Personality and Productivity
June 2, 2010
Imagine for a moment that you are sitting at your desk filled with anxiety and stress. You stare at the telephone knowing that eventually you have to pick it up and dial. You start to wonder why on Earth you agreed to take this sales position. You don’t like making these phone calls and you don’t like networking events. You are procrastinating to the point that you must make the calls now or risk losing your job.
This is the story of an introvert. Truth be told, it’s my story. Now, I don’t have a sales job, but sales are very much a part of my business. So, when it’s time to sit down to make phone calls, I go through the anxiety and stress described in the previous paragraph. I wonder if running my own business was really the right decision. I wonder if I can really be successful if I can’t bring myself to make phone calls. Pretty crazy, right!
The good news is that I don’t let this stand in my way. I am aware of the problem, but I push through anyway. It’s not easy, but my desire to be self-employed outweighs the other bad feelings.
So, what does this have to do with organization and productivity? Personality traits can affect an individual’s ability to perform certain tasks. Unfortunately, it’s not so easy to identify personality traits that may impact a person’s suitability for a job or task. Matching employees, both current and potential, with appropriate jobs is a key factor in increasing productivity at work. For entrepreneurs, understanding your personality factors can help determine tasks and projects that can be outsourced.
Introverts generally are drained by social interaction. They will procrastinate on making sales calls and may avoid networking opportunities. Introverts are perfectly happy alone most of the time. Extroverts on the other hand derive great energy from social interaction and thrive in positions requiring this. They will happy make calls, attend social functions and don’t do well in situations which require they work in solitude for long periods.
A highly structured person in an environment that requires a high degree of spontaneity will probably not be successful. In the same way a very spontaneous person will not do well in a highly structured environment.
There is no right or wrong in personality traits. The most important thing is awareness. Once you are aware that you possess certain personality traits you are more equipped to make any necessary changes to compensate for any negative effects the trait may be causing.
Great insight can be made into the affects that behavior traits have on your work and personal life. You may discover the cause of your procrastination or why you react in certain ways to certain situations. A behavior assessment tool, such as DiSC, can be very helpful in creating awareness. Not only will you identify your own style, but when completed in a team environment communication among team members will be improved.
If you would like to learn more about how personality and behavior styles affect productivity, consider signing up for my Conquer Chaos Strategy Session. You will gain insight into how your personality traits may be impacting your productivity and get recommendations for improving your ability to get and stay organized. Click here for more information.
Happy Organizing,
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