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.
Traditionals make up about 45% – 50% of the global population. There are four types of Traditionals: Shielders, Enforcers, Regulators, and Nurturers. Traditionals place a high value on preserving stability, tradition and values.
Traditional types share a number of characteristics. They are helpful, collaborative, and diligent. They love to work hard and serve others. They also possess a deep sense of personal humility. Traditionals prize security and operating in accordance with defined rules and protocol.
In their professional lives, Traditionals excel at maintaining and improving the performance of systems, processes, and relationships. The ultimate executors, Traditionals thrive on getting things done, no matter how difficult the task. Their bias for action and sense of stability makes them highly effective managers and process leaders.
Traditional Nurturers make up about 12% of the population. Nurturers put the interests of other people before their own. Their sociable and thoughtful nature means that they find it easy to make friends and to keep them. They devote time and energy to making sure that everyone is happy whether at home or at work. They love hearing about the details of other people’s lives and are quick to pick up on any tension. They willingly talk through issues with empathy and understanding.
Nurturers tend to avoid conflict and will intervene to restore harmony. They prefer planned events to spontaneous ones and put a lot of effort into the events they organize. Their feelings can be hurt if people do not want to participate or do not appreciate their efforts.
Nurturers respect tradition and hierarchy and enjoy stable rather than turbulent environments. A Nurturer’s sense of right or wrong is based on rules and precedent rather than any particular philosophy. Nurturers prefer to have some level of control over their environment so that they can maintain their sense of order and stability. They prefer hierarchy and authority and like to stick to traditions and precedent.
Nurturers are comfortable social settings. They start conversations easily and are good at making small talk. Others feel comfortable in their company as Nurturers are truly interested in learning more about them.
Nurturers care deeply about other people’s feelings and try to avoid offending or hurting them. They don’t like conflict and will work to identify compromises which make everyone happy. Nurturers are strong team players who willingly support others.
Nurturers can be relied on to manage routine tasks and priorities consistently. They are also good at multi-tasking. Nurturers work to clarify expectations and fulfill obligations even when tasks aren't interesting to them.
A Nurturer’s strong sense of loyalty is driven by their desire for stability and security. They are trustworthy and reliable at work, at home, and in social groups. As a result, Nurturers expect that their loyalty and support for others will be reciprocated. Nurturers may become hurt if others don't live up to their expectations.
Nurturers tend to be concerned about what others think of them. They have a strong desire to fit in and to be influential. This can sometimes limit their creativity and open-mindedness.
Nurturers value socially accepted norms and can be critical of unconventional behaviors. This can inhibit them from adopting good ideas and maintaining the engagement of others.
Nurturers appreciate tried and true ways of doing things. They can be reluctant to step outside their comfort zone to innovate or try things which appear unusual. This may stop a Nurturer from exploring promising opportunities and can limit their learning and growth.
Because they work so hard to support and please other people, a Nurturer may expect that people be equally supportive of them. Nurturers tend to take criticism personally and may become defensive when someone questions something they say or do.
Nurturers gain a sense of belonging from being thanked and acknowledged by others. They may tend to chase compliments to get the recognition the feel they deserve. Others may view this as irritating which may devalue a Nurturer’s contributions.
Nurturers value themselves by the extent to which they help others. In their eagerness to be supportive they can sometimes smother people who don’t want their help.
Traditional Nurturers enjoy work in stable environments. They appreciate a clear hierarchy and established processes, policies and rules. They can be relied on to complete routine tasks diligently and are efficient multi-taskers.
Nurturers are collaborative and work well as part of a team. They derive both energy and enjoyment from supporting others and will tend to feel unsatisfied working on their own. In their desire to help, they need to be careful not to become overloaded, or to spend too much time supporting others at the expense of their own work. Nurturers expect others to work as hard as they do and may feel let down when this is not the case.
Work gives you meaning and purpose and life is empty without it.
Nurturers crave recognition and belonging. They may feel offended or hurt when their contribution is not appreciated. They are also sensitive to constructive feedback, even when it is well intended. Using techniques to reframe critical input can help some Nurturers respond positively and maintain their relationships.
Nurturers may feel stressed in turbulent situations or during times of change and instability. They may also lack confidence if required to innovate or to identify and put in place solutions on the spot. A Nurturer’s capacity for self-sacrifice may also mean that they give insufficient priority to their own needs. This can lead to stress and overwhelm. Taking a step back to adopt a more balanced approach could be healthy for them and improve their confidence and resilience.
Traditional Nurturers are outgoing. They enjoy investing time and energy in building and maintaining relationships. Others view them as friendly, helpful and thoughtful and they are likely to have many longstanding friendships at work and home.
Nurturers use their empathy and interpersonal skills to strengthen connections and create harmony at work. They are sensitive to tension in teams and seek to reduce it by seeking compromise and win-win solutions.
Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much.
Nurturers tend to avoid conflict and may ignore their own problems rather than confronting them head on. Their productivity can also be affected if they experience negative relationships at work. Some Nurturers can benefit by using techniques to let people respectfully know where they stand in order to clarify their position on an issue. Others can benefit by learning how to manage emotional reactions in tense situations to manage conflict effectively.
Nurturers are good at building networks and use these to help them and those around them get things done. They generally know someone who can help and are happy to ask for their support. However, they can be judgmental or dismissive of those who have unconventional views or approaches. Learning to appreciate different viewpoints or ways of doing things may enable some Nurturers to be more innovative.
Nurturers are loyal to their friends and colleagues and will defend those in their circle against criticism. As a result, a Nurturer will likely expect their loyalty to be reciprocated. They may become deeply offended if someone they trust criticizes them. Learning to respond to corrective feedback could help some Nurturers handle feedback and develop new skills more quickly.
Traditional Nurturers leaders work hard to create a harmonious and collaborative environment. They sense conflict and defuse stressful situations by seeking win-win solutions. They are approachable and supportive and help out anyone who needs it.
Nurturers have great respect for hierarchy and tradition and expect the same of others on their teams. Consequently, a Nurturer may struggle if they feel that their authority is being challenged.
When they delegate tasks, Nurturers are more likely to make suggestions than issue commands. They expect team members to understand what is required of them. Although they don’t like to offend others, Nurturers can become angry and blunt if they feel that someone has let them down. A typical Nurturer’s delegation and management style does not work for everyone. They may improve team morale and performance by flexing their style to alter the way they communicate expectations to others.
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.
Nurturers tend to pay most attention to people who have the same views, sense of duty and respect for stability and harmony. They can be dismissive of people who appear disruptive or come up with innovative ideas and suggestions for change. Learning to value the input of those with different personality types may increase the motivation of members of a Nurturer’s team.
Nurturers often recognize team members’ contributions and enjoy organizing events to celebrate accomplishments. They tend to crave the same level of recognition from their boss and can become overly needy if this is not forthcoming. Some Nurturers may benefit by learning how to promote accomplishments more objectively. This can improve their leadership effectiveness as well as their career prospects.
Nurturers lead best in stable environments where everyone understands their expectations. They can be resistant to new ideas which threaten to disrupt the harmony of the group or their ability to deliver results. However, once they are convinced of the need for change, they will help their people embrace the new way of doing things. They can sometimes experience overwhelm in the face of large-scale change. It may be helpful for some leaders to use key change management tools to help their people deal with transitions and accelerate the transformation.
Traditional Nurturers have an exceptional capacity for building and maintaining productive relationships. They are diligent, practical, and loyal and contribute to the stability of the organizations in which they work.
Jobs which make use of their skills in organizing people and tasks could be a good fit for them. Team leadership roles in call centers, manufacturing, retail or hospitality may be attractive to them. They are most energized and engaged in a busy environment surrounded by people.
Jobs which are purely analytical or academic may not be a good fit as Nurturers will miss the social interaction with others. Nurturers are often attracted to caring professions such as teaching, coaching, medicine and social work. These fields make good use of their strengths in listening, empathy and guiding others.
Nurturers are altruistic and need to feel that what they are doing is benefitting someone else. This is often the motivation behind their career decisions. For this reason, they may be drawn to work for charities, community organizations or to social work.
I attribute my success to this - I never gave or took any excuse.
Nurturers work best in environments which reward their ability to build relationships and their diligence. They enjoy working in companies which have an established hierarchy and a well-defined set of rules and processes. Nurturers appreciate routine and predictability. Their respect for authority means that they are happy to support team and organizational goals. Nurturers often go above and beyond the call of duty and, more than other types, appreciate recognition for their contributions. Consequently, Nurturers will thrive in environments which recognize not only results, but the effort required to achieve them.
Nurturers may wish to avoid organizations that require a high degree of innovation or internal competition. Nurturers like working with people. Organizations or roles which limit their ability to work with other people are not likely to be satisfying. Nurturers also place a high value on credibility, tried and true ways of doing things, and recognition of authority. Workplaces which are less stable or formal may not be a strong fit.
Nurturers have a talent for dealing with people in the workplace. They have a great capacity for managing challenging situations and handling difficult people. They are incredibly hardworking and devoted to the mission of their organization and those it serves. Their contributions are essential to the stability and smooth functioning of any group, organization or culture.
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.
Traditional Nurturers have tremendous capabilities. They also share some common challenges. Possible areas for growth for Nurturers include:
Communicate and act with confidence
Enlist support from key stakeholders and accelerate change
Handle conflict and disagreement to increase collaboration and reduce interpersonal friction
Increase effectivess by embracing and involving others with diverse perspectives
Be strong and productive in times of stress and uncertainty
Learn from feedback to strengthen your performance and effectiveness
Build your confidence to address difficult topics assertively
Founder, Walmart
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