There are a host of personality tests out there, from the highly-specific type like the Myers-Briggs to the simplistic Facebook quizzes. They all have one thing in common, getting to know more about yourself and your typical characteristics and style of communicating and interacting with others.
One benefit of these assessments that sometimes falls through the cracks is that through building awareness of yourself, you can begin to identify the styles of others. This awareness of self and others is the foundation of emotional intelligence or EQ. Daniel Goleman, psychologist and author of Emotional Intelligence, lays out his crucial competencies of emotional intelligence in his video, Crucial Competence: Emotional and Social Intelligence in Leadership.
As you become more aware of yourself and others, you can more readily identify their styles and characteristics. The next step is to flex your style to the other person’s to bridge the gap. Through bridging the gap, you can make the other person more comfortable. Communication becomes easier and more clear. And a constructive path forward is forged.
The only person you can control is yourself. It is not an easy task, especially when faced with a person who may be on the opposite end of the spectrum, or assessment, as you. But with learning and practice, it can become second nature.
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