Since 1980
Your Business Personality Type
A Personality Test To Help Determine Your Natural Working Ability
Table Of Contents:
Why Is This So Important?
Each of us are unique in that we each have a unique fingerprint, a unique eye pattern, a unique DNA code and, of course, our own unique experiences of life.
Interestingly we can also be aligned to several working styles based on our natural working abilities. For example, your natural working ability may be more creative, so doing creative ‘things’ comes ‘natural’ to you. It makes you feel good, even when you are super productive.
Take that same creative person, put them in a call centre, to do cold calling, eight hours a day, then each day would seem like a lifetime to that person.
Confirming your natural working abilities will help you understand yourself, your strengths and through which abilities you may end up changing the world.
The two areas that you will be helped in are;
1. First, to understand where your natural abilities are so that you can refine and harness them - to make them better.
2. Secondly you can align yourself with people with different natural working abilities in order to get the best out of each other's strengths, whilst not losing out because of your weaknesses.
The further use of this test is realised when you are using it to test those you are building your own dream team with. More on that later.
Your Personality Type Test
Someone out there is desperate to deal with your weaknesses! No I don’t mean fixing you (😯), I mean they are great at what you are not. Coincidentally, you are great at what they are not - this is such a win/win.
I have utilised knowledge I have collected over the last twenty years from numerous sources in order to create a hybrid version of a work type test.
It’s simple, easy and will enable you to:
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Confirm what you already may know
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Discover what natural working ability
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Use it to form a decision about a direction you want to pursue
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Or so that you can start the process of putting your team together.
No one is typically one type of working ability. You will find yourself having a crosssection of all four - however there will still be a standout. In the event of it being a draw between two+ then ask a parent, close friend or colleague to complete it on your behalf (re you). If it’s still a draw then pick the natural working ability you think you are closest to.
Score yourself - 4 the highest and 1 the lowest - 4 being what you are most like and 1 being least. Which column gives you the greatest two numbers?
C | S | B | O |
|---|---|---|---|
Storyteller | Mediator | Correctness over passion | Enjoys creating and completing checklists |
Figures it out | Confident with delegation | Relies on experience | Reads the instructions |
Keen to get started | Able to spot the potentially important issues over others | Cautious of new ideas | Likes the detail |
Radical in approach | Action planner | A little more risk averse | Enjoys neatness |
Enjoys being creative | Takes it apart puts it back together better | Wants to do things properly | Likes to be organised |
Charismatic | Networkers | Brings balance to the team | Logical |
Can get bored quite quickly | Go getters | Favours the right way over the fast way | Methodical |
Big picture person | Solves problems | Spots potential issues before others | Enjoys structure and systems |
Conceptualiser | Strategic | Proven processes work best | Pragmatic |
Come up with ideas | Likes to figure out how the idea will become real | Likes to analyse things | Can spot a winning idea from a pack |
Different Types Of People
Well done on completing the test. Having selected your answers, I would like to add that you will most likely be a combination of all four types. Although one should stand above the rest.
You will naturally think that one is more impressive than the others. That will be the same for everyone. The attractiveness of the role is an indication of its natural ‘pull’ towards your way of thinking. The truth is they are all important and are equally needed.
Without one the others are weaker, no matter how great the idea or opportunity. All can be entrepreneurial, all can be successful - together though, it becomes a dream team.
Now let’s review your type based on which column you agreed with most.
My Personality Type
Column 1: The Creative One
Column 2: The Strategist
Column 3: The Balancer
Column 4 The Organiser
The Creative One
You are the big ideas person. Ideas flow from you like a flood and you can turn it on as and when needed. You might get bored of an idea once it's fully formed and instead want to generate new ones. Once they think about it, they usually get bored with the idea. You are very creative. You may also have random thoughts. Others may complain that they don't follow up much.
The Strategiser
You like to prioritise and plan strategies for success. If someone shares an idea with you, then you’ll immediately tell them the next steps to make it happen. You’re a go-getter who loves to make connections with others and develop action plans to make things happen.
The Balancer
You believe that slow and steady wins the race. You’re wary of new ideas, with some people seeing you as negative - you’re not, you’re just more cautious. You believe in proven solutions that have been proven to work without much risk. You’re good at pointing out the challenges and issues and finding ways around any possible problems. You allow teams to simulate most errors during the concept stage, saving time and money.
The Organiser
You’re detail-oriented and very good at working step by step on a project. Your thoughts and actions are methodical and logically minded. You make sure there is an orderly and straight forward process. You’re happy to follow exact steps and others’ visions, knowing you’ll perform well wherever you’re placed.
What Next?
As I mentioned before, there is a good chance that you will be a combination of all four - leading predominantly in 1-2.
On your team, you must have at least one representative of each work type. The majority of people have one primary work style and one secondary. It’s best to have either one Creative/Strategist and one Balancer/Organiser or one Creative/Balancer and one Strategist/Organiser on a team of just two persons. You will have a person that excels at each type of work this way.
In the next section, you can find out how to assemble your dream team so that together you can make amazing things happen.
Inspired by the research of Allen Fahden and Marie West and Dr Gary Smalley.
Jim Johnston
Jim Johnston is an award-winning entrepreneur. With a business banking background in London originally, he went on to create a national B2B start-up in the UK, for on-demand property services. A blogger, copywriter, and all-round creative, his vision is simple - to see people experience wealth in every key area of their lives. True wealth!
