Personality Skills

What type of personality do you have? What type does your boss have and steering committee? Who do you have to influence? Does your personality clash with theirs? Can I change my personality enough during my interaction with them to not annoy them and influence them to speed up my project? All these questions and more can be answered in this one day fun and interactive class that will change your life. 

Very few people have to opportunity to put all the people they need to influence through a Myers-Briggs, Belkin or DISC personality test before they need to seek to influence them for the sake of their projects. We need to look for visual, verbal and body-language clues to the way they think. And we need honest feedback about our own personalities so we can see where our 'Rough edges' are that we need to smooth out before trying to influence others with different personalities. That's what this class is all about.

You'll be given some pre-work: questionnaires for you and your colleagues, friends and family will fill out that help you understand what your personality is. We are not going to make the options too large for you. We will see where you fit on two continua: Extroversion versus Introversion and People- versus Task-Oriented. This will place you somewhere on a two-by two matrix that aligns with Hippocrates' four personality types based on the excess of body fluids. 

Then we will examine the extremes of each style and see what is great about that style and what can be annoying. Why does a flighty extrovert annoy an uptight analytical? Why does an amiable beat around the bush with a boss when she wants him to just get to the point? You may realize that some of the things you do annoy people so much it is hurting your project or even your career. 

Next we need to figure out what personality types our colleagues have. If they are in the class it's easy but we don't always get that lucky. So we'll show you some tricks based on what they wear, how they decorate their office, how they act in public situations to give you hints on what style they are. And we'll teach you how to not only tone down your more obnoxious traits but talk to them in their own language for the short period you need to influence them. Then you can relax back into your comfort zone. 

We will also explore the beauty of the diverse personality styles. There is no 'best' personality to have if you want to succeed. Just because one style is nicknamed 'boss' doesn't mean all bosses have this style. Each style brings strengths and weaknesses with it and it is up to you to use the strengths of your team members to ensure your project succeeds. Lastly we'll examine some public figures and see how any personality can rise to the top. 

You will laugh at the absurdities of personality clashes and learn how to use them to your advantage. I guarantee your enjoyment and the retention of this knowledge for the rest of your life. Bruce makes these personalities come to life in his irrepressible way.