Personality has a huge impact in the workplace: from a first impression during the interview stage, to everyday interactions, to giving and receiving performance feedback. In a survey by global learning institute Hyper Island, 78% of respondents rated personality as the most important criteria when hiring someone, voting it even more important than a potential candidate’s skill set. The research found that people with a certain IQ level who also displayed personality traits such as an openness for change, persistence, curiosity and social engagement would likely fit into any team or department within a company. It has such an undeniably large role to play that it’s increasingly important in modern workspaces to acknowledge differences in personality.
When introducing 360-feedback — meaning managers are also receiving more feedback — it’s important to be aware of your personality type and how it affects the way you respond to insights from your team. Not everyone is going to respond to feedback in the same way: how they receive it will be largely impacted by their personal characteristics, and it is key to be aware of this. As a manager, it’s important to make sure that everyone feels recognized and valued. In order to build and maintain good working relationships with your team, the key is not always to treat them in the way you would personally prefer.
When it comes to one-on-one relationships with employees, it’s most effective to consider people’s individual personalities and values and adapt your behaviors to align with them. This is where one-on-one meetings and post-feedback followups can really come in useful and allow you to connect with employees.
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Speaker Allison Mooney outlines the four personality types which make up your team: Playfuls, Powerfuls, Precises and Peacefuls. Although the personality classifications outlined make up one of many models, they provide a relevant summary of the types of people you’re likely to be interacting with in the workplace. As with any classification system, not everyone will be easy to categorize. Many people are likely to be a mixture of two or more types and you should adjust your feedback approach depending on this. However, once you can recognize yourself and your team-members in the types outlined by Mooney, giving feedback (and receiving it yourself) will become a better process for everyone.
Playful
Who are they: Playfuls are the people-people of your workplace. They’re full of enthusiasm, like to voice an opinion, and love to network. Playfuls are very creative and can always generate new ideas, despite probably being less structured and organized than other workers. They most likely prioritize having a good time and enjoy working closely with others on projects, rather than alone.
What they want: Attention, affection, approval
How to give them feedback: Playfuls need to know when managers are happy with them and their work. Make feedback personal; these people will appreciate hearing that they are valued. They will enjoy hearing how their contributions helped the team, or that you would have struggled to achieve something without them. They will appreciate their creativity and enthusiasm being recognized.
Real-time feedback is likely to keep playfuls motivated and on-track. They’re the fast moving, often distracted extroverts of the workplace, so keeping feedback ongoing, short and snappy not only fits in with their pace, it keeps them motivated to continue their success, or respond to constructive comments in real-time.
Powerfuls
Who they are: Powerfuls are both very driven and great at decision making. They’re very proactive and don’t shy away from hard work. Powerfuls aren’t ones to give up on their goals; they are very willing to take risks and will come up with solutions to get them where they want to be. They have a never-ending stream of goals and targets, and will truly exert themselves in order to achieve them.
What they want: Credit, loyalty and appreciation.
How to give them feedback: When it comes to receiving feedback, powerfuls probably won’t need quite as much of a personal touch as playfuls. They’re more likely to value clear-cut feedback that revolves around goals or targets. While real-time feedback is always beneficial, they may not rely on it so much for workplace motivation as other personality types: they’re highly motivated already. Powerfuls are also likely to be very strong personalities, and show confidence in their work. It can be useful for them to gain 360-feedback; it allows them to take a step back and view things from different perspectives. They’re likely to appreciate clear, concise 360-feedback that doesn’t distract them from their daily practices or goals.
Precises
Who are they: The precises are the perfectionists of the workplace. They’re very structured, organized and place high value on attention to detail. Like the powerfuls, they value work over play, and work not just very hard but very efficiently. Precises are planners: not ones for spontaneity or disorganized environments, and they probably work best to a tight, pre-planned schedule.
What they want: Space, quiet and sensitivity.
How to give them feedback: Although real-time feedback is generally beneficial and will improve the performance of all personality types, precises prefer structured feedback like 360-performance reviews where all feedback is collected in one place. Using such reviews, perhaps on a monthly basis, is likely to be well-received as feedback will be grouped together systematically for easy-viewing. Like powerfuls, precises are likely to prefer concrete feedback relating to goals or achievements over more general comments about their working practices.
When following up feedback with meetings, give precises time to digest feedback. They prepare for everything they do, so giving them with feedback then looking to discuss it immediately probably won’t be so effective. They’ll likely need time to reflect before they’re ready to respond and act on it.
Peacefuls
Peacefuls are very easy-going and patient. They’re the last to be involved in conflict or confrontation. Although they can sometimes be hard to read, peacefuls are very stable and consistent in their work and are usually appreciated by many for this quality, likely having good working relationships with those around them.
They need: respect, value and harmony.
How to give them feedback: Due to their laid-back nature, peacefuls are an easy lot to give feedback to. They are generally receptive and open. Comments about either their working style or their performance should be well-received. They may however initially find it difficult to give and receive constructive feedback due to the value they place on maintaining harmony. So when introducing a 360-feedback culture, it’s key to discuss with them the perks of constructive feedback, and that when it’s given correctly, it often results in a more communicative, harmonious work environment.
It’s clear that personality play a large part in people’s working practices, and the way they impact feedback culture is no exception. It’s key to keep employees’ personalities in mind and ensure the way you interact with your team is beneficial to everyone.
