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Personality Development and Soft Skills

Barun K. Mitra

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Chapter 1

Personality Development:

A must for leadership and

career growth

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Learning Objectives

Grooming one’s personality
Personality as a signal that others read
Variation of personality with situation
Characteristics of different personality attributes
Influence of heredity and environment on personality
Different classifications of personality
Personality tests

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Introduction

Personality is concerned with the psychological pattern of an individual—the thoughts, emotions and feelings—that are unique to a person.

The personality of a person is how he presents himself to the world; it is how others see him.

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Personality attributes and their characteristics

Individual personality attributes	Characteristics
Maturity	Wisdom, sagacity, depth
Achievement-oriented	Performance- and goal-oriented
Intellectual	Sharp, intelligent
Emotional	Excessive feelings
Energetic	Active, agile
Physical attributes	Healthy, robust, strong
Material attributes	Spendthrift, possessive

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Personality Analysis

It is a methodology for categorizing the character and behaviour of a person. Personality is determined by a number of factors. Of these, genetics and/or heredity as well as environment play an important role. Personality is shaped not only by heredity but also by environment.

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Freudian analysis of personality development

According to Sigmund Freud (1856–1939), personality consists of three structures:

Id
Ego
Superego

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Dimensions of Human Personality

Physical self
Energy self
Intellectual self
Mental self
Blissful self

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Key Leadership traits that originate from one’s personality

Communication skills
Interpersonal skills
Optimistic, yet balanced outlook
Self-confidence, self-assurance
Bold thinking and mental strength
Ability to strategize
Detail orientation
Planning (including risk assessment and contingency planning)
Clarity of thinking and reasoning

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Interpersonal Skills

It means a congenial and a pleasant interaction of people with others. The various psychological factors that exist within every human being, and which consequently influence our behaviour while interacting with others, are referred to as interpersonal skills.

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Interpersonal Skills

To cultivate interpersonal skills, the necessary personality and behavioural traits are:

Resolving Conflict

A Smiling Face

Appreciative Attitude

Assertive Nature

Showing Assertiveness

smiling face

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Interpersonal Skills

Communication Skills

Listening Skills

Developing Empathy

Listening intently

Showing empathy

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Types of Personality

Perfectionists

Strive for excellence in everything they do—however large or small
Foundation built on a strong focus of quality
Lofty standards

Helpers

Smiling demeanor
Generously appreciative
Empathy

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Types of Personality

Achievers

Goal setting
Execution

Romantics

Set lofty vision that may not be grounded in reality
Lack focus and are poor in taking decisions
Kind and people-friendly

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Types of Personality

Observers

Intuitive
Critical
Loner

Questioners

Analytical skills
Lateral thinking
Articulate

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Types of Personality

Enthusiasts or adventures

Variety
Story teller
Spontaneous

Bosses or asserters

Courageous
Power orientation
Supportive of team

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Types of Personality

Mediators or peacemakers

Good at arbitration and trustworthy
Hate conflict
Like to be respected

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Personality Assessment

Based on the MBTI assessment, the personalities of candidates are assessed. Each person is classified by a combination of four dichotomies, from 16 possible combinations.