Every employee of a large corporation has had to take some type of personality test. If you’ve taken a Myers-Briggs test and found your an ENFJ, an ISTP, or any of the other letter combinations that represent your personality, then you know what I’m talking about.
These tests usually occur during some type of training class. The excited trainer leads the class through a series of exercises to demonstrate how different personality types think and act, so everyone can work together more effectively.
The problem is that no on ever seems to pay attention to these differences once the training class is over. It’s a shame because there is value in understanding how different team members and employees think and work. Understanding and accepting these differences can actually lead to a more successful team and company.
Steve Faktor of Forbes published a list of nine corporate personality types that are easier to understand than the numerous Myers-Briggs personality types. He separates corporate personalities into a corporate hierarchy that people typically follow as they climb the corporate ladder during their careers.
He explains that people start out as wide-eyed Bambis and then diverge into either Believers or Pragmatists. The Believers become the Soldiers, Survivors, and Alphas, while the Pragmatists become the Toilers, Heretics, and Naturals. You can see the hierarchical path of each corporate personality type in the image from Steve’s company, IdeaFaktory, below.
You can learn about each corporate personality type and how to motivate each by reading Steve’s full article. Which personality type are you? Which personality type is your boss? Which personality types are your subordinates? How about the other members of your team?
Image: IdeaFaktory
Susan Gunelius
Susan Gunelius is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Women on Business. She is a 30-year veteran of the marketing field and has authored a dozen books about marketing, branding, and social media, including the highly popular Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing, 30-Minute Social Media Marketing, Content Marketing for Dummies, Blogging All-in-One for Dummies and Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps. Susan’s marketing-related content can be found on Entrepreneur.com, Forbes.com, MSNBC.com, BusinessWeek.com, and more. Susan is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a marketing communications company. She has worked in corporate marketing roles and through client relationships with AT&T, HSBC, Citibank, Intuit, The New York Times, Cox Communications, and many more large and small companies around the world. Susan also speaks about marketing, branding and social media at events around the world and is frequently interviewed by television, online, radio, and print media organizations about these topics. She holds an MBA in Management and Strategy and a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and is a Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC).
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