Leadership is a delicate process of making sure a company or firm attains its objectives through the inspiration of the junior staff to achieve the firm’s objectives. Therefore, leaders have to master the intricate details necessary for effective management and leadership to make sure teams work with synergic vigor. A major issue facing managers is dealing with different personality types. Each personality responds differently to different issues pertaining to them. Consequently, the leader has to ensure that no employee feels left behind and that all get due and fair consideration with regard to their personalities. Motivation serves an important role in the productivity of a team of employees. However, motivation depends highly on how each personality gain satisfaction through employment motivation schemes. Different employees respond better to different forms of motivation. The manager and a leader in an organization need to make connections between these traits to keep the productivity of his team growing and the employees motivated. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the personality types of a team of employees, discuss the relevance of their personalities to the organization draft a strategy with the knowledge of the various personality types.
Key characteristics of common personality types
Introverts
Introverts require time alone, and the managers make this important observation, as an introverts personal time and space means a lot to their effectiveness in the work place (McDonald, 2011). The leader should be sensitive to their particular needs and ensure that they do not put unnecessary pressure on them to do activities outside of their comfort zone. An example of an introvert in the team covered in the scenario is Ambrose. Through examination of his behavior and skills in communication, we can clearly tell that Ambrose is an introvert. Firstly, Ambrose is a fresh graduate, with strict principles of quality and adherence to deadlines. In addition, Ambrose is also shy and lacks good communication skills to deal with the company’s clients. Ambrose has been with the company for one and a half years, and therefore his conduct is a testament to his personality. Ambrose keeps deadlines to minimize conflict and interaction with other people, and his lack of communication skills demonstrates his lack of experience in social interaction with other employees. The leader of the team should therefore consider this, and give him roles that do not challenge his personality and make him feel inhibited in his work (Alexander, Ryan & Deci, 2000).
Extroverts
Extroverts thrive in attention and social interactions (Weightman, 2008). Through their involvement in social activities, extroverts feel more productive and highly motivated (Bernstein, Clarke-Stewart, & Roy, 2008). Jackie is a classic example of an extrovert. Jackie is a mature graduate, with a loud extroverted personality. Jackie also likes to volunteer for many tasks, has no reservations about doing overtime, and has been with the company for two years. However, she is also clumsy in her work and does it in a rush. The leader of the team should realize the unique traits exhibited by Jackie; give her roles that ensure she participates in social activities that seem to keep an extrovert happier. It would also be imperative is she was kept off activities with high sensitivity to errors, as extroverts tend to be quite clumsy in the way they handle challenges.
Sensing personality
Some employees are unable to go strongly after career advancements due to their personalities or realities surrounding them. Although Simon has been working for the longest time in the team, he shows little signs of wanting to make progress in his career. Simon’s lack of initiative necessitates close supervision by his superior, with cleat detailed instructions and clear goals. That way he can find satisfaction in his work and feel more rejuvenated when doing his work. From the scenario, Simon is has broad experience and controls his way of working for the company for the last six years, he is obedient. Highly knowledgeable, Simon is also prone to disorganization and as a single parent and can therefore make just eight working hours every day.
Intuitive personality
Some employee personalities seek to take charge and follow goals given to them in order to attain some self-actualization (Furnham & Crump, 2005). The failure to chase particular goals makes them bored in their work and to avoid the same intuitive people need to be included in challenging matters to find solutions using their intuitive mind (Martes, 2011). A case in point is Brian, his job does not give him the challenge he craves for to enhance development of his career. Because of his high resolve, all he needs is a tougher clear goal, and he can take the initiative to reach it on his own. According to the scenario, Brian is a narcissistic although highly intelligent and creative as a thinker and has worked on the company for three and a half years. However, he is largely ill-motivated due to lack of clear defined and achievable business goals, and thus seeks to deliver the least expected of him and spends the rest of his time on the internet to update himself of new innovations.
Motivation validation and relevance to organizations
Motivation of employees based on their personalities principally consists of giving them roles that enhance the use of their most dominant personality features (Cofer & Appley, 1967). For instance, most introverts such as Ambrose may find minimal interaction more beneficial to their productivity. Therefore, one-to-one interactions with the superior would be a more comfortable approach (Ryan & Deci, 2000) than having to discuss their issues in public forums such as meetings.
On the other hand motivation of an extrovert is relatively easy, and involves ensuring their participation in social activities and public interactions where the feel most uninhibited in their work (Uchicago, 2011). In a team situation, having the extrovert in charge of communication tasks for the team can greatly boost the employee’s morale.
Sensing personalities tend to stick to processes with specific defined results and have little deviations from the original order of doing things (James, 1998). Simon, for instance is strictly efficient, and has broad experience at his work. His interest in progressing professionally is hardly apparent, and he sticks to a strict routine. His greatest concern most likely is job security, as he has to take care of his child. Therefore, job security is the ultimate motivation Simon needs. The team leader can motivate Simon through clear procedures and goal sets for him to follow since sensible people are quite obedient and follow instruction to the letter.
n intuitive personality is always seeking new challenges and new ways to do things (Keirsey, 1998). For instance, Brian, who has only been a couple of years, finds his job highly redundant and unchallenging, and his attention is diverted to internet reserach. Although his arrogant character may make his leadership counterproductive, his desire to seek new challenges in a way that benefits the firm would involve giving him new challenges and possibly a hint of career advancement. Such motivation will keep him firmly focused on his future.
Leadership significance style and balanced reasoning
A leadership strategy involving different personality types involves allocation of tasks to the team members in a way that exploits best their inherent traits and personalities (McDonald, 2011). Different kinds of tasks require different kinds of personalities (Barron & Paul, 1995). For instance, extroverted persons do better at communication (Zeisset, 2006) and people who prioritize job security and are good in following procedures better do public tasks, routine jobs that some people might find boring. Intelligent team members who also find routine jobs boring and unsatisfactory better off do challenging tasks.
Leadership style will also depend highly on the personality types of the individual personalities of the persons involved (Carver & Scheier, 2001). For instance, introverted people and intuitive people might find excessive supervision uncomfortable, while the sensing type may not mind at all. In addition, extroverted people tend to perform poorly at tasks that require careful deliberation and consideration, as they tend to be quite impulsive in their actions. Introverts and intuitive persons do such jobs better. Sensing persons, who also require job security, are better at jobs requiring high rates of supervision and close and regular contact with the management for direction and correction.
Conclusion
Leadership is an organizational concept that requires more than just management experience (Robbins & Judge, 2007). Leadership calls for intricate understanding into the inner workings of each employee in the company with regard to their personality. The manager is responsible for deciphering the complexities that control the way the employees in the team behave, and make sure that his/her leadership technique takes into account these factors. The impact of personality types spill into the motivational duties of a leader. For instance in this team, various personality types are discussed.
While some employees remain highly disciplined in their career path, some lack communication skills to handle clients face-to-face, therefore, the company should train their staff and employees communication skills. At the same time, leader could instill discipline by motivating employee to develop open-communication skills (Stupmf, & Dunbar, 1990). Likewise, for the highly sociable personality, the roles should bear greater orientation towards activities that involve dealing with other people. Likewise, for the pressured single parent, the leader should make sure that the work given to the employee does not cause him unnecessary stress, which will eventually result in low performance at workstation. Also for the bored intellectual, the leader should realize that giving him higher responsibility will help boost his feelings about his work, increase his productivity and overall contribution to the organization as well.
