Every person is unique with a different set of experiences, skills and ambitions.
Research shows there are four core personality types each with four sub-types. While a person’s experiences, skills and ambitions change over time, personality is remarkably stable.
Learning about your personality will help you understand your needs and preferences.
This will enable you to make choices which enhance your level of career satisfaction.
Creatives make up about 30% of the global population. There are four types of Creatives: Synthesizers, Artisans, Persuaders, and Entertainers. Creatives love to have fun. They plan for the future, but they live life in the present moment.
Creative types share a number of characteristics. They are bold, spontaneous, unconventional, and risk-taking. They seek stimulation, prize the freedom to do what they want, and they are generally grounded.
In their professional lives, Creatives excel at mastering new skills, particularly those involving tools or instruments. They have a bias for action, are practical and willing to take risks. This makes them highly effective entrepreneurs and problem solvers.
Creative Persuaders make up about 8% of the population. Persuaders are charming and energetic with an irreverent sense of humor. They are highly persuasive and ultra-competitive. They enjoy the finer things in life, have an extensive network of friends and acquaintances and are fun to be around. Persuaders are the life of the party!
Persuaders are full of ideas for new and exciting projects and take immediate action to translate these ideas into reality. Naturally charismatic, Persuaders easily inspire others to go along with their plans. They are expert at handling people in the same way that other types excel at handling systems, tools or data.
Persuaders derive their energy from drama, high emotions and risky situations. These fire their imagination and help them make bold but rational decisions. Persuaders are confident, optimistic, assertive, and cunning and generally get what they want.
Persuaders are full of energy and love to challenge the status quo. They like nothing better than exploring new ideas and opportunities. Their boldness leads them to take actions that other types would not consider.
Persuaders are interested in facts, ideas and knowledge which they can put into practice. They tend to find conceptual discussions boring.
Persuaders are adept at spotting opportunities that other people do not. They experiment to combine ideas and concepts in novel ways to achieve outstanding results.
Persuaders are keen observers. They notice even small changes and have a memory for detail. This helps them to build relationships and identify when things need to change.olving skills kick in as they work to fix problems.
Persuaders communicate in factual terms without sugar coating their message.
Outgoing, energetic and charming, Persuaders are highly sociable. They use their people skills to build networks to help them achieve their goals.
Persuaders focus on facts rather than feelings and may offend others with their bluntness. They can struggle to communicate in emotional terms and find it difficult to share their own feelings. This is likely to be off putting for more sensitive types and a barrier to deeper communications.
Persuaders may act impulsively without thinking through the consequences. They enjoy the extra level of risk and view their actions as experimental. This can sometimes have unfortunate consequences.
Their focus on solving current problems means that Persuaders may ignore the bigger picture. This may lead projects to fail or be unsustainable. Further, a Persuader’s tactics may also run counter to rules and guidelines.
Both highly competitive and charismatic, Persuaders may be seen as manipulative or ruthless. They may also fail to invest in developing supportive long-term friendships.
Persuaders have a low tolerance for authority and commitment and hate to feel constrained. They may struggle to maintain the discipline associated with academic pursuits. Further, a Persuader will often only stay in a routine role long enough to learn what they need.
Creative Persuaders are gregarious, energetic and irreverent. They are the same in social settings. Resourceful and intrepid, Persuaders usually get what they want.
Persuaders are quick on their feet. They enjoy goals which allow them to use fast thinking and ingenuity to experiment and solve problems. They are capable of restraint but struggle in companies which reward compliance and respect for authority. Their boldness and tendency to act without due regard for the consequences can be a liability.
Persuaders have a wealth of ideas. They are great at initiating projects to solve problems or capitalize on new opportunities. Persuaders are also good at promoting their plans and persuading others to support them.
Work gives you meaning and purpose and life is empty without it.
Persuaders tend to be less interested in the details of execution or project management. Many Persuaders can improve their performance by leveraging tools to turn strategy into action plans and tactics. They can augment these tactics with simple hacks to drive results. This way, they are able to deliver longer term projects or initiatives.
Persuaders thrive on handling unplanned challenges. However, their short-term focus on their own projects may result in a lack of attention to the broader goals of the organization. As a result, they can sometimes overlook longer term trends or initiatives in other parts of the organization that might impact their work. Some Persuaders can benefit by learning techniques to expand their perspective to see ahead more clearly so that they can ensure the viability of their efforts. They may also profit from using tools to help them align their goals to broader strategies could help them increase broader support for their objectives.
Persuaders thrive on excitement. They are easily bored and prefer turbulent and changing environments to calm, steady ones. When bored Persuaders can be mischievous, causing trouble for their own amusement.
Creative Persuaders are outgoing, sociable and enjoy sharing a wealth of stories and jokes. Naturally charismatic, Persuaders like to be the center of attention in any setting. They are engaging and entertaining and draw people to them. Persuaders have wide ranging networks and have no problem in reaching out to others to ask for their support. They expect others to respond positively and they usually do.
As great readers of people, Persuaders can see right through to other people’s agendas. Although they are capable of listening deeply to others, they generally stick to their own ideas. Persuaders tend to pursue their own goals rather than looking for compromise.
Adept at dealing with facts, Persuaders are less confident making value judgements and dealing with other people’s emotions. More sensitive types may be hurt or demotivated by their blunt, fact-based delivery. Some Promoters can benefit from using emotional intelligence tools to learn how to read different types of people and communicate with greater empathy. Combined with techniques to understand more about people’s work and non-work lives, using tools like these can dramatically improve work relationships.
Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much.
Persuaders like to win. This combined with the force of their personality may mean that they ride roughshod over others. While they may win battles in the short term, they can damage relationships and lose support in the longer term. This can ultimately diminish their overall effectiveness. The most effective Persuaders understand the implications of these behaviors. They take proactive steps to understand the goals and concerns of others to try and craft solutions that meet more than just their own immediate needs. This way, they can preserve essential relationships and maximize their long-term gain.
Persuaders are always on the move, preferring action to abstract discussions. Their friendships are based on common interests rather than underlying values or beliefs. They get on with almost anyone and their zest for life and love of fun means that they have a wide range of friends. However, Persuaders may lack connections with people on a more emotional level.
Persuaders are easily bored, dislike authority and commitment, and find it difficult to share their own feelings or to deal with other people’s emotions. As a result, they tend to have few very close friends. However, given their gregarious nature and the ease with which they make casual friends, Persuaders are unlikely to feel lonely.
Creative Persuaders relish the flexibility and authority that leadership brings. Full of ideas, decisive, good in a crisis and with the personality to promote their agenda, they are inspiring and exciting managers.
Persuaders may focus on a range of actions rather than spending a lot of time on planning or evaluating options. They create prototypes and experiments and move swiftly on when things don’t work out. This can feel somewhat chaotic for members of their team.
Persuaders are also adept at delegating concrete, tangible actions to help them deliver what is needed. This style doesn’t work for everyone. Some people need a clearer view of the strategy or work best when they understand the justification for what they’re being asked to do. Some Persuaders leaders can benefit by using techniques to highlight the strategic rationale for projects or initiatives and showing their people how what they’re being asked to do supports broader goals.
Persuaders are highly observant of changes in mood or behavior. But they have little patience for those they perceive as emotionally needy. The performance feedback a Persuader provides will tend to be clear, factual and blunt. Some personality types appreciate this objective input. Others may find it harsh and uncaring.
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.
The most effective Persuaders actively work to build caring relationships with their people so that when they deliver feedback it does not have a detrimental impact on the relationship. They also practice inquiry-based coaching techniques like self-feedback to increase personal accountability and minimize the perception of their insensitivity.
Persuaders relish change and the opportunities that come with turbulent environments. They shift gears with ease. Persuader’s ability to adapt to changing circumstances is one of their most important strengths. Most other people are not as comfortable with the same level of variation that Persuaders enjoy. The most effective Persuaders understand how different people respond to change. They understand they can increase their organization’s capacity for change by using change tools to help people proactively cope with transitions.
Persuaders are skillful negotiators and networkers and will reach out beyond their own team to get the support they need. However, their tendency to disregard the rules and focus on achieving their own agenda may potentially trip them up. A Persuader’s brashness can also lead to challenges in more formal settings. Learning to navigate organizational politics by sensing how people and organizations function can help some Persuader leaders. They will accelerate achievement of their goals by anticipating political pitfalls and adjusting their approach appropriately.
Persuaders enjoy life to the full and create a fun and informal workplace environment, sharing stories and jokes with the team. They will recognize and celebrate achievements and inspire others to deliver their agenda. A Persuader’s tolerance of alternative approaches will motivate those who can keep up with the pace and who enjoy the excitement.
Creative Persuaders are observant, think on their feet and have high levels of personal energy. Their ability to build extensive networks and to inspire others to support their goals is second to none. Persuaders make things happen wherever they go.
Persuaders are bold, enjoy risk and the opportunity to move their agenda forward. They thrive in pressurized environments where quick decision-making and mental agility are prized. Sales, law, corporate strategy and any other career which requires tough negotiations will be a good fit.
Persuaders have high situational awareness, a strong bias for action, and skill in handling crises. They dislike routine and being bored. These characteristics makes roles in the armed forces, law enforcement, or as first responders a great fit.
I attribute my success to this - I never gave or took any excuse.
Many Persuaders can thrive as entrepreneurs. They enjoy the freedom to act, to set their own agenda and to leverage their skills to spot and exploit business opportunities. A Persuader’s high tolerance of risk, desire to win and ability to promote their ideas all find an outlet as they master their own destiny.
Persuaders crave the opportunity to make their mark in their organization. They will be happiest in non-conventional roles and environments that don’t require an excessive amount of routine work. They need variety, autonomy and spontaneity to keep motivated. Persuaders appreciate informal work environments that reward their unique contributions rather than their role. They are motivated by progression based on merit rather than title or position.
Persuaders like to socialize at work and tend to avoid repetitive or tedious work. They are expedient and prefer getting results to working through standard processes. Organizations that demand strict compliance with rules and procedures or lots of internal competition will not be a good fit. Over time, such environments may be harmful to their health and wellbeing.
Persuaders are bold and optimistic. They enjoy responding quickly to challenges. Persuaders excel at building relationships and entertaining those around them. They are consummate negotiators and deal makers. Persuaders are built to win in the face of substantial competition and can accelerate results in their organization like no other type.
Too often, we leave our growth to random chance. That can be frustrating because we can’t always grow as fast as we want (or need) to! While experience can be a great teacher, there is no substitute for learning proven strategies to maximize our potential.
Creative Persuaders have tremendous capabilities. They also share some common challenges. Possible areas for growth for Persuaders include:
Build stronger relationships with the people who matter most
Enlist key stakeholders and accelerate change
Enhance your interpersonal skills to strengthen relationship
Provide others with insight in a way which helps improve their performance
Set up people and teams to drive accountability and achieve measurable results
Navigate complex organizational relationships and power dynamics
Deliver critical project outcomes on time and on budget
Establish a bold vision for the future and create clear plans to achieve it
Adapt your interpersonal approach to build rapport and influence others
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