Want to be a Better Leader? Get to Know Your Employees

Want to be a better leader? Get to know your employees by putting their personalities to the test. Haven’t had your team take a personality test? It could be the key to boosting your management strategy. 

Unlike aptitude tests, personality tests go beyond qualification. Personality tests formulate a profile based on traits and behaviors to help paint a picture of your employees’ communication preferences, work habits, and temperaments. Thus, helping to decide who to best pair them with as a team, communicate to them, and avoid their temperaments. 

“Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much.”

— HELEN KELLER

How Does it Help?

There are three key reasons that personality testing is being used so widely across all industries to help build stronger teams as a leader. These three things include:

• Customized Communication

• Meaningful Motivation 

• Targeted Training 

Most Popular Types of Personality Tests 

There are two types of personality tests that are the most popular. These include DiSC and MBTI. 

DiSC

The DiSC assessment, published by Wiley, is a non-judgmental tool used to discuss people’s behavioral differences. If you participate in a DiSC program, you’ll be asked to complete a series of questions that produce a detailed report about your personality and behavior. You’ll also receive tips related to working with people of other styles.

MBTI / 16 Personalities 

MBTI, also known as “The 16 Personalities Test”. The MBTI is another commonly used personality test to help better understand employees, friends, romantic partners, and more. This short (and free) online test will give you insight into who the person is, almost like reading them as a book. The results dive into personal growth, romantic relationships, friendships, parenthood, academic path, and, most importantly, for leaders, career, and professional growth. Part of the career and professional growth section covers workplace habits, how that personality type handles subordinates, colleagues, and managers. 

Example, Workplace Habits Synopsis: 

“Advocates (INFJs) have some specific needs when it comes to a satisfying work environment. People with this personality type want to know that their work helps people and promotes their own personal growth. This means that their work must be in line with their values, principles, and beliefs.

In the workplace, Advocates tend to thrive when they have opportunities to express their creativity and insight, and they’re especially motivated when they know that what they’re doing has meaning. They also tend to do best when they can ignore workplace politics and hierarchies and simply do what matters to them. Most people with this personality type prefer not to think of themselves as above or below anyone else – no matter where they are on the job ladder.

Fortunately, Advocates are resourceful and creative, and they can find ways to make nearly any position work for them. Advocates value cooperation, sensitivity, and independence. As employees, they tend to gravitate toward managers who are open-minded and willing to consider their input. Advocate personalities may become frustrated when they feel unheard, so having a manager who listens to them can make all the difference.

Ideally, Advocates will also find a manager whose values align with their own and who offers them encouragement and praise. Because Advocates tend to act on their convictions and aim to do their best, their morale can be vulnerable to criticism, particularly if it’s unwarranted. Other morale killers for these personalities may include strict rules, formal structures, and routine tasks.”

Next Steps

Once you’ve had your team take the test, it’s time to dive into what you can do to meet your individual team members’ needs as well as who to pair who with for any group projects, etc. It’ll also help you better understand how to communicate with each person individually and what communication methods are best suited for different situations, such as reprimanding or providing praise. 

Rather than trying to dive into a standard article, it’ll be important to purchase the in-depth pro profiles for each personality type, understand that person as their personality type then visit additional resources such as “How to Create a Better Team Using Personality Types.”

With a few Google searches, you can also find great articles on how to leverage the personality types to build power teams, hire experts to help you strategize the results, and there are a few incredible blog resources directly on the Myers Briggs website. 

Do you have open positions in your practice? Register in MEDIjobs today, and get candidates in your pipeline today!

.