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Are you a people person or would you rather ride out on a
tractor or horse by yourself all day? Your answer to that
question reflects some of your personality – such as whether you
are an extrovert who draws energy from being around others or an
introvert who works best alone.
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.
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.
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:
- Duty, which is people who are
organized, accurate and efficient. Prosch says, “These people
like to follow the rules.”
-
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.
-
Competence, which are the analytical and scientific types.
-
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.
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.
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.
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. |
