You've got personality!

Monday, November 05, 2007  by Susan Julien-Willson
Category: sales, selling, training, customers, business

It's not often I am able  to attend an IBO event, but when I do, it reconfirms why I do what I do and why I love doing it. Working at Quixtar and working with IBOs is a wonderful opportunity. I get to grow personally and professionally every day by connecting with others. I am fortunate. And I am so proud to say I work at Quixtar and I am an IBO. I get to help make lives better. How can you not love that?

At the day-long training I attended over the weekend, there was a guest speaker from Personality Insights.  This organization is about empowering people to improve. It's about personality styles and communicating effectively with particular personalities, whether they be people-oriented or task-oriented , outgoing or reserved. It made me realize why I have had difficulties in the past communicating with people who are more cautious or process-focused than myself. How you communicate with an outgoing people-oriented person needs to be different than how you communicate with a reserved, task-oriented individual. Much of this is based on the DISC model, but Personality Insights gets into details that will help you in business and in sales  ... not to mention your family life! I learned so much, even though I had taken the DISC test years ago. It really made me rethink how I communicate with some of my friends and co-workers. Check out the site. There's an article that explains DISC and how knowing personality styles can help you understand yourself and others by Dr. R. Rohm, PHD. I am fascinated by this topic and have every intention of studying it more as I feel it's the secret to effective, meaningful communication and connection with others.

This past weekend, the Personality Insights' speaker's presentation focused on conflict resolution. The presentation was entertaining and enlightening. Conflict happens in the workplace, at home, in most organizations ... everywhere. When conflict exists and it isn't resolved, it persists ... it affects morale, productivity, team interaction, success. It affects our self-esteem. It affects our attitudes. It affects everything. Who doesn't have conflict? Who avoids it? Who creates it? Who thrives on it? Who denies it? Who resolves it and how? I'm not talking about conflict like in street gangs or in the war ... I am talking about small disagreements and minor disturbances. Everyday stuff.

If you have a story about conflict resolution in business and sales ... or about communication style, please share it with everyone. Or, if you just want to tell us about  your personality and communication style, please do. Are you people-oriented or task-focused? Reserved or outgoing? Detailed and cautious? Supportive and people-pleasing? No matter what your personality or your communication style, it's okay, right? No good or bad here. It's just realizing how to communicate with each other when we're all such different personalities! Sounds simple, but as the presenter said, it's not always easy, especially when emotion gets in the way.

 

 

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Comments

# Bridgett said on November 5, 2007 3:29 PM:

Susan,

I recommend Personality Plus by Florence Littauer. She wrote her book back in 1983. Sounds very similar to DISC. She uses the term “temperaments” which Hippocrates “discovered” back in 370 B.C.—Choleric, Sanguine, Phlegmatic, Melancholy.

DISC version is—Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, Cautious Compliance.

The Charlie Brown version is—Lucy, Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and Linus.

Winnie is—Rabbit, Tigger, Pooh, Eeyore

ANYWAY…

What I love about the four temperaments is the validation of and need for all of them in our society. Florence’s book is so fun to read, so insightful, and so practical. She breaks down the strengths AND weaknesses of each temperament.

The strengths section helped me to see the value of everyone--even those that sometimes drive me crazy. :) That section also helped me to honor and love the parts of me that I thought weren't necessarily good (maybe based on negative talk from others, or even myself).

And the weaknesses section helped me understand why I have certain challenges with things, helped me see why others could find me challenging, and gave very specific solutions to problems which were/are preventing me from being successful (in all arenas in my life).

And I liked that she broke up the strengths and weaknesses when taking her test. Because I found I was a combination of two temperaments in the strengths category, but very clearly one temperament in the weaknesses category. VERY enlightening (and kind of intensely confrontational). :)

Okay, the Talker must go now and be a bit more Task-Oriented. =)

Oh, this is fabulous, Bridgett. Personality Plus sounds like a MUST-READ. Thanks for the recommendation. sjw--sometimes known as Lucy, other times as Snoopy or Tigger. : )

# ibofightback said on November 6, 2007 9:03 PM:

Yup, Personality Plus is a great book. Put it this way - I think I learned more about people from that book than any other book I've read - and I've got a degree in psychology! As Bridgett points out though, many books and techniques describe pretty much the same personality traits, whether your talking Type A/Type B, DISC, or the 5-factor OCEAN model used by some psychologists, or many others. I haven't read any books about DISC but from reviewing the site it seems to be very similar, and probably just as useful! Littaeur is great at putting all the knowledge into such a readable and useful format.

As for Florence Littaeur - if you ever get the chance to listen to a tape of her's "Gifts Money Can't Buy" - wow - do it. I promise you will not regret it.

I love receiving these recommendations. My reading/tape/DVD list is a mile long, and that's great since we're entering the "reading by the fireside" phase in Michigan. Thanks, ibofightback. sjw

# Janet said on November 7, 2007 8:40 AM:

I thought Quixtar employees could not be IBOs. When did this change or was I always mistaken?

Employees could always be IBOs and sell products ... then sometime, I believe, in the mid 90's, it was changed so that employees could be IBOs and maintain a balanced business of sponsoring, selling, and using products. sjw

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