What's Your Personality Type and Why Should You Care?
You can find just about anything and everything on the internet. Take personality tests—have you ever wondered which Harry Potter villain you're most like? Or whether you have the personality of a particular type of IKEA furniture? While these tests are entertaining, they’re not likely to help you reach a deeper understanding of yourself.
Are there personality tests available that have any value, especially when it comes to growing your business?
How the World Sees You: Discover Your Highest Value Through the Science of Fascination by Sally Hogshead, points out that understanding your personality provides you with key information to work with when presenting yourself to others. If you've ever tried to create a 30-second elevator pitch or write your resume, you probably know how difficult it can be to deliver the exact message you want to convey. Hogshead's book provides you with a step-by-step method to discover what your personal tagline should be, and how to use it to create better relationships and grow your business.
According to Hogshead, both in her book and in her keynote speech at Infusionsoft’s ICON15 last April, there are 7 triggers that “fascinate” others—things that captivate our audience. These triggers are: passion, power, mystique, alert, prestige, innovation and trust. Once you've taken the Fascination Advantage® Assessment, and discovered which of the 49 personality archetypes fits you best, Hogshead shows you how to use those related triggers to your advantage.
Here are 4 ways that discovering how the world sees you could help you:
- Know thyself. Once you've discovered the results of Hogshead's assessment, it could help you become, well, more YOU. Understanding how you work, how you lead, how you make decisions, how you brainstorm, or how you manage your time could help you focus on your strengths. Knowing where your weaknesses lie is important, too. Recognizing that sometimes you don't explain directions clearly, for example, could help you improve your communication style in the future.
- Focus on tasks. When you have a presentation or a speech to write, getting started can be daunting. If you use the results of the personality assessment, you'll discover which mode of communication is most effective for YOU, which will lead you to being your most fascinating and influential. Knowing that you are capable of inspiring a buying frenzy or that your secret power lies in building trust can help you get more attention from your audience.
- Build better teams. Every team needs a variety of players, with different skills and specialties. Showing your team members what they bring to the table could empower them to add more value.
- Build better relationships. Thanks to the Internet, our attention span has decreased to something like 9 seconds. Whether you're trying out online dating or attempting to talk to your teenager, it's important to engage your audience immediately. When you are confidently exuding your personality, people will listen.
If you need an inspiration for success, Sally puts it best: “Your personality is the greatest differentiator you have. People can copy your product, your pricing, your actions, your recipe or program or formula. But they can never replicate who you are.”