In the business world, have you ever found yourself super excited about a potential employee? They have every skill that you could have ever hoped for. It just that, they’re a bit, you can’t quite put your finger on it, but they just don’t seem right. On paper, this person is perfect, but still there’s a little niggle in the back of your mind
The other candidate doesn’t have the same skill set, but they just seem like they’d be a great fit.
So which do you choose?
Well, the better we understand ourselves and other people, the more successful we’ll be in dealing with people and situations; and getting it right. – that’s a direct quote from Sally Hogshead
She goes on to say “using psychology to your advantage in everyday situations, to ‘get’ people, to influence, help and support, to get your point across, in a way that’s right for you, to better understand and shape decision-making, to motivate and manage people, and deal with conflict and most importantly to understand and manage our own impact on other people, is possible, when you know your own personality.
So, I ask you – when it comes to the ‘real you’, exactly how well do you know yourself?
You know that dreaded question “what would you say your strengths and weakness are’.
Do you have an actual answer? One that allows you to hire the right people, collaborate with the right people, and put the people you have, in the positions that align best with them?
One of the reasons that successful people, are, well successful, is that they truly know what they’re great at, and, what they don’t excel at.
Let me explain this with a couple of examples:
Over the years, I’ve done the DISC profile, the Myers Briggs profiling, and my favourite, Sally Hogshead’s Fascination profiling.
All of these tests told me different things about myself
In the Myers Briggs, I’m an ENTP
ENTPs enjoy the mental exercise found in questioning the prevailing mode of thought, making them irreplaceable in reworking existing systems or shaking things up and pushing them in clever new directions. However, they’ll be miserable managing the day-to-day mechanics of actually implementing their suggestions.
In layman’s terms, I’m a big picture, ideas person that can think out of the box. But, I’m not so great in the nitty gritty of how it’s going to be done. I will argue a point, and I’m not so great when it comes to interpreting people’s feelings. I look at a problem, and logically try to find a solution.
That’s my super-power. I can instantly see where things are broken, and then I immediately start to strategize solutions.
If we move over to the DISC profile, I’m a 100% D. Apparently only 3% of the population sit with me in the brain space. And, that’s probably a good thing, because high D’s prioritize accepting challenges, taking action and achieving immediate results.
High D’s are also described as direct, demanding, forceful, strong willed, driven, and determined, fast-paced, and self-confident. But, they need to expend more energy to show patience, display sensitivity, get into the details and allow deliberation.
So those two personality test tell me a lot about me. Unfortunately, it took me a while to work it all out.
What they tell me, is that I am great being the leader, the inspirer, the provider of confidence. I see the big picture, love solving problems and will keep on until the problem is solved.
On the flip side, I may seem insensitive sometimes, because I’m trying to find a logical way to fix problems. That’s what I’m good at, right?
Perhaps my favourite personality test though, is the Fascination test. When you fascinate your customers or co-workers, they’re focused on you, and your message. The fascination test focuses on how the world sees you.
It highlights the qualities within ourselves, that we should focus on, when it comes to selling ourselves to the outside world. In this test, I’m a Maestro. My advantages are focus, determination and being results orientated. I lead through my knowledge and experience.
And hey, that’s exactly what I do, and I’ve honed my business down, to be exactly that.
Knowing this, means I assess each opportunity that comes along, and I work out whether I can achieve that outcome with the skills that I am great at.
So, how does all this talk about me, help you when it comes to hiring the right people for your business?
When I went to hire an assistant, I specifically targeted people who were results orientated (because that’s something I value highly), but also super organized and with great attention to detail. The things that aren’t my strong suit.
It’s so easy to hire people who you have an instant connection with, because you get along with them straight away. But this usually occurs, when someone is a lot like you. And most of the time, you don’t need to hire another you. You need to find the person that will pick up the juggling balls you’ve left lying around.
And remember, employee personality always trumps talent and skills. If you can find candidates with the right attitude, even if their skills aren’t impressive, you can teach them what they need to know.
Personality tests can be a great tool to allow you to adjust your behavior. If you know you aren’t good in a crowded situation, you’ll be instantly aware of it, and when you’re cognizant of it, you can change your behavior to something more acceptable.
This episode is not meant to be all about me, but it’s so much easier for you to understand, when you can take the example, and put it into a frame of reference.
I’d love for you to go and take a few of these test, you can find links to some free online personality profiles, include the how to fascinate one. Over on the website, at salenaknight.com/personality.
Then come back and tell me how you can use this information, to change what and how, you do things