How To Take Advantage Of Diverse Personalities In Team Building And Collaboration

February 14, 2018 / Oskar Cymerman

Whether you're a fan of Marvel movies or not, you likely have heard of the Avengers, the multifaceted ass kicking team of super heroes ready to work together to save the Earth and the rest of the Universe from impending doom.

When you consider the many facets of the characters and take a closer look you see they all have different personalities, different talents, and different skills. They also argue a lot. In the end though, they are able to put aside their differences, combine their unique strengths, work toward a common goal, and succeed. This is what makes the Avengers a great team.

And the more I think about it I realize that it is diversity that makes every great team great. The diversity of personalities. The diversity of skills. The diversity of experiences. And the diversity of opinions that arises from all those other diversities.

I have recently stumbled upon an analysis of Dr. Helen Fisher's 4 personality types and how they can complement each other to create highly effective teams. Maybe the old adage Great minds think alike isn't accurate after all; at least not when it comes to team building. Rather, the greatest teams seem to be comprised of individuals whose diverse personalities, skills, and experiences are creatively meshed together to lead to the best possible outcomes.

But how can this help me? you might be asking.

While collaboration in the work place has become common place and is quickly becoming the thing in education we still have a lot to learn to make teamwork the most effective it can be. So whether you're the boss of a company, an administrator of a system, or a teacher you can benefit from a little know how of personality types to best utilize your people's individual traits and maximize their strengths.

Understanding kills ignorance they say. Or maybe it's me saying that. Regardless... It sounds reasonable, no?

Check out the infographic below...

Diverse Personalities and Collaboration and Team building at work and school

So there you be super heroes!

First, get to know the personalities of the people you work with by paying attention to their behaviors and interactions. Then, work to learn to combine their strengths in collaboration. Then, imagine the possibilities.

What you got to lose? A little neuroscience never hurt anyone. I think...

You have the power to change lives. Use it often so others can change the world.

Oskar

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