Is Your Personality Hindering or Helping You?

Everyone knows certain personality traits are heavily desired by all employers. Intelligence, and strong work ethic are of course a plus in any industry. But what about those not so clear cut traits such as introversion,strong temperament and risk taking? How can you utilize your more challenging characteristics to help you reach success?

First and foremost it is important that you adequately and accurately asses your personality. It can be hard to correctly conduct your own self-analysis so you may want to rely on some external resource to help you do so. More and more, companies are requiring personality tests either right before or right after hiring someone. These tests can provide both you and your employer with a variety of useful information such as how you best communicate and how much attention you pay to the details. If you know your co-worker likes to plan a lot, they’re probably going to want a detailed outline of the project you’re working on, whereas if someone is goal driven their going to want to know what the main costs and benefits are. You can also enlist the help of a close friend or family member to better help you develop a list of your most prominent personality traits. There is no need to shy away from what you think to be your lesser qualities. When made aware of the fact that you may be bossy or shy or critical, you can adjust the way you work to best deal with these traits.

So what should you do if you find you are a generally introverted individual? Typically introversion is seen as a negative trait because introverted people have a hard time connecting with others. The good news is that there are ways to shed this stigma. Focus on the strengths that come with being introverted such as empathy, strong one on one relations, and the ability to work independently. All of these traits are very much required of corporate leaders. In order to become more comfortable addressing large groups of people, organizing and planning out your presentation can help calm your nerves. Companies such as Google, Colgate and Campbell’s have reportedly introverted CEO’s who are thriving in their positions.

What about those of you with a fiery temper? Of course some basic level of patience is required to work well with others, but when adequately controlled the power of your passion and emotions can help you better manage others and achieve greater personal success. Typically those with a temper are passionate about what they’re working on which is of course a positive trait that many employees lack. It is also important that you let the individuals you are managing know if they’re completing the work you require of them successfully or not. If you are upset by poor work, this can be a good thing to relay to your workers, as long as it is done in a constructive manner. Of course channeling your temper into a constructive trait takes work, you need to find ways to learn how to cool down at work such as taking a brief walk around the office or chatting with a friendly co-worker.

It is also important to realize that certain traits serve different industries in different ways. For entrepreneurs the ability to take financial risks is crucial whereas for corporate accountants risk aversion is key. Consider which traits you most possess when mapping out your career path, whether that mean starting a new career or targeting your efforts towards certain promotions. Regardless, your personality can help you to become successful but only when recognized and correctly dealt with.