Speaking at SHRM conference with Personality +!



At last month’s Annual Society for HR Management International Conference, Morris Yankell, Principal, captained the USS HRnterprise into semi-charted territory, where only some men and woman have gone before… cue theme music!

Using the learnings from 35 years of successfully implementing technology and process change projects as well as the teachings of Carl Jung, Meyers/Briggs, John Gray and Men are Mars, Women are from Venus, Personal Intelligence by John Mayer and the Holland Code for making the best career fit for your personality, Morris spoke on the influence of personality on career choice, communication style, ability to change, and conflict and time management.  He presented tools and techniques to harness what we know about traits and types to better manage and communicate.

By looking at the personality traits of those who choose certain professionals, we begin to see patterns of behavior and can learn new ways to be more productive.  Keeping the difference in mind is not intended to be stereotyping but to be aware of and adapt the message and management style as needed.  Many people in HR Talent Acquisition and HR Business partner roles are categorized as Feeling Extraverts.  Meanwhile IT tends to attract Perceiving and Intuitive associates and Finance draws Sensing and Judging staff.  The presentation goes into much more detail on the characteristics of these personality traits.

At this point, Morris led a networking discussion as the audience broke into small groups, introduced themselves based on a short script and took a 4 question personality assessment to get a better understanding of their own personality type and the use of personality survey tools.

The presentation then moved on to the potential preference towards offering solutions over of listening for “Martians” and towards sharing feelings and relationships as important as success for “Venusians”.  Morris then offered suggestions to better engage and cooperate amongst different personality types and “species”.

Some examples of how to communicate better based on these types are:
       Win the support of Feeling types by including those impacted in the decision-making.
       Hold a town hall meeting, so Extraverts can discuss and ask questions.
       Start with the big picture and explain the Why before the How to provide context for Intuitive types.
       Explain the timelines for Judging types, but let Perceiving types know what’s negotiable.
       Provide clear, factual, step-by-step descriptions for Sensing types. Steer clear of vague and theoretical explanations.

Communication and collaboration are more important than ever as we move to multi-generational, multi-country and more diverse projects and work teams.  By better understanding how people are predisposed, how they may perceive reality based on their personal intellectual make up, we can hopefully better work together and achieve success.

The SHRM presentation was well received.  Many in attendance came forward with stories that related to their own perception of these traits as manifest in HR, Finance and IT.  Attendees definitely benefited from the suggestions and tips to improve how they perceive and relate to their co-workers.   

You can benefit as well.  Email Morris@hrcomputes.com to receive the presentation or establish a networking phone call.



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