“Chani, you’re an introvert”...
The first words from my new manager during a performance review
Words that hit me like a sack of bricks
This person barely knew me
I didn’t know how to take it
It wasn’t a term I was familiar with at the time
To be honest, I was completely offended (which wasn’t their intent)
Being “labelled” made me feel less than
Because -
For years I’d struggled
To speak up and express myself
I’d watch on to see peers more “confident and extroverted” in how they presented themselves in different situations
Craving to be more like them
I had bookshelves at home filled with “how to make conversation”, “how to be more confident”, “how to make small talk”... you get the idea
It’s also what led me to investing the last 7+ years studying human behaviour and here’s what I learnt -
🔸️ Labels exist to help us understand, yet don’t define us, our worth, what we do or don’t bring to the table
🔸️ We will all express traits of introversion & extroversion depending on -
▪️ What’s most important to us (our individual fingerprint being our values)
▪️ How well we understand and value ourselves
▪️ If we have comparisons playing out on who we think we “should be” vs who we actually are
▪️ If we pedestal others for something that we're yet to recognise exists within ourselves
If you’re a manager, team leader, in HR or recruitment, I encourage you -
🔹️ Take the time to really discover what makes each individual tick
🔹️ Find out where they shine, what they can spend hours doing and get lost in, what inspires them, what they can talk about non-stop for (make sure the role is congruent)
🔹️ Understand their goals, dreams, wants & desires
🔹️ Support them by setting challenges that align with their individual fingerprint and watch them thrive, grow, build their self-worth and career satisfaction
🔹️ If you use personality profiling and labels, do so with caution, you may dampen their shine or miss recruiting quality talent in the process
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