Strengthening Interpersonal Relationships

Interpersonal conflict is the biggest culprit of 'things going south in the workplace' with 85% of us having experienced it. Generally, it arises from misunderstandings and ignorance rather than malice and so one way to combat these occurrences is to learn the different personality types to create a culture of understanding. There are 4 types the Playfuls, the Powerfuls, the Peacefuls and the Precise and whilst we are often a mix of 2 or more, we tend to have a dominant type.

The Playfuls bring energy, life, and enthusiasm to teams.  They are fun, naturally positive and love socialising and motivating others.  They are often the first to initiate contact and build rapport, so they are great in front-line positions and they maintain energy and enthusiasm when the going gets tough.  They are great team players, and they don’t bring yesterday’s drama into today.  They are resilient and work well under pressure, rising to any challenge and adjusting quickly to changing circumstances and they will go the extra mile. 

The Powerfuls are our strong visionaries who know what can be achieved and the gains to be had.  They are big-picture types who are highly driven, overly ambitious, goal focused and decisive with a persuasive presence about them.  They move quickly and exist to bring change.  They have an inborn ability to lead, and they are hard workers especially under stress achieving more in half the time of others.   They face their issues head-on and are strong problem-solvers and avid multi-taskers. 

The Peacefuls are the best at building cohesive teams, and they are known for being reliable and versatile.  They are brilliant listeners and can put things in context bringing clarity and harmony out of chaos.  They function systematically and efficiently making them great administrators.  They are relaxed, pleasant people who make no demands to be in the limelight or in pivotal positions of power.  They are calm and fiercely loyal, open, sincere, and faithful. 

The Precise want to get things done in an orderly manner and are known for being thoughtful, logical, well-mannered, and persistent.  They are fact-based and practical with an instinct to probe and research.  They are the most intellectual of the four profiles with logical and rational thinking habits.   They are strategic with brilliant critical thinking and deep creativity.  They consider the downside of situations so they can often deal with issues that otherwise might be overlooked.  They establish processes and procedures, and they strategically crunch numbers, make cost savings and create profitability in the workplace.  They are also great trainers giving clear instructions and explaining everything well.

Having a sound knowledge of your personality type and those of your employees and co-workers creates happier teams and brings about increased productivity.  It helps you make good hiring decisions and retain valuable talent.