When you have something in common with Oprah…
What do Oprah and I have in common? Aside from both being fans of Katz’s Deli in NYC, we both have passion as our primary advantage in our archetype.
Confused by reading “primary advantage in our archetype”? I would have been too if you said that to me yesterday. Let me explain. I recently took the Fascination Advantage Test, which aims to show you how others perceive you. It gives you a primary, secondary, and dormant advantage that makes up your archetype in an effort to help you create your value and define your brand in the workplace. Pretty cool, right? Aside from being similar to Oprah, I also found out I have similarities to George Clooney. No, I am not married to a kick-ass Human Rights lawyer, but rather we both have prestige as our secondary archetypes.
I’ll admit, I rolled my eyes a bit before taking this. How accurate could it be, right? Let me tell you- it’s pretty accurate. People with the passion trigger attract with emotion, while people with the prestige trigger increase respect and are aspirational. I have always found that while I may not be the most naturally smart or talented person in the room, I always give whatever I am doing my all because I am passionate about what I set my mind to. The test noticed that specifically- it literally said:
“You project an ability to be successful at anything you touch. But it’s not because you were born with more talents than others. You intensely focus on improving your skills.”
Accurate, right?
The test described my dormant advantage as mystique, saying that I am an open book and expressive with my emotions. I felt this couldn’t be more true- no one has ever complimented me on my poker face. One thing really hit home about this for me. The test said:
“In business negotiations that require holding back information, you may tend to feel challenged, because containing how you feel typically is not a natural response for you.”
Some people, including myself sometimes, view these situations as events where you need to change who you are to adapt to the situation. But the test actually recommended otherwise- it said simply to try to avoid jobs or projects that require you to use your dormant advantage, in my case mystique. Why? Because it is not the best use of my skills and will leave me looking and feeling awkward. Instead of trying to force my dormant skill, I should focus on amplifying my primary and secondary advantages.
This is why I felt the test was helpful. While it reinforced what I already knew about myself, it showed me that it is okay to not force myself to be something I’m not. It encourages those who take it to play up their strengths- in my case passion and prestige- instead of trying to force their weaknesses.
As someone in the workforce, I can use this information to help pick jobs and projects that allow me to play up those strengths. For example, I know that with passion and prestige, I can be a leader, leading communication, and bringing a team together through agendas and thought-starters. As a marketer, the idea of Fascination is helpful in understanding why certain consumers relate to- and are fascinated by- certain products, advertisements, and marketing campaigns compared to others. As Sally Hogshead, the creator of the test says in her Ted Talk, consumers have only a 9-second attention span these days, giving marketers only 9 seconds to captivate their audience. Being able to create a campaign that speaks to different archetypes and triggers people to purchase is more important than ever since if you do not connect with the archetype of the consumer you could lose a sale.
While I may not be channeling my passion archetype into a talk show like Oprah, I can channel it into creating strong and meaningful connections- both in the office with my coworkers as an employee and with consumers as a marketer.
Although, hey, if anyone wants to give me a talk show, I would be happy to take one!
