Last year, we did a post on Talented Personality Types that Can Cause Workplace Conflict. Readers found this post, along with Strategies for Dealing with Difficult Personalities in the Workplace very beneficial, and we have received emails from time to time about these articles.
Indeed, one of the most important life skills we can all develop is a tool set for identifying who can potentially hurt us, as well as who can help us. In this article, we identify the types of colleagues with whom you should develop close working relationships—and even friendships. These are people whose good intentions are the first reason you need them on your side. They may enable you to extract more of your talent and advance further with your company, or they may make your workday more enjoyable.
The “Big 5” Personality Traits
To better understand why these complex personality types are so healthy to know, it helps to understand the universal core personality ingredients, or what contemporary personality psychologists refer to as the “Big 5” personality traits:
Extroversion: People who are high in this trait are outgoing. They are energized by social situations, including meeting new people, being a part of groups, making friends, and having conversations. Conversely, people who are low in this trait do not enjoy these social scenarios.
Conscientiousness: Mindfulness, thoughtfulness, and strong impulse control are the hallmarks of this trait. Conscientious people are organized, reliable, and detail-oriented. People who are low in this trait are more impulsive and dislike structure and organization.
Agreeableness: People who are high in this trait are known for their interest in others, empathy, and enjoyment from helping and contributing to others’ happiness. Those who are low in this trait are less interested in others’ feelings, problems, and aspirations.
Openness: Imagination, insight, and a broad range of interests characterize this trait. Open people are typically adventurous and creative. They enjoy new challenges and thinking about abstract concepts. People who are low in this trait resist new ideas, change, and abstractions.
Neuroticism: Think Costanza from Seinfeld. This negative trait is characterized by emotional instability, mood swings, and anxiety. Neurotic people experience a lot of stress, where as those who are low in this trait are emotionally stable, less worried, and more relaxed.
Complex Workplace Personality Types
Many factors influence how these core traits cohere and develop into complex personalities. Think of the following workplace personality types as a healthy recipe, made with appealing proportions of the ingredients above by nature, and baked to perfection by nurture:
The Experienced Mentor: Highly esteemed by peers, superiors and subordinates, this personality type will come to your aid when her prior experiences relate to your current dilemma. The experienced mentor brings a valuable sense of perspective and feels fulfilled imparting wisdom, calming you down in stressful situations, encouraging you, and watching you grow in your career. If you do lunch with them frequently, common themes in your conversations about careers may include the importance of integrity, being expressive, honoring commitments, and professionalism. Behind every success story is a network of experienced mentors.
The Trusted Ally: When you are overwhelmed by the amount of work on your plate or the insurmountable challenge of a project, your trusted ally provides the support you need. He’ll lighten your workload to give you more time to meet deadlines, he’ll make phone calls on your behalf, and he’ll provide emotional support when you are stressed. This is your best friend in the office, and often becomes a lifelong friend outside the office. You can never have too many trusted allies.
The Constructive Critic: When your boss is sharply condemning and other acquaintances just tell you what they think you want to hear, your constructive critic tells you the honest truth. She is highly regarded in her own right, so her suggestions are credible. She understands you as well as all of the nuances of the company and the industry. Even when her advice and observations are difficult to swallow, it’s always for your own good. She makes every effort to add a little sugar to every spoonful of medicine. You can’t always get what you want; sometimes you get what you need, and we all need a few constructive critics on our side.
Have you ever imagined yourself giving a speech at your own retirement dinner? As you talk about the earlier days in your career, maybe you’ll say “I wish I knew then as well as I know now that good careers are all about good people.” Think of the people you may thank—your mentors, allies, and critics. You may not know many of them yet, but hopefully you will.
If you enjoy learning about psychology as it relates to work, you’ll also enjoy this post (and the embedded YouTube videos) on the wisdom of Dale Carnegie and Anthony Robbins.