Introvert, Extrovert …Personality affects your Work behaviour

In dealing with various clients and giving feedback to assessment participants over the years, one comment has been made time after time “…but I am different at home than I am at work and it also depends on the situation.”

Our personality can affect and influence all aspects of our performance and how we react to different situations in life, but specifically on the job, where we generally spend most of our waking hours, interacting with other people and their personality styles.

It has been understood and implied for many decades, that different personalities are better suited to certain jobs and therefore it is important that we pair our people with the jobs or work that best suit their personality types. This can be achieved through a tool like a job-fit assessment.

Interactive, outgoing type or Introverted

People who are outgoing often perform better in work positions where they have opportunities to interact with others.  They enjoy connecting with other people, often providing friendly and helpful service, motivating, inspiring and creating a happy environment which boosts the morale and attitudes of others.

However, place these extroverts in a position where they are required to work behind closed doors, isolated from others, with minimal or no interaction, to observe a decline in their productivity levels.  Chances are, they may slowly “wither” in their performance or they might seek for ways or opportunities to interact with people, potentially distracting them from their required work duties.

On the other hand, an introverted individual may flourish under the same circumstances in a position that doesn’t require them to interact with other staff members, clients or suppliers.  They do not have an express need to be around, or with people and tend to enjoy their own company without feeling isolated.

I have recently seen a trend in many larger organisations, to open-plan offices in an attempt to centralise their staff functions into one “easy-to-find” and controlled space or to create room for the organisation’s growth.

Unfortunately, many organisations fail consider the impact this may have on the productivity of employees, simply because they have not taken the time or steps through the use of a reliable personality assessment like Everything DiSC® to determine if these individuals are introverted or extroverted. You may be setting some individuals up for failure without any intention.  Extroverts may experience the buzz and hype of the “hive” while your introverts may feel frustrated by the “buzzing” of people around them constantly.

Keep them Motivated

Figuring out what motivates your employees is an impossible task to accomplish on your own and is difficult to establish during an interview.  People are motivated by different things: some are driven and motivated solely by money and will generally push or work harder to secure their raise or bonus.  Others are motivated by the recognition or praise they receive from their co-workers, a simple and sincere gesture of acknowledgement that will keep them fired up for a while.  Some people are self-motivated and self-driven to achieve or complete a project for personal satisfaction or gain.

To determine a person’s motivation, it is recommended to use a tool such at the ProfileXT® which identifies the individual’s interest.  People who are in jobs that match their personal interests are generally happier and more motivated to deal with the demands of the job and generally out-perform employees who have a lower interest match.

Based or research, our interests, behaviours and personality are overlapping factors that should be compared to the required or specific “Job Traits”, to determine our potential for effectiveness in any given position.

How you can assist them…

Once employees have completed a DISC-type or behavioural assessment, make the time for discussion and exploration around potential strengths as well as developmental areas.  Determine who has similar needs, interests and behaviours as well as who may be different and how this could impact the team members productively (positively) or where it may create challenges which would require some careful navigation.

Team members who understand each other better generally enjoy an increased tolerance and understanding for their colleagues which in turn contributes to higher performance levels and team cohesiveness.

For more information on using personality assessments in your organisation, visit www.growingpeoplegreat.com

GUEST AUTHOR BIO

chrystal-austin

Chrystal Austin

Qualified Genos Emotional Intelligence Coach
Growing People Great

Chrystal joined GrowingPeopleGreat (previously Profiles Intl. SA) as a member of the Customer Service Team. She represents our company at various networking events and is currently serving as the VICE-CHAIR for KZN Women in Business.
On a personal note, her hobbies include Health and Wellness Awareness and Assessments.  Chrystal completed diplomas in “Diet and Weight Management” as well as “Sports Nutrition” and enjoys creating awareness around healthy nutritional habits. She is also certified as a Basic Law of Attraction Practitioner through the Global Sciences Foundation.

Mel Gard