APRIL 2022
the people that are on their team, and they adapt their people on the team to the jobs they do best. For example, find detail-oriented jobs for detail-oriented individuals. “If you're outgoing and friendly, you need to be in sales or need to be answering the phone or you need to be dealing with the customer.”
Mathis talks about four different personality styles that people have. If you can identify which one is dominant in an individual, then you can have an idea about how to best work with that individual. The four personality styles include Power Broker, Populist, Peacemaker and Perfectionist. He cautioned that each of us has some degree of all of these styles residing within them, but there is one only that will be dominant. If it isn’t clear to you which personality you are, he encouraged attendees to ask five close contacts.
1 Power Broker
The power broker likes to be in charge or to be in control of everything that they do, from work activities to relationships. They are the type of people who constantly check the other lanes to see if they can get to their destination faster, or who change lines at the supermarket to get through faster - but still watching the original line to see if they made the best choice.
Power brokers like to get the job done fast. They value prompt answers to their questions and take pride in how quickly they can answer a question. It is more important to them than the accuracy of the response.
In working with power brokers, Mathis recommends breaking instructions into direct, logical steps. Get to the point quickly. Give them the instructions and then leave them alone. He commented that power brokers don’t want to hear details. The only ones they care about are their own. “Power brokers see everything in ‘black and white’, ‘yes or no’, and ‘up or down’. “There is no gray area with them at all,” he stated.
2 Populist
Populists are very outgoing. They enjoy small talk at the water cooler and enjoy conducting business over a meal. They tend to drive flashy cars and enjoy the spotlight. According to Mathis, their emotional needs are attention, acceptance and affirmation. When they are under pressure they tend to talk a lot.
“These folks don't hate details,” Mathis said wryly. “They're just not aware they exist.” They may require someone to come behind them to check those details. Populists want to have fun, and their greatest fears are that they will not have fun or will not be noticed. In
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guiding populists, it is best to give them shorter projects so they won’t feel boxed in.
3 Peacemaker
Peacemakers thrive on routine. They drive the same way to work every day, and when they go grocery shopping, they cover the entire store to make sure they didn't miss something. If you ask them a question, they will answer, but then come back with a revised answer hours later.
The basic desire of the peacemaker is to enjoy peace in an environment where people get along. The greatest fears of peacemakers are change, conflict, and confrontation. When under pressure, the peacemaker will usually go silent. When dealing with peacemakers, Mathis suggests taking the time to explain why things are happening to the peacemaker, and to allow them ample time to process information and instructions.
4 Perfectionist
As the name would suggest, the perfectionist strives to be the best they can be, and they are very sensitive to
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criticism. They fear a lack of rules and imperfection. When under stress, their responses can become robotic. When dealing with perfectionists, it can be