Using Personality Survey to Improve Business Relations
Image Courtesy of Roxinasz's
Personality surveys can be a fun party game. Like many of the quizzes you take on Facebook; you answer the questions, get your result and then see if you agree or disagree with the description. But how do you take that information and use it to improve your business relationships?
Many companies that sell their personality surveys to businesses spend a lot of time explaining to you what you already know: who you are and what makes you tick. They then instruct you to identify your client’s personality and change who you are to mirror the personality style of your client. A lot of time and money is spent on turning you into a chameleon and, after the initial training is over, so is the company’s support.
Although it’s true that everyone has all four* quadrants of a personality profile, we are stronger in some quadrants than others. We typically function in the quadrant/s that we “own”. When forced into a lesser quadrant, either by design or by frustration, we are less tolerant of those we are dealing with. This does not create the best environment for success. If we try to change who we are to work with those around us, as many personality assessment companies would have us do, we are only setting ourselves up to fail in our business relationships.
For example, my husband and I met through a mutual friend. I went to college with this friend and my husband had gone to high school with him. Since my husband went to another college, I didn’t know he existed even though he had known about me for the past a year. One thing that surprises me to this day is something our friend had told my husband: “She’s nice, but don’t get on her bad side.” Now, I don’t argue that this statement is not true. I value friendship above many other things and I will judge for myself if a person is good, not based on other’s opinions. However, if you do push me to that quadrant of least tolerance, you will have a very hard time getting back into my good graces, if at all. What I found surprising about this comment was the fact that my friend even knew this about me. We didn’t hang out all the time and I didn’t realize I had ever let this side of me show. When we show our least tolerant quadrants, it is with such force it makes a quick and strong impact on those around us, even without our knowledge.
This is one of the many reasons why our company has a different approach to survey results. Instead of training a person to become the chameleon, we train the business to create the right teams and connections to ensure the strongest personality traits will connect. Although you may turn a client or two away, in the long run, your success rate will be much improved.
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Can you think of a time when you were pushed to a breaking point? What affect did that have on you and those around you?
*Note: Not all tests break down personalities to only 4 quadrants. Regardless, everyone has some level of each quadrant or style tested.
Oh boy. I couldn’t agree with you more!
I think personality assessments have a definite benefit. The validation of ourselves and others. I am me because that’s how I’m wired and I’m valid. And so are you.
By studying the strengths and weaknesses of all the basic temperament types, we can better understand our own behavior as well as others’. And by knowing our weaknesses, we can, within our own dominant quadrant, choose to strengthen them. And by the same token, refuse to judge others for their weaknesses.
That’s all good. What isn’t good is trying to be what we’re not in order to appease someone else’s expectation of us. Maybe in a job, short term, that would work. But long term I think it would be very stressful.
Pushed to my limits? I’m an introvert, and very loyal. Insisting I ‘perform’ against my will, presuming to KNOW what I think, and mistreating someone I love are three very difficult situations to find myself in. The first two threaten to unglue me. The third one will.
Interesting topic!
Barb Hartsook´s last blog ..Do We Recognize Opportunities as They Soar Over Us?
Thanks Barb. I was just talking about this with my daughter yesterday. She was frustrated with the team she was put in for a class project and didn’t think they would work well together. I don’t know what the other kids’ personalities are, but I know my daughter’s and this is one of her challenges. I used that information to help her be more patient and understanding but at the same time, did not try to make her change who she was. She has real value, she just needs to try to be more patient with others who are not similar to her. She has a very strong style, maybe one of the highest we have seen in this category. That will give her both advantages and disadvantages in life!
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Barbara Swafford. Barbara Swafford said: RT @deb_opks: You have your personality survey result. Now what do you do with it? http://trunc.it/6jil7 [...]
Hi Deb,
This is a tough one when it comes to business. With so many personalities out there, we’re bound to run into those whom we’re not going to be able to get along with. I agree, we should not become chameleons, but instead should embrace our differences.
I like your idea of matching a team or team member to a client. That allows everyone to be authentic while still providing quality service to our customers.
Barbara Swafford´s last blog ..2nd Chance Drawing
Barbara – I agree and the smaller the business the more difficult it can be because you don’t have as many employees to chose from to build a team. However, even in our office we have some area that we all connect. That’s how the survey can help. Some of us are strong in certain areas and that is where we can clash, but if you make sure there is a style you can relate in, then you can work together. Sure, we get on each other’s nerves from time to time, but that’s when we know it’s time to step back, get a little me time and then come back to work on the issue again. As for customers, I’ve said in another post, that you may end up referring someone elsewhere, but the clients you keep you will have a better relationship with less effort.