Understanding Personality Types in the Workplace   

Hiring is one of the most important decisions you will face as an entrepreneur (besides of course figuring out the ways to sustain those employees’ salaries).  Usually, however, employee personalities do not become apparent until the person actually starts working for you.  Therefore, it is important to be one step ahead and develop interview questions that will help you identify personality types – some good, some bad — before they are even hired.

Over the past sixteen years I have interviewed and hired (and also sometimes fired) many different types of work personalities. As a result, I have compiled a list of the ones that have made a mark on my company, and here is a small sampling of them (we would need many hours to discuss all of them, of course!).

Can’t We Just Go For a Mani-Pedi Instead?
Let’s begin with the sweetest kind of employee, the “People Pleasers.” It’s all in their name; they are fantastic, because they want to please their managers, themselves, their colleagues and customers. What a dream!

On the flip side: I have found over the years that most People Pleasers are not always the strongest performers. People Pleasers are often Hand-Holders as well. These are employees who need direction constantly — and monitoring regularly. In our company these people rarely last long.

One day I had to fire a People Pleaser because of their performance. This was difficult because when one thinks of firing, one thinks of someone who is lackadaisical or has a bad attitude; however, firing is also about work performance. We must not forget that we have a for–profit business, and a timid, directionless employee who never takes the lead can drag down the department. Even if we would like to go for a mani-pedi with this person on a Sunday afternoon, in business, this should not play a part in our decision.

• Outstanding qualities of People Pleasers: Agreeable, pleasant, and calm
• Questionable qualities of People Pleasers: Need hand-holding, can be superficial and unfocused
• Interview red flag: They discuss not meeting deadlines, but getting along with everyone 

The Internal Alarm That Rings Is the Loudest Ring of All
We understand that hourly positions have a start and stop time, and that salaried positions are a little more open-ended. Yet somehow at the dot of X, a magical alarm goes off and a worker darts out the door. Jetting out at the dot of X every day marks that person as a classic “Clock Ticker.” They don’t mean anything negative by it, it’s just how they roll.  You have to decide in your company if Clock Tickers will advance or not. The ongoing question you will need to consider: does it matter how long they work — or how well they work? 

• Outstanding qualities of Clock Tickers: Efficient workers, are non-disruptive and usually catch on quickly
• Questionable qualities of Clock Tickers: Time-spacing, preoccupied and often lack attention to detail
• Interview red flag: You ask if there is anything that would prevent them for working late on a project, and they cannot give a definitive answer

Spaced Out 
Sometimes Clock Tickers also take on the persona of a “Time-Spacer” as well. These are people who stretch out their day; it’s miraculous how on Day 1, for example, there could be fifty orders to package and that takes all day, and then on Day 2, there are twenty orders to package, and that again mysteriously takes all day. Thus the Time-Spacer is born. There is speculation that this type of personality does not advance as quickly. Reason: instead of spacing out their day, shouldn’t they be approaching management to take on more tasks? 

• Outstanding qualities of Time-Spacers: Loyal, cordial and task-oriented
• Questionable qualities of Time-Spacers:  May lack motivation, have lackluster communication, and show lack of leadership
• Interview red flag: When asked when they took the lead or went above and beyond on a project, they cannot think of an example.

This is Not a Soap Opera
If you are looking for drama, a “Noisy Nelly” will bring it. Gossiping, back-stabbing and general discord are their specialties. And if they obtain a listening ear in the company, it only feeds the beast. The issues must be addressed immediately and ceased, otherwise it infects like a disease that will plague their department and beyond.

• Outstanding qualities of a Noisy Nelly: verbal communicators, not afraid to speak up, transparent (most of the time)
• Questionable qualities of Noisy Nelly: May be disruptive, and condescending and unprofessional to others
• Interview red flag: They discuss previous or current managers or colleagues with a negative tone.

Bustin’ a Move 
The opposite of a Noisy Nelly is a “Quiet Firecracker.” When someone is bustin’ a move on a regular basis (and I don’t mean dancing in the office) I call them a Quiet Firecracker. These are workers who are shaking their rump to get today’s work done, tomorrow’s work tackled and next week’s work imagined and thought out. Not only do they work hard, they are also engaged in the company. They tend to be well-liked by others, but are not the first to jump into lunchtime talk about reality television. They are rather quiet. They are loyal and do not require excessive recognition.

• Outstanding qualities of a Quiet Firecracker: Humble, loyal, and drama-free
• Questionable qualities of a Quiet Firecracker: Hard to read, quiet, and may not delegate
• Interview red flag: Anyone who discusses being overwhelmed by a project or deadline has the potential not to be a Quiet Firecracker

Perhaps you can identify with these personalities, figure out which ones are your favorites, and which ones are no-no’s to hire.  It’s also useful to consider which combination of the following you are as a business owner: as entrepreneurs, we are part-time psychologists, human resource executives, and so much more. Asking the right questions upfront will help identify personality types, helping you decide which types will work for which positions.