Developing the Leader Within: Understanding People

To lead others, one must understand people. Every person can be described by using a mixture of four basic personality types. Understanding the personality types that make up individuals allows one to appeal to their interests and motives, thus allowing one to lead. After one is able to identify which of the personality types comprise others, he will be able to appeal to their personality types and lead them. The four personality types are sanguines, cholerics, melancholies, and phlegmatics.

Sanguines

The most upbeat of the different personality types, sanguines are the life of the party. Sanguines love attention. Sanguines are the quickest of the personality types to take an otherwise dull event and add extra drama to make for a gripping tale. Like the other personality types, sanguines have strengths and weaknesses.

Strengths

Sanguines are entertainers. Sanguines are an asset at any party because they prevent any boredom. Sanguines specialize in making others laugh and raising the spirits of the other personality types around them. Unlike the other personality types, they constantly have myriad jokes to share and intriguing tales to tell.

Weaknesses

Compared to the other personality types, sanguines are extremely forgetful. Frequently, sanguines are quick to offer to perform a task for others, but due to their lack of organization, sanguines often forget to follow through. In addition, sanguines are over-talkers. In social groups, sanguines tend to interrupt others and never let the other personality types get in a word. Although sanguines always think they are interesting, they never once entertain the idea others may not share the feeling. If sanguines learn to watch their over-talking, they will be the best of entertainers.

How to Dance with Sanguines

Sanguines are attracted to pretty colors and fun activities. Never assign sanguines with a monotonous task such as filing papers-give them the task of decorating, advertising, entertaining, or spreading the word. To make sanguines like you: listen. Genuinely listen to sanguines and truly take an interest in what they are saying, and you will make friends for life. More than any of the other personality types, sanguines love nothing more than receiving attention.

Cholerics

Possessing more intrinsic leadership than the other personality types, cholerics specialize in directing others. Like sanguines, cholerics are loud mouths and more than willing to share their opinions. Cholerics have the intelligence and confidence to lead large groups of people with varying personality types.

Strengths

Unlike other personality types, cholerics are natural leaders. Cholerics take the most mundane tasks and are quick to make a large project out of them where other personality types would do the bare minimum to get it done. Cholerics are decisive and powerful, making them leaders the other personality types like to follow. If one needs to ensure a project will be complete by the deadline, he can count on a choleric to lead the group towards a goal. Cholerics will move heaven and earth to complete a task-they hate failure more than any of the other personality types.

Weaknesses

Cholerics will never admit they are wrong. In their mind, they always have the right answers and are the best leaders for the job. Cholerics will never be bossed around and dislike taking orders, even if it is for the good of the group. If two or more cholerics are assigned in a team, they will clash as they try to overpower the other. If cholerics learn to admit their own faults, they will be the strongest of leaders.

How to Dance with Cholerics

The most precious possession of cholerics is their pride. To befriend cholerics, simply stroke their ego and compliment them on their successes. If you think cholerics may not have the best solution to a problem, ask them questions that lead them to come up with the idea themselves, whereas other personality types may handle better to a more direct approach. Cholerics will never take advice, so it is best to empower them to make the decisions. More so than the other personality types, cholerics are best when assigned to leadership roles.

Melancholies

The next two personality types differ from sanguines and cholerics because sanguines and cholerics are extroverts; melancholies and phlegmatics are introverts. Melancholies resent being the center of attention and thrive in isolation. The most timid of the all the personality types, melancholies rarely voice their opinions. Melancholies tend to avoid large crowds of people and prefer to be around one or two of their closer friends or relatives.

Strengths

Melancholies are geniuses and extremely artistic. Einstein, Archimedes, and Beethoven were all melancholies. Most engineers are melancholies because melancholies are more detail-oriented than other personality types. While sanguines love fun and colors, melancholies love statistics, graphs, and charts. Melancholies are perfectionists. Where the other personality types may simply throw a picture on the wall, melancholies will thoroughly analyze the wall and perform all the necessary calculations to ensure the picture is properly centered and aligned. Melancholies are well organized and usually adhere to a schedule, making them on time and reliable more than the other personality types.

Weaknesses

Despite their intelligence, melancholies shy away from voicing their ideas; melancholies tend to hold things in. Melancholies are frequently depressed. When melancholies see sanguines acting as social butterflies, they take it personally and feel they are faulted for not being outgoing. When melancholies are depressed, they are not pleasant to associate with in groups. If melancholies would learn to cheer up and voice their opinions, they would be the best source of unique and creative ideas for a project.

How to Dance with Melancholies

Melancholies thrive on praise, but be cautious: If you offer a vague compliment, melancholies will think you are just being nice and will only further get depressed. Since melancholies are the quietest of the personality types, initiate conversation with melancholies first considering they will rarely take on the task themselves. Realize that melancholies have the lowest self-confidence of all the personality types, so hold back sarcastic comments that other personality types may simply brush off. When ridiculed, melancholies ponder over their own faults for months or even years. Offering compliments and praise is the best way to get melancholies to open up.

Phlegmatics

Of all the personality types, phlegmatics are the most laid back. The ideal evening for phlegmatics is to crash on the couch with a bag of potato chips and watch a movie. Phlegmatics resist conflict and are never confrontational. Phlegmatics love to lounge around and, like melancholies, do not mind isolation.

Strengths

Phlegmatics avoid arguments or resistance. Phlegmatics follow orders from cholerics, listen to stories from sanguines, and are quiet with melancholies. Because of this, phlegmatics generally get along well with all the other personality types. Due to their affinity for peace, phlegmatics are skilled and resolving conflicts. If two cholerics are in a battle for a leadership role, phlegmatics will see a peaceful solution where the other personality types will not.

Weaknesses

Phlegmatics have no striking weaknesses other than their lack of motivation. Phlegmatics procrastinate more than any of the other personality types and need to be pushed into action. Unless they sense an emergency, phlegmatics resist any work. However, if phlegmatics can motivate themselves, they will be the most productive workers and ensure a peaceful environment for all the personality types around them.

How to Dance with Phlegmatics

Due to their compatibility with the different personality types, phlegmatics are best at making friends. You do not need to try too hard to befriend phlegmatics. However, phlegmatics can be the most difficult of the personality types to motivate. As a leader, you need to give phlegmatics a compelling reason to get off the couch and do something. If phlegmatics feel a sense of urgency, they will be hasty to help.

Understanding the different personality types helps one as a leader. Once a leader learns how to recognize the personality types, he can appeal to their likes and place the diverse personality types in compatible teams to accomplish a mission. Every team should have cholerics for leadership, melancholies for ideas, sanguines to keep spirits high, and phlegmatics for maintaining peace. Each of the personality types is essential in any team, and knowing how to handle and work with the personality types is the foundation for a successful leader.