I just did a psychological test of some kind. Anyone interested to know me better?
Preferred Style
Jobs you prefer
You enjoy jobs and activities that require attention to detail and a sense of urgency. For you, keeping information or things organized can be most satisfying, especially if your efforts lead to short-term results and rewards.
Jobs you find least rewarding
Wee Loon, you may become frustrated with jobs that constantly change without notice and fail to identify clear goals. Since accuracy is important to you, delegating to others can be challenging, especially if you’re responsible for the quality of their work.
You may also dislike jobs and activities where you’re not allowed to work independently and where your personal success is dependent on the actions of others.
Expectations
You were socialized as a child to think that people should follow the rules yet be open-minded, and communicate with a friendly, reserved style. These became your Expectations of how people should act and communicate, and they apply equally to your personal and work life.
You’ll feel these Expectations most when someone starts a conversation with you. If their communication style meets what you expect, you tend to listen. If not, you may stop listening or even get defensive – for example, if I am too direct or discourage your questions.
You may also become frustrated with people who regularly cut you off before you’re finished speaking. Doesn’t this communication approach frustrate everyone? Well, no. Some people actually prefer it. What would work better for you is being given information ahead of time and being encouraged to ask questions in open discussions.
Managing your Expectations
Wee Loon, you can’t control how people communicate with you but you can take charge of how it affects you. Remember that Expectations are not necessarily the same as needs. Don’t let what you think you “ought to do” override what you actually need.
People who are too impatient to listen and avoid group discussions will most often be the ones whose approach you like least. Let them know their communication style doesn’t work for you, and what does. Unless you tell them, they won’t know.
Instinctive Needs
Your Instinctive Needs
Wee Loon, you instinctively need to achieve understanding and organize thoughts before moving forward. For you, having a sound strategic plan is essential to your confidence and feeling of security. You identify more with people who avoid risk by thinking before they act.
Understanding instinctive differences
The Instinctive Needs graph affects business relationships more than any other dimension of your HardWiring DiagramTM. Since only 25% of people will instinctively understand what you need it’s easy for misunderstandings to occur.
Instinctively, you feel that encouraging people to slow things down and think through the implications will make them feel better, since that’s what works for you. For people who are wired differently, your efforts to show commitment may be seen as obstructing their progress. This is especially true for those who are more extroverted and instinctively keep things moving.
You may also assume that people have your same ability to pick up unspoken signals and therefore respond to what you need without you having to ask. For some, no news is good news and if you don’t tell them you have a problem they won’t know. In the absence of knowing how to deal with the people closest to us we turn to our own instincts for direction. Remember, 75% of the time our instincts will give us the wrong information. The goal to real personal growth is learning to give others what they need without giving up what you need in the process.
Becoming more effective at work
In the workplace, you have a strategic focus and an instinctive nature that thinks before you act. Not everyone needs as much information as you do before taking action. Since you instinctively evaluate the risks up front you may judge others for acting without thinking. They may feel you procrastinate. This right and wrong game is a no-win resolution.
Learning to show respect for people with different needs, along with having a clear understanding of your own, will allow you access to opportunities that would otherwise pass you by. For example, your risk averse, strategic nature may dismiss a tactical can-do approach as being too dicey, but being open minded to colleagues who take this approach can lead to better results as both your long-term and their short-term perspectives are factored into business decisions.
On the second Sunday of every November, we celebrate Remembrance Day at Kranji War Memorial. In 25 years of my life, after countless history lessons about the war, I never knew this.
I didn't experience the war. Many present did, even more didn't. I dare not claim that I could understand how they felt. I could only guess - how I should feel. What captivated me more was the place. Everything just resonated, eventhough I did know what. Maybe it was the lush green field and the rows after rows of tombstones. Maybe it was the names inscribed on the walls. Maybe it was the occasion.
