Working with Different Personality Types

Most of us are aware of the fact that our teams are made up of varying personalities. But do we actually know how to work effectively with people who function differently than us?

As we learn how to recognize and accept our similarities and differences as individual team members, we can better:

• Strengthen communication
• Work through conflict productively
• Learn how to encourage and motivate one another

Here are a few ways to embrace different personality types in the workplace so we can all work better, together.

Ask good questions

Good questions can help you understand your coworkers’ thought processes and underlying motivations. They can uncover what really makes each person tick. Especially since many teams recently transitioned to remote work and are using new ways to communicate, it’s easy to get your lines crossed and misunderstand one another. Rather than jumping to conclusions or taking things personally, let your initial response be asking thoughtful questions to better understand their point of view.

Along the same lines, asking good questions can help you recognize your colleague’s preferences at work. Figure out how they prefer collaborating by asking things like, “Do you want me to email you or ping you in Slack?” or “Would you rather do our brainstorming session in the morning or afternoon?” Each person has a different workflow that works best for them. Figure out your coworker’s preferred style and try to adapt to that when possible. You can’t change your core personality (and nor should you try), but you can be flexible when it comes to finding better ways to work with your team.

Focus on respect

Recognizing your differences doesn’t amount to much unless you also respect those differences. Most often, people simply want to be heard and understood. When you run into a disagreement, look past the immediate problem and try to understand your colleague’s perspective. Hear them out. Appreciate what they have to offer, even when you don’t agree on everything. We can all learn from one another and adapt our own behaviors to be more tolerant of our differences. But if you insist that others bend to your style, you’ll probably cause conflict. Respect should flow in both directions.

Remember the big picture

If you’re on the same team, you should be working toward shared goals. This includes both short-term benchmarks and the overarching core values for your organization. Centering your work around these objectives should shift your focus away from personal differences, and instead get you to focus on a common mission. When your team is rallied around shared goals, it doesn’t matter who’s “right” or “wrong” when a disagreement happens. Focusing on the big picture should keep you all on the same page.

Use each person’s strengths

The wonderful thing about having different personalities in the workplace is that each type offers unique strengths. A variety of strengths makes for a well-rounded team. When you place each person in a position where they have an opportunity to use their strengths, they’re likely going to feel more productive and comfortable in their role. If someone is fantastic at creating big-picture strategies, they might not perform well in a role that requires them to dig into super detailed day-to-day tasks. But that other person on your team who is great with detailed work may excel in that position since it falls in line with their strengths.

The bottom line for embracing different personalities at work is first developing self-awareness. It needs to start there because the more familiar you are with your own personality, the better you understand how to approach working with others.

For example, as an Enneagram type 6, I’m wary of change because I think about worst-case scenarios. When someone proposes a new idea, often my initial reaction is to think about what could go wrong. As I’ve learned more about my personality, I’ve realized this can seem rather negative to others. I’ve also come to understand the underlying reason why I react this way. It’s because I value safety. Change can make me feel like my safety is threatened, which results in me wanting to avoid it. Now when I catch myself going down that path, I try to stop the cycle and remind myself that change can be a good thing. I can use my natural skepticism to prepare for it, instead of using that energy to merely worry. Rather than seeming like a wet blanket when I shoot down every idea I think may have negative consequences, I can instead try to troubleshoot those issues without overanalyzing the situation.

Building self-awareness helps us recognize our own strengths and weaknesses so we see how those traits impact our relationships at work. It gives us clues as to how our tendencies may be perceived by others. When we’re aware of these factors, we have a better understanding of how we can navigate our work interactions with more empathy and tolerance.

Has your team taken a personality assessment? How has learning about your coworkers’ personality traits impacted how you work together? Let us know how your team has put this into practice by dropping us a comment or DM @myuserguide.