Why You Should Hire Your Best Worker Based on Temperament

The resumes on the desk in front of you look superb. You have already tossed aside the ones without the correct experience, grammar errors in the paperwork, et cetera. But now the hardest decision of all presents: who among all these qualified people do you choose to hire?

If you have already met these people in person, you may have a good idea who would fit well with you and your company. Most hires these days include some form of temperament/personality qualifiers. Even if it is not referred to specifically, that is what you are looking at when you conduct an interview.

So how do you choose the best worker using a temperament? Depending on what your company needs, here is a look at the four basic temperaments and how you can use them to your advantage.

The Four Basic Temperaments
For this article, the author used the temperaments described by Tim LaHaye in Transforming your Temperament. This divides the temperaments based on introvert and extrovert personalities.

The first of the extrovert personalities is described as Sanguine. Sanguines are a unique blend of happy confidence. They are warm and genuine people who love to talk but will shy away from confrontation.

The second of the extrovert personalities is the Choleric. The Choleric is just as outgoing as the Sanguine but vastly different in presentation. They are aggressive go-getters with little tact. They are decisive and good leaders but tend not to listen if they are wrong.

The introverts are classified first as Melancholies. This person is best described as an "artist." They are creative and gifted and very self-sacrificing but tend to be moody and lean towards depressive episodes.

The second of the introvert personalities is the Phlegmatic. The Phelgmatic is a fantastic worker bee. He may need more help in decision making than the others but is a loyal and dependable worker.

The Sanguine Worker
The Good

Because sanguines are such verbal people, channel this energy into a position that requires face-time with others. This person will excel in phone skills and human resources. If you need a liaison between the workers, utilize the sanguine's outgoing friendliness. This type of worker draws people to him/herself. They will be the ones who organize office birthday parties, after work drinks, or Christmas parties.

The Bad
Sanguines are erratic people. Work tends to be secondary to their focus on people. If someone is in need, they will sacrifice work. They are also free speakers. If the job depends on diplomacy, you may wish to rethink using an outspoken sanguine. Sanguines also do not start or finish projects well. They will jump in with enthusiasm but without thought and will quickly grow disinterested.

Avoid using sanguines in record-keeping areas. They tend to not be very methodical and hate details. They are not necessarily price-conscious. They also tend to get side-tracked easily particularly if the task is lengthy.

Sanguines work well in retail, politics, or as the "face" for a company/office, ie. reception, greeter, etc. Jobs that require good networking abilities would be their strength.

The Choleric Worker
The Good

Cholerics are your best bet for management. They are outgoing enough to get the job done and much more decisive than sanguines. The choleric will be driven to succeed and will be the ones working long hours to complete a project. They usually have inquisitive minds but are not necessarily brilliant. They love charts and graphs and things that fall neatly into place.

The Bad
Cholerics will be the ones who offend. They dislike delegating and will be very critical. They are hard to please but will force workers to perform at a higher level. Though they like things orderly, they will not be the ones to keep order. They will not do price comparisons because it takes too long. Generally they are poor spellers and have atrocious handwriting but will not correct it because it is not important in the grand scheme of things. They will be great at starting a project, but are not strong finishers.

Cholerics will work best in roles that allow them to motivate, direct or manage.

The Melancholic Worker
The Good

Melanchoics are a completely different sort of worker. They are the ones you want on your staff but have to be very careful with. They are creative and hard workers. They are exceptionally picky and will not allow anything but the very best to leave his/her work table. They are deliberate and decisive and will make sure to get all the details correct. They will do price comparisons and will use coupons. They are impeccable spellers and excellent researchers. They will not make waves and will keep to themselves. They will not speak unless each word has been weighed carefully. They are meticulous. They may be slow to start a project, but will finish strong.

The Bad
Melanchoics will not do well in time-crunch positions. Unlike sanguines, they crave lengthy projects. They are perfectionists to a fault and have a more difficult time working at anything less than 100%. They also do not interact well with people. If forced to work in a networking environment, they can become extraordinarily shy and withdrawn. Moodiness and the "artistic temperament" are very common in melancholics. They will take longer getting used to their fellow workers but once they do, they will be well respected.

Use a melancholic in detail-oriented positions. Research, accounting, and other precise jobs with minimal people-skills are good for this temperament.

The Phlegmatic Worker
The Good
The phlegmatic is an introvert but is much more laid-back than the melancholic. They are extremely loyal worker bees and make great peacemakers. They hate conflict and are very capable do-ers. They will be very quiet people but generally well loved and respected. They are deliberate and can be the best worker under pressure. They have orderly minds and are good at analysis and deduction. They usually have great memories and are very systematic. If utilized in a leadership position, they will be the most respected of all the temperaments in a leader role. They will work hard and generally are the least likely to complain.

The Bad
They can be indecisive. They are people-pleasers and will find themselves unable to make a decision that could potentially hurt someone's feelings. They can be procrastinators. They are generally good project finishers but not good starters. They can be frugal to a fault and can allow their need to be accepted to override their work.

Phlegmatics work well in tandem with a choleric. Detail-oriented positions and those jobs that have time constraints are good for phlegmatics. The time constraints keep a phlegmatic motivated. Phlegmatics make good teachers, scientists, writers, etc.

A Few Closing Thoughts
Keep in mind that most of the people you interview will have strengths and weaknesses in many of these categories. Very few people are only one temperament although most have one primary temperament.

It is up to the individual worker to conform to the job he or she is assigned. However, it is helpful if the employer will look to fit the pieces of his workplace puzzle together with complementary workers. No workplace runs on one personality or temperament alone. But fitted correctly, the workplace can run much smoother when each worker is utilized appropriately.

Source:
Transforming Your Temperament by Tim LaHaye