When I’m struggling to work effectively with someone, I try to better understand them by determining their personality type – how they gather information, what energizes or drains them, how they make decisions, and how they approach the world around them. Then I look at how their styles are similar to or different than mine. Usually, somewhere in this analysis, there are clues to help me develop a healthier working relationship with this person.
I’ve found that the better I know myself, the more honest I can be about how I’m contributing to the struggle. Then I can work to pinpoint the problem and be a contributor to the solution. I love personality types because they help explain so much about what happens in our day-to-day interactions at the office, and they provide the framework for making sense of behaviors that may otherwise seem completely irrational.
There are lots of tools you can use to learn more about communication styles, work styles, personality types, strengths, conflict resolution styles, and more. All of them are good. All of them provide insight and value. The goal is to fully understand yourself, then apply those same principles to understanding those you interact with. There isn’t a day that goes by where my husband and I don’t discuss an interaction with friends, family, or colleagues where we apply these principles to better understand what we experienced. It’s powerful information that you can apply to every aspect of your life!
This week’s feature article discusses personality types, and how understanding them can benefit you, your executives and colleagues, and your career!
This month, we’ve been sharing tips about how to successfully onboard a new executive and learn to work effectively with them. Learning to work with a new executive takes some time and adjusting. But what happens if, even after the transition period, the two of you still don’t see eye to eye? Our Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn updates this week include advice on what to do when you don’t get along with your new executive, as well as how to deal with different personality types, conflict management, and more.
Finally, if you haven’t registered for our free webinar tomorrow, March 31, there’s still time to do so now! We’re kicking off Admin Appreciation Month a day early with our Spotlight Your Career webinar. This session will give you the tools and information you need to increase your professional visibility and put your career in the spotlight. You’ll also learn about our 5 Day Challenge, April 3-7, which includes daily training videos, action plans, samples and templates to get your professional portfolio up and running, and access to me and my team of admin experts! I hope you’ll join me as I share some career strategies that will help you highlight your skills and accomplishments like never before!
Supporting your administrative success,
Julie
P.S. Take advantage of all the awesome admin events happening worldwide throughout the month of April. Click here to learn more about what’s happening during Admin Appreciation month!
