Personality results for Norman B. Normal
Your Outgoing score is 11 (very Quiet).
Quiet |-----X------------------|------------------------| Outgoing
You enjoy privacy, solitude, and
working alone. You do your best
one-on-one or inside your own head. You
may seek technical specialist or back office sorts of careers. Excessive demands for interaction with others probably stress
you.
Your Strategic score is 85 (very Strategic).
Tactical |------------------------|----------------X-------| Strategic
You are an abstract, imaginative,
creative, innovative, big picture thinker.
You focus on the future, the long range, the strategic. You are visionary and conceptual, but may lack realism or an
ability to attend to factual matters. You
like to strategize or conceptualize about long range ideas.
Your Empathic score is 75 (moderately Empathic).
Analytical
|------------------------|------------X-----------| Empathic
Your strengths are empathy,
caring, concern for others, the ability to read others' feelings, and a focus on
harmony. A good job for you focuses
on other people and their needs and problems.
You may lack objectivity, finding it hard to see the dark side of what
you value.
Your Convergent score is 22 (moderately Divergent).
Divergent
|----------X-------------|------------------------| Convergent
You are a flexible, spontaneous,
adaptable person who likes to go with the flow and live in the moment.
Excessive structure makes you feel trapped;
you need autonomy, freedom. You
may struggle with disorganization or procrastination, but are good at handling
the unexpected.
Your Resilient score is 14 (very Labile).
Labile |------X-----------------|------------------------| Resilient
You dislike stressful situations
and may be prone to worry, self-doubt, or ups and downs in mood. However, this means you have a rich emotional life and are
good at being honest with yourself about challenges and struggles.
This may make you empathic toward others' struggles.
Career results for Norman B. Normal
Because you do your best work
alone, you should seek jobs that allow you to spend considerable time by
yourself. Your likely ability to
concentrate on a single task for long periods of time may suggest a technical or
specialist career if your general interests and abilities confirm that.
Avoid work situations that drain you of energy by requiring you to spend
large amounts of time interacting with others you do not know well.
However, in managing your career, do not neglect the importance of
networking and of maintaining active relationships with others.
It is not sufficient to do a job well;
others need to know who you are.
You likely enjoy work with words,
ideas, concepts, or strategic considerations, or other work that primarily
involves intangibles and a long-range or theoretical focus. Thinking outside the box, and using your abilities as a
creative, innovative, insightful, imaginative thinker, may be important to you.
Routine work likely bores you; you
like to do things your own way, or blaze new trails.
You may be more of a builder than a maintainer.
Remember that many employment decision makers have more of a pragmatic
focus than you do, so remember that you must justify your contributions in the
short term, including cost justifications.
Making a difference in the world
-- helping others or being of service to others -- is likely to be of prime
importance to you. Work without
this deeper significance is unlikely to satisfy you even if you are well paid.
You may gravitate to service oriented work sectors such as health care,
counseling, education, or customer service.
Be careful of your tendency to sell yourself short or to be too
soft-spoken or unassertive in your dealings with others.
Be sure to consider the logical consequences of career decisions you make
-- decide in part with your head, not just with your heart.
You like to take a flexible,
spontaneous approach to the work you do. This
may mean that you excel at multitasking or at handling spontaneous situations.
However, it also likely means that you need to be excited or enthusiastic
about what you do; if work is boring or mundane for you, you lose interest.
Choose work where you are not pressured to make a lot of snap decisions,
since you may like to preserve your freedom to 'decide and undecide' or to try
out various approaches before you commit to any one of them.
Since most employment decision makers are more convergent than you are,
show that you can be serious and a hard worker.
It's important for you to avoid
undue stress on the job, since one of your prime motivators is to have a
low-stress work environment. In
part, this may mean avoiding situations that present you with a lot of changes
that are outside your control, since whether or not you like changes that you
initiate, you probably dislike handling those that are thrust on you from
outside without your choice or permission.
Since many employment decision makers value resilience, be sure that you
'put your best foot forward' in job interviews and present yourself honestly as
one who can outwardly manage stress, even if you inwardly prefer a different
environment -- or else seek that different environment.
Communication
results for Norman B. Normal
You like to think things through
carefully before sharing your thoughts with others, and need lots of 'soak
time'. You prefer that others tell
you in advance that they have an issue to discuss with you, so you can decide
what you think and plan out how you want to share that.
But be careful not to overdo that strategy, since others who are more
outgoing than you may be looking for on-the-spot feedback or may expect you to
share your thoughts along the way; if
you do not, they may feel shut out or think of you as 'not a team player'.
For similar reasons, avoid the overuse of memos and email;
sometimes face to face conversation is best.
You are likely a complex,
nonlinear communicator who likes to say things in original ways.
You may be careful with your words, or may value others who are
intellectual or creative in their communication.
But remember that others who are less strategic may like things said
simply! Learn how. Assiduously
eschew obfuscation! When speaking with less strategic people, take care to finish
your sentences and to speak in straight lines with a clear beginning, middle,
and end. Provide more details than
you might normally, and don't get frustrated if the other person offers what to
you is excessive, needless detail in return.
And try to get your facts right!
Because you are so attuned to how
others are feeling, you are sensitive and empathic in listening to others - the
sort of person others like to turn to in times of need. But this same trait may cause you to find it difficult to be
blunt and direct when you have to disagree with others, deliver bad news, or say
something that might hurt others' feelings. Practice delivering negative
feedback in a direct enough manner that others will get the point.
Also be aware of your tendency to overidealize people and situations you
value; in showing your enthusiasm
at such times, remember that the reality is likely less extreme than you think.
Because you like to keep your
options open, you may use verbal habits that make you sound less certain than
you really are. For instance, you
may say 'maybe,' 'might,' or 'could be' when you really mean 'yes' or 'no'. You
may tend to 'answer a question with a question' or to be uncomfortable when
asked to commit irrevocably to a point of view on the spot. As a result, others
may see you as fickle, uncommitted, ambivalent, or unpredictable, when what you
really need is more time. Also
watch your tendency to overuse humor. Humor
is a valuable tool and has its place, but others may want and expect to be
treated seriously at times.
Be careful about outwardly
expressing or articulating your inner fears. There's nothing wrong with
worrying; when harnessed
productively, it is a good way to anticipate negative consequences so you can
plan for them, have contingencies in place, or avoid unrealistic optimism.
But our culture tends to prize optimism and confidence, and to confuse
low self-esteem with incompetence. So
you need to learn when to keep your concerns to yourself and, without being
dishonest or deceptive, put your best foot forward and portray your most
hopeful, assured face to others. Find a small circle of trusted confidants to
share your deeper concerns.
Conflict
management results for Norman B. Normal
Because of your desire to think
things through thoroughly before responding, you dislike direct confrontation
and avoid it when you can. You are
at your best when difficult discussions are scheduled and thought through in
advance, but may need to practice thinking on your feet, since under stress you
may surprise others by suddenly (and uncharacteristically!) 'exploding' or
sharing several years' worth of stored-up, unspoken grievances!
Because you rarely say much, others will likely listen when you do speak,
bu paradoxically, your contributions can easily be underestimated. Remember
that you have to actually say what you think, not just think it, for it to make
a difference - beware your tendency to 'stonewall' under stress.
Your greatest strength in conflict
situations -- your ability to see beyond the immediate situation and to be aware
of wider implications and ramifications -- may also be your greatest weakness.
This is because of your tendency to widen the scope of any question,
which means that when a small, short-range, concrete, tactical, practical
solution is all that's needed, you may miss the simple easy solution in your
search for the elegant comprehensive one. You
may become so focused on finding a theoretical explanation for what went wrong
that you forget that many others don't care so much about 'why' as about 'what'
- what can be done about it.
You likely are a conflict averse
person. You like harmony, you are
empathic and caring, and you like to be liked and wanted and needed... all of
which are good traits in themselves, but which may make conflict more
challenging for you. Learn to focus
equally on goals and on relationship; in relationships worth keeping, harmony
won't be permanently shattered if you express your true point of view directly
and clearly in a respectful way. If
you need help with self-assertion, consider assertiveness training or other
external support that will help you ask for what you really want.
Aim for the 'win-win or no deal' solution.
Because of your tendency to avoid
closure, you likely resist any attempt on the part of more convergent others to
settle on a permanent solution to any problem.
You are likely willing to try out alternative strategies on a trial run
basis, but have such high autonomy needs that you don't want to be boxed in or
fenced in. But others who are more
convergent than you may find this style very stressful, so learn when to fish or
cut bait and when to commit. Also
be aware that stress is likely to make you more likely to overuse humor as a
defense, at precisely the time when others may most want, need, and expect you
to be sober and serious in your approach.
Because stress is difficult for
you, it's very important that you know your stress limits and work within them.
If you do not, you are likely to show 'shadow' behaviors that are very
unlike your normal, in-balance self. This
will confuse others and damage your reputation and self-esteem as well. Avoid
these reactions by learning your 'early warning stress indicators' and taking
them seriously! Usually, when you
find yourself exaggerating your normal style (e.g., a quiet person who gets
still quieter), that means you are stressed.
If you don't take these early indicators seriously, a reversal effect may
occur in which you suddenly become an immature, out of control version of your
normal self - never pretty, rarely helpful!
Organizational
culture fit results for Norman B. Normal
You prefer organizations and work
cultures in which people are allowed and expected to work autonomously, as
individual contributors to group efforts. You
like to be given a task and then left alone to do it, and dislike cultures in
which 'everything gets teamed to death.' But
be aware that in many work cultures, teamwork and collaboration are key values,
and you don't want to get labeled as a 'maverick' or a 'lone wolf' when in fact
you are making important contributions to group goals in your own quiet,
autonomous way. So learn to
tolerate 'needless meetings', redundant communication, social activities and the
like.
You like visionary, cutting-edge
cultures in which there is always a push toward improving things or finding new
ways to do things. You dislike
convention and tradition for their own sake, though can tolerate or even value
them when they serve a wider discernable purpose – but not as ends in
themselves. You like to push the
envelope, to stretch the box, to be challenged mentally.
You probably like technology and like broadly conceptual-theoretical
approaches to understanding work. You
want and need to be allowed to ask 'why'. You
value intellectuality, creativity, and mental curiosity and want your colleagues
to feel likewise.
You define good work as that which
contributes to making the world a better place, so you want to work for an
organization that shares this wider sense of meaning, mission, and purpose.
You may not be averse to making a good living or to the profit motive in
general, but this can never be your prime consideration and you dislike
organizations that are driven purely and solely by the bottom line.
You need an ethical organization that does what it claims to do -- acts
responsibly, cares for its customers (and its employees), treats people as
individuals and 'not just numbers on a spreadsheet'.
You may be intensely idealistic and may expect others around you to share
your core values about putting others first.
You are at your best in relaxed,
informal organizations in which people don't make the mistake of taking
themselves too seriously, and in which what you can do is more important than
your place on the organizational chart. You
like flexibility, spontaneity, freedom, autonomy, and a chance to mix work and
play -- however you may define play. Lifestyle
balance is probably important to you; your
work can never be your whole life, and you resist undue demands from your
employer to make it so. However, you need to prove that you do have a solid work
ethic! You probably gravitate to
small, entrepreneurial, startup kinds of companies.
A culture that does not place
undue stress on its members is important to you;
what this means specifically depends on your personal definition of
stress. For one person this might
mean avoidance of long hours or of excessive travel, for another avoidance of an
'up-or-out' culture with high levels of internal competition, for another
avoidance of even a hint of ethical compromise, for another stability and job
security in the old traditional sense. Know
what high stress means for you on the job and avoid it, although you need to be
aware that in today's work world, some of your expectations may need to be
adjusted in light of the new realities.
Problem
solving and decision making results for Norman B. Normal
You make your best decisions when
you have lots of 'soak time' to assess and analyze situations, since you likely
utilize a strongly deliberate style. Make
allowances for that, and let others know that you need this so they don't think
you are stalling or avoiding the issues. However,
don't overdo it: be aware of your
tendency to 'analysis paralysis', and remember that even the best decision in
the world is worthless unless you act on it.
So remember to put feet to your ideas;
start with small, safe 'baby steps' that have minimal consequences.
Stretch your risk zone in engaging the outer world of action and
interaction.
You are a naturally strategic
decision maker who likes to ask the broadest possible question, and likes to
consider long-range or conceptual sorts of implications before deciding.
You may like brainstorming or generating a large number of creative
solutions, including 'off-the-wall' or 'out-of-the-box' ideas.
Use these strengths to your advantage, but avoid your tendency to
hypercomplexify problems and to seek original, unique answers. Sometimes, a
simple answer with a proven track record is in fact the best answer. Know the difference between effective, productive
conceptualizing and activities that are disguised forms of avoiding conflict or
deferring unwanted action. Be sure
to test the practicalities of your ideas first.
You are a subjective decision
maker for whom personal (or collective) values are primary;
you decide with your heart more than your head, and remaining true to
your fundamental commitments or understandings is mission-critical for you.
Go with this strength by knowing what your core values are (e.g., write a
mission statement), but remember that you have to consider causes, effects, and
consequences as well rather than overidealizing reality or asserting the power
of your belief. Know that you find
it difficult to see the dark side of what you care for, and that workable
compromises with reality are sometimes necessary.
The main challenge in decision
making for you may be that you don't like to have things decided and settled!
You need options; you hate to be fenced in;
you avoid premature commitments and choices. Thus, you need to strike a workable balance that allows you
to explore, yet also eventually to choose, commit, and act.
Remember that most choices are not irrevocable, but are 'a tentative
commitment to a possible direction' as long as you don't fool more convergent
others into thinking that you are making a choice that they see as permanent.
Find ways to preserve 'pockets of autonomy' within a general structure
and commitment.
If decision making represents a
source of specific stress for you, ask yourself why.
Often it's because you fear the worst case scenario, in which case it's
helpful to get specific about exactly what that is. Spell out your worst fears in detail and in writing.
Usually you will find that this outcome is highly unlikely, but more
important, that you can identify productive ways of coping with it or handling
it if it did come to pass. Sometimes you can exaggerate to the point of absurdity, and
use healthy humor as a way to break the worry box.
If you strongly resist a decision, try to figure out what you are trying
to protect, preserve, or defend; this
pinpoints your REAL decision.
Learning
style results for Norman B. Normal
You likely learn best by yourself,
utilizing your good powers of concentration and your ability to focus intensely
on a single task or project for long periods of time. External distractions bother you and should be avoided since
they keep you from easily tuning out the outer world and focusing on the matter
at hand. You are probably more of a
visual than an auditory learner, so take good notes and rely on them.
You are likely a “top-down”
learner who likes to start with an overall concept, schema, or view of what is
to be learned and then fill in necessary details, only as they are needed, and
often in a nonlinear fashion. You
likely engage in lots of skimming and like to learn the material in your own
way. This style serves you well
when learning material that is theoretical and random-access, but may pose
problems with more detail-oriented, factual, or linear material.
Make sure that you do pay sufficient attention to the core facts and
details, since often these are essential; don’t
assume that these are irrelevant or that you already know them.
You are skilled at empathizing
with another’s point of view, with thinking wholistically, and in putting
yourself in the place of someone else. These
intellectual abilities serve you well in learning material in creative,
intuitive, or subjective fields such as the arts or humanities or in human
relations areas like counseling. But
they may be of little help in dealing with more “hard-headed” areas like
math, science, or technical fields. Learn
to balance your style by focusing on causes and effects, “if-then” thinking,
and a logical analysis of flaws in reasoning and connections between ideas.
You are likely a “feast or
famine” student who does your best work in bursts or spurts of enthusiasm,
riding the crest of interest in a topic (or of last-minute deadline pressure and
necessity). Learn how to take
advantage of this style without overdoing it.
If you are effective with this approach, you can get much done in
consolidated bursts of learning. However,
if you overdo it, you either procrastinate and run out of time, or you miss the
opportunity for valuable mental “soak time” between learning sessions.
Anxiety about learning and learning outcomes can easily get in the way for you. Be aware of the fact that anxiety heightens the probability of a dominant response, which means that if you are more prone to worry than to recall information, the pressure of a test or other recall situation will only make things worse. Learn how to relax on cue, how to coach yourself through tough learning spots, how to interpret failures as learning opportunities, and how to leverage your unique learning strengths. Then let the outcomes take care of themselves.
Job Profiler Results for Job Candidate Norman B. Normal
Compared to Job Profile for Teacher/Trainer
X
= Teacher/Trainer (percentages bracket the range of scores deemed acceptable)
Y
= Norman B. Normal
Dimension I: Quiet
(left hand pole) vs. Outgoing (right hand pole)
|-----Y------------(-----X----)-------------------|
This
is a poor level of fit for this dimension.
Norman B. Normal is less Outgoing than the typical Teacher/Trainer.
This individual may find the job stressful because it makes too many
demands for fast paced work, interaction with others, team efforts, or attention
to the demands of the outer world.
Dimension II: Tactical
(left hand pole) vs. Strategic (right hand pole)
|------------------------(------------X---Y--)----|
This
is a good level of fit for this dimension.
Dimension III:
Analytical (left hand pole) vs. Empathic (right hand pole)
|---------------------(---------X-----Y---)-------|
This
is a good level of fit for this dimension.
Dimension IV: Divergent
(left hand pole) vs. Convergent (right hand pole)
|----------Y(-----X---)---------------------------|
This
is a fair level of fit for this dimension.
Norman B. Normal is less Convergent than the typical Teacher/Trainer.
This individual may find the job stressful because it requires him or her
to make too many decisions in a course of the day, to decide too quickly, or to
work within an overly structured context.
Dimension V: Labile
(left hand pole) vs. Resilient (right hand pole)
|------Y----------------------(---------X---------)
This
is a poor level of fit for this dimension.
Norman B. Normal is less Resilient than the typical Teacher/Trainer.
This job may be too stressful in general for this individual, since s/he
does not typically handle stress well and may react emotionally to the demands
of the job.