Socrates said: “To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom” and even though the advice is two thousand years old, it is still valid; self-knowledge is one of the most powerful tools that you can have in your career arsenal.
I have always been fascinated with personality assessments and tools that help you gain insight into your personal preferences or styles. I look at them as mirrors, bringing into resolution an aspect of myself that I otherwise would not see. The assessments also provide me with language to describe feelings or behaviors that are so ingrained that I take for granted that everyone possesses them.
One of the newest insights has occurred through Gretchen Rubin’s Four Tendencies Quiz. The results describe how you respond to inner expectations we set for ourselves and outer expectations that others impose. Rubin outlines four frameworks for the Tendencies: Upholder (who meets both inner and outer expectations), Rebel (who resists both), Questioner (resists outer but meets inner) and Obliger (meets outer but resists inner).
You can take the free quiz here.
Having additional knowledge about yourself can help you design strategies to compensate in areas where you are challenged and to set up systems that play to your strengths. Knowing such information about your staff can also help you tailor your supervisory style to align with others’ tendencies and help everyone achieve success.
Spend a few minutes today heeding Socrates’ advice and gain some wisdom that will help change your habits.
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