily. One of the best examples of this type of behaviour is Martin Luther King Jr. A person who inspired a whole nation to do what it should have done a long time before him. And how did he do it? By having the next trait of a high I:

INFLUENCING: I’s are naturally talented in finding ways to link to people, to get others to see things their way. Every I have a unique way of showing you new angles from which you can see a problem that lies before you, and they are persuasive like no other personality.

IMPRESSIONABLE: High I love everything! Meaning, the last meal they just had is the best meal they EVER had. At least that’s what they feel at the moment, even though the feeling will disappear and be replaced with awe for another shiny object of admiration before they take that last bite.

INTERACTIVE: Engaging with others is something I’s really love. They feed off an audience so it’s common to find them among comedians (think of Robin Williams who was a perfect high I example: loves to have fun, inspired people and loved performing.)

IMPRESSIVE: When a high I’s communicate, you will notice them. Big gestures, crazy outfits, that’s their style (think Old School Elthon John). Their style of communication also makes them crazy if you isolate them. The more people you put around them, the better!

While all of these characteristics are admirable for most of us, it is not uncommon to describe a high I as illogical. And that’s where you need to be careful. High I’s do things their way and yes, sometimes they will go to the grocery store with a list of 7 things and come back with only 5, and they will have no explanation about what happened. However, it is important to understand they are easily distracted and can’t help it. The world is full of wonders and they are here to notice all of them, so in an amazing world we live in it’s illogical to expect a high I do not notice and get distracted.

It is also important that even if you feel as if you could have done a better job at a task that was given to a high I to remember that they feel the need to be liked. Regardless of the area of life where you meet a high I, if you tell them that a task could have been done in a better way, they will take it personally.

An approach that will keep them happy (and we all need them to be happy because I’s create happiness wherever they go and love to share it) is to acknowledge them. Whether that’s when they enter the room or when they are describing how they are dealing with a task. “That’s a good idea, excellent job” etc. are short sentences that will give them the boost they need and it will make them contribute more and more in a positive way.

High I entertain us and inspire us, they are bigger than life. But it is not always easy to keep up with their energy. To understand it better, you can listen to my podcast HERE where Liz Parker, certified behavioural analyst, Strategic growth consultant, and job benchmarking wiz joined me. The best part? We are both high I personalities so who better to explain what goes through high I thoughts all day long.

For more info about different DISC personality types, you can check my YouTube channel HERE or find your style right HERE.

By Alex Swire-Clark

Avoiding conflict at work by simply working (High C personality)

More or less everyone needs to have a job and earn money. Work gets you access to money, and we all need money to survive from day to day. But it’s not so easy for everyone to have that in mind eight hours a day and dedicate every moment to actual work.

However, there are employees who do that: they come to work to: work. That’s why they are there and that’s what they want to do. These employees are a beloved C personality type.

High C personality types will come to work early, clock in, sit down with their noise-cancelling headphones on and they will start and finish only when they need to clock out.

No time for chit-chat with a High C personality

High C personality types don’t mind doing any work, but only until there is a justification or rationalization for it. That means that they want to and need to know the scale of the scope. What is it that I’m trying to do? What is step one, all the way down to step 10? And why are we doing this piece of the process? And then why are we doing this next? Why are we doing this after that? All of those questions run around in the mind of a high C.

If the questions are not met with a specific answer, that’s when they will experience conflict. They will be frozen because it makes no logical sense for them to do the task.

Important step to take when a perfectionist (what a high C is!) is part of your team is to outline all the steps that they need to do. Or if they are new to the team, to outline everything they will be doing on a daily basis or what skills and knowledge will they need to use.

High C personality types really need to have clear directions, clear instructions to be able to thrive in an environment. Let them know the scope of the activities they’re going to be involved with on a daily basis, and you’re going to see high performance from those folks!

Find out more about conflict avoidance at the workplace on my Podcast HERE or watch a video on my YouTube channel.

Personality

Concise Adult Version