Personality?

Over the course of the year, through AmeriCorps and Any Baby Can, I have participated in three different tests of… well, let me call it character. Some people call them personality tests and others avoid the word ‘personality’ like the plague. This is professional, after all! I have had fun using these tests and getting to know a little more about myself this year as I continue to work and live in a new environment. With a few fellow AmeriCorps members, I took the Enneagram test. This truly is a personality test. It measures your sub-personality into one or more of nine interconnected personality types. More recently, I took a test that measures how we tend to deal with conflict in the workplace. This was a new test for me and was an interesting way of looking at the different ways that people work with conflict. It turns out, conflict is good and having different solutions to conflict is often the most effective way to solve a problem! Most recently, I participated in a training for something called Style Flex. This test had more to do with your way of communicating. It ‘graded’ you on a scale of 5-95 in the four following categories: driver, expressive, amiable and analytical. Then, it guides you through effective ways to approach and communicate with people who are of other dominant communication styles. Here is a quick peek at the styles:

-Driver: Wants action and results, needs to control and win, is decisive and goal oriented, avoids wasted time and energy, fears losing control, is impatient and can be insensitive to others.

-Expressive: Wants feedback and to be liked, needs to interact and verbalize, is persuasive, avoids boredom, fears social rejection, is disorganized, optimistic and can be impulsive.

-Amiable: Wants harmony and peace, needs to serve others, is a team player, loyal and patient, avoids confrontation, fears loss of predictability, and is afraid of taking a stand.

-Analytical: Wants excellence and quality, needs to comply with standards, is accurate and precise, avoids uncertainty, fears criticism of their work, can be worrisome and a poor improviser.

Do any of these ring a bell for you?!