Managing Sticky Situations at Work

Personality Overlay 21energy seems to follow them. Expressives dress in bold colors—reds,yellows, oranges. They initiate greetings by quickly saying hello andshaking hands. Although engaging, they lose interest when you talkabout your family or other personal issues. They prefer to tell you allabout themselves and their projects. A group of Expressives struggleswhen asked to complete a task because each must talk. Instead of listeningto one another, however, they vie for center stage. At the endof the work time, the group reports that they enjoyed themselves,but they did not reach a firm decision.SYMPATHETIC PERSONALITY TYPEJonathan works as a financial advisor in a large investmentbank. Each morning he enters his building, says hello to theguard, and asks him about his recently hospitalized wife. Onthe way to his 10th floor cubicle, he stops at the coffee shop for alight breakfast. There he visits with two other financial advisorswho work on the floor beneath him. He tells them about what hehas just read in the Wall Street Journal concerning the latestmarket trends. One says that he gives away too much information.Jonathan responds, ‘‘We all help each other out. That’swhy we have the best investment bank in the world.’’ Jonathan’sboss enters the coffee shop. He sits down next to Jonathan withhis Blackberry in hand. ‘‘I’m not sure I can get through all this,’’he says, scrolling down his daily to-do list. ‘‘Can I help with anyof that?’’ Jonathan asks. His boss turns over one project and says,‘‘Sure you don’t mind?’’ Jonathan smiles. ‘‘No problem. Youalways come through for me. Consider this my thanks.’’ Beforehis boss leaves, he asks Jonathan to give him the latest earningsreports. ‘‘They are already done. I’ll e-mail them to you when Iget to my desk,’’ Jonathan replies.Jonathan embodies a Sympathetic personality. Loyal and unselfish,he does not hesitate to help others so long as he respects and truststhem. Most people find him easy to be around because of his generosityand concern for them. His compassion shows in his ability to listenwhenever people share problems, home or work related. A group ofSympathetics accomplish whatever task you might give them. Theylike to please. Rather than take risks or think outside the box, theytoe the line in order to win the praise of their leaders.