Navigating the Ocean of Personality

Our shared human experience includes confronting myriad challenges that test our resilience and our connections with others. Though some may rely on sheer determination to get through such obstacles, understanding our unique strengths and vulnerabilities empowers us to better navigate life’s numerous complexities.

As delineated by assistant professor Loes Abrahams, PhD, in this piece for Psychology Today, recognizing and maneuvering individual nuances is crucial not just for our own success, but the success of our teams. Just as a venerable captain knows the capabilities of every crew member, we too must attune ourselves to the abilities and limitations of our teammates.

Effective leadership requires knowing who thrives in the eye of a storm, or who shines best in calm waters. Such awareness helps identify when teammates may float or sink—empowering us to reconcile each and keep the ship on course. To navigate these seemingly tumultuous waters, tools like the SurePeople Relationship Advisor become an invaluable periscope, revealing not just the contextual variability of our own personalities, but the variability of our teammates—and how best to sail such tides.

Emphasizing the need for such awareness in this TED Talk, research professor Brian Little highlights ways in which external conditions affect our personality dimensions. Further illustrated by the Prism® psychometric algorithm, each of us experiences a behavioral shift depending on the situation—sometimes to the surprise of those around us.

Just as a lighthouse warns of treacherous waters, a keen understanding of individual personality intricacies can guide us from potential pitfalls and toward relational harmony regardless of the situation before us.

“The most important kind of freedom is to be what you really are.”
– Jim Morrison