Your personality is one of the most significant determiners of your behavior. It makes you unique and influences your thinking, feeling, and acting. Studies have shown that awareness of your personality can predict job satisfaction, academic success, and even how well you’ll get along with others. No wonder personality is such a big topic of interest for psychologists and leaders.
So, what exactly is personality?
Personality is a complex and multi-faceted thing. It’s made up of many different factors, including your values, beliefs, experiences, and ultimately your unique wiring from birth. All of these things come together to influence your behavior. As a result, personality can strongly predict how you’ll behave in any given situation. For example, if your personality type is shy and withdrawn, you will likely avoid social situations.
Conversely, you’re more likely to seek opportunities to socialize if you’re outgoing and extroverted. Personality also plays a major role in coping with stress and handling difficult situations. For example, you’re more likely to bounce back from setbacks if you’re naturally optimistic and have a strong sense of self-efficacy. On the other hand, if you tend to be pessimistic and have low self-confidence, you’re more likely to dwell on your failures and have a more challenging time moving on. Understanding your personality can help you better understand why you act the way you do and make it easier to change your future possibilities.
The concept of personality temperaments has been around since 400BC. Hippocrates, a Greek physician who is considered the “father of medicine,” was one of the first to study how our behaviors are fundamentally influenced. Hippocrates developed a personality typology in ancient Greece based on four temperaments: sanguine, choleric, melancholic, and phlegmatic. Each temperament was associated with a different set of physical and psychological characteristics. Hippocrates’ personality theory was based on the belief that bodily fluids determine personality. By examining these various fluids, he believed that it was possible to understand a person’s personality. Most of our modern-day personality assessments derive from this movement in history.
It is vital for you to know your personality. If there is one person you should become an expert on…it is yourself. Self-awareness is key to success. In fact, all success is built upon the foundation of knowing your unique personality.
Several personality assessments are available, such as Enneagram, Myers-Briggs, and Predictive Index, but my all-time favorite one I use for clients is DISC. DISC is a simple yet highly accurate tool and one of the leading personality profiles. It breaks down your unique personality into a blend of the four different temperaments.
D = Dominant
I = Inspiring
S = Steady
C = Contemplative
Each letter comes with a world of characteristics to accompany them. DISC will give you an easy and digestible framework for knowing who you are and how others operate. If you go to www.johnbarrettleadership.com/disc you can take an assessment to find out your unique personality blend. Your assessment will also contain a detailed breakdown of practical tips on how to utilize your personality to your fullest potential.
The more aware you are of yourself, the more you can lead yourself effectively. You can know what strengths to capitalize on and what weaknesses to work around.
Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic.