• Black Tide - Pt. 2

• Calf Health

• Gelbvieh Guide

• Just 5 Questions

• Reads For Ranchers - Pt. 2

• The World According To
   Hooter McCormick

EDITORIALS

• TRAILS
• RIDING THE GAP

Beth Eberspacher and Al Prosch, both with the ag economics department at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln, advocate that understanding your personality type and the personality traits of others you work with can help make things go more smoothly in the workplace – be it an office or a ranch.

1. How can personality traits affect work and marketing relationships?
   “Understanding personalities helps you understand how you make decisions and where others might be coming from. That can lower anxiety in the workplace,” explains Eberspacher.
   
   As an example, she says some people have a personality where they need time and information to make a decision; other personalities might like to make choices on the spur of the moment. Recognizing and respecting those differences can help facilitate better communication, she says.

2. What are the major differences in people’s personalities?
   Prosch explains that there are two main personality types – extroverts and introverts. Extroverts tend to like talking to everyone, they seek action, and they often act before they have a full understanding of all the details.
   
   Introverts like to think things through, they want in-depth facts and knowledge, and they may think and think and never act.
   
   Each personality has its own strengths and weaknesses, say Prosch. “We just need to learn to manage them,” he says.
   
   Within these two categories, people tend to have one of four distinct styles. Prosch and Eberspacher explain them as:

   1. Duty, which is people who are organized, accurate and efficient. Prosch says, “These people like to follow the rules.”

   2. People, which is an individual who is social, flexible and personable. Prosch says this tends to be the personality that volunteers and serves on boards.

   3. Competence, which are the analytical and scientific types.

   4. Now, these are the thrill seekers and creative types. But they are also the quick thinkers in a crisis.

   Prosch says everyone has a little bit of each of these personality styles, but most people have one or two styles that dominate their personality.

3. How can these differences in personality impact marketing styles?
   Because these personality styles influence how we process information and make decisions, Prosch says they can also influence how we market.
   For instance, Prosch says,

   • The organized “duty” style will want to understand marketing strategies and is quite risk averse.

   • Whereas a “people” personality will act more on hunches instead of facts. They have a “go for it attitude.”

   • The “now” style will be very flexible with their marketing plan and actually enjoy the excitement of the risk. They see marketing more as a game.

   • The “competence” style will need to learn from a broker or consultant that they feel is very competent. Once they feel educated, they will be very independent in making their own decisions.

4. How can you make the most of your own personality?
   Eberspacher emphasizes that the beneficial part of understanding personalities is that it gives insight to communication and decision making. “It helps us understand why we and others do the things we do,” she concludes.
   
   The pair suggests knowing and focusing on your strengths. Then, team up with others who have strengths you don’t have. They also suggest a written plan – be it for marketing, farm transfer, or simply ranch goals – can help take the emotions out of things and helps facilitate communication among all different personality styles.

5. Where can you learn more about personality types?
   If you’d like to learn more about your personality type, the following two websites offer the Myers-Briggs personality test online: www.humanmetrics.com offers a free test and results, www.keirsey.com charges $14.95 for test results and detailed information about your personality type.