Littauer - Personality Plus at Work: How to Work Successfully with Anyone

Personality
PLUS
at WORK

How to Work
Successfully with Anyone

FLORENCE LITTAUER
ROSE SWEET

2011 by Florence Littauer and Rose Sweet

Published by Revell
a division of Baker Publishing Group
P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www.revellbooks.com

E-book edition created 2010

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meansfor example, electronic, photocopy, recordingwithout the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

ISBN 978-1-4412-1489-8

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarities to real persons, living or dead, are coincidental and not intended by the authors.

Contents

The Four Personalities according to
Hippocrates (ca. 400 BC)

The Popular Personality: Sanguine
Fun, outgoing, optimistic... but disorganized and too chatty

The Powerful Personality: Choleric
Goal-oriented, born leader, confident... but bossy and insensitive

The Perfect Personality: Melancholy
Deep, thoughtful, organized... but negative and often depressed

The Peaceful Personality: Phlegmatic
Pleasant, easygoing, adaptable... but indecisive and unmotivated

Cast of Characters

It was a rainy afternoon in April when Rose and I (Florence) walked into the Loma Linda University library to begin a series of lectures we called Personality Plus at Work. The dean, Dr. Hemingway, had scheduled these classes based on a perceived need of people who would often complain to him. They would ask, How can I understand all these mixed-up people I have to deal with in my workplace? or, When I have the answers, why wont people just do it my way?

Dr. Hemingway wasnt sure how to handle these questions, until one evening he met me at a dinner party and began to explain how frustrated he was.

People talk to me as if I could prescribe a magical pill they could take each morning and suddenly be wise. We all know theres no such thing! He slammed down his fork in disgust.

I smiled. Well, Dr. Hemingway, there actually is a mystery cure for personality problems, and Id love to explain it to you. It comes from your own professionfrom a Greek physician in 400 BCand it still works today.

Really? he asked.

You remember Hippocrates? He asked the same questions as you: Is there some way I might understand my patients? and Why dont they all react the same way to the same instructions?

Our discussion got so exciting as we shared back and forth, problem and solution, that soon others around us were listening and wanting to hear more. From that conversation came the idea for a sixteen-week course on Personality Plus at Work... and here we were, Rose and I, walking into a classroom where eight selected people were waiting for us. Four men and four women from different corners of the business worldwho needed help with all those people who are nothing like me.

Rose and I had been teaching the four personalities as a fun way to get along with difficult people, but we had never tried it with such a handpicked group. Dr. Hemingway had invited friends and professionals alike to prepare for the course by reading my book Personality Plus and by taking the Personality Profile included in the back of this book. When we arrived for our first session, we knew the personalities of our eight students and we were ready for them.

Lets Meet the Group

I started by explaining to the students that Rose and I were both blends of the Choleric-Sanguine personalities and that as we went through the course they would understand more about what that meant. Rose added, That means we both like to be in charge, but dont worrywell make it fun!

Yes, I agreed. We both like to be in charge. I looked right at Rose.

In charge! Right! Yes, Florence is teaching today. Youll have to wait for me to take over next time! Rose smiled at the group and then took a seat in the back of the room. As Sanguines, we have learned how to work with one another in our teaching assignments. We enjoy being playful but are always respectful with each other.

After we had introduced ourselves, I asked each student to give their name and their reason for being here, in order of how they were sitting. I started with a relaxed young woman with big brown eyes and dark curly hair.

Im Carmen Gonzalez. Im a teacher at the local high school, and Im hoping to understand my pupils better. Theyre all so different, and some dont even want to be in school. I read your book, FlorencePersonality Plusand I think Im Melancholy because I love to study and I get easily depressed with the antics of these teenagers!

Next was a middle-aged lady, somewhat chubby, with bright blue eyes and an eagerness to tell us who she was. Im Darlene Guttenberg, and Im here to learn more about my business associates. Im in network marketing and I work, work, work all the time. My mind never seems to shut down! I knew right away she was Choleric.

Next at the table was a quiet, unresponsive man who hadnt smiled yet. I wouldnt have come here by myself, but my wife, Darlene, he nodded his head toward the woman next to him, dragged me here. Thats what she does with me, but I dont mind. My name is Hans. Hans Guttenberg. I looked over at Rose and we both exchanged a silent word: Phlegmatic.

The group seemed confused. Should they feel sorry for Hans being dragged around or glad that he had Darlene to pep him up?