Who are you and what are your strengths?

Who are you and what are your strengths?

Everyone is unique, but still psychologists have tried to make certain stereotypes. Some define 30 traits of the personality, some only measures by five variables, but they all try to get a glimpse of who you are. But why would you want to know? For psychologists, it does not only help to get a sense of what your problems are, but it can also hint to a solution. Knowing who you are is easy, defining yourself is not, let alone doing it for someone else. You can often roughly describe yourself in terms of what you like, what you don’t like or how you would react in certain situations, but to combine all those little things into one big picture is often very hard, let alone draw conclusions about yourself from that big picture.

Why do you need a bigger picture?

Yet, it is very useful to be able to describe yourself in these bigger pictures. It gives others a chance to have more correct expectations, which can be very practical among for instance colleagues. It can also be useful in knowing your own strengths and weaknesses, so you can keep them in mind when going into a difficult situation. One of the best known personality test is the Belbin Team roles test. It predicts to a certain level what type you are when working in a group and with that information, it also describes your needs to blossom. Some people need structure and a clear plan to focus on the task ahead, whilst others need a level of flexibility to let their creativity shine. Some people are very hands-on and are ready to tackle everything that comes their way, whilst others can think of the most incredible solutions for the most complex problems if you give them some time to think first. There are no good and no bad types here, they are just different from each other.

It can be very hard to work with someone who is the opposite of you. If you like structures, it can be hell to work with someone who keeps thinking of other conclusions, although these new solutions might be better. The perfect team however, has both sides. The trick is to compliment each others weaknesses and to learn from each other, instead of only trying to do it your way.

Nothing is set in stone

Teamroles can change per situation. It is very well possible that in your group of friends, you are the silent, thoughtful type, while at work, you are much more of the hands-on type of person who takes charge when problems seem to arise. It might even be that the same personality trait is at work in both situations: the analyzing side in the group of friends may be why the work personality is able to react so quickly.

On the other hand, you can also have different team roles within the same team, but in varying situations. Where you are more of a quiet thinker when solving a problem, when you found the problem, you can be the extravert presenter that persuades everyone that your solution is the best.

What type are you and what does that mean?

When you look for a Belbin test online, you can find lots of them and they all seem a little different. Some have other names for the same type, some describe a type just a little different and some even have additional types added. And in al probability, none will describe you perfectly. It can be useful to do a test and see how high or low you score on certain traits and whether you agree with them or not. Maybe the test is wrong, maybe the test sees sides of you that you didn’t see before, or didn’t want to see.

Want to try a test? Click here to see what the test says about you! Want to know more about what it means? Here is the website of the original Belbin test, which provides short descriptions, strengths, weaknesses and surprises that might come with the role you are carrying.

Why I like this test

First of all, knowing yourself and knowing how to truthfully describe yourself is something I find really important, for instance in job interviews. Knowledge of this test also helps me see why others react differently then I do and it gives me knowledge about how to help them and work together more easily when problems arise. It also helps me to tackle my own weaknesses. It allows me to know what skill to train to get better at it, or to maximize my talents. But, it also gives me the strategical position of how not to put myself in a position that doesn’t stimulate me to be at the top of my game. Finally, it also gives me a positive voice that I need. When everyone is stressing and it feels like nothing is good enough, knowing where your strengths are can help keep your ego afloat when the situation only highlights where your weaknesses lie.

Please let me know what came out of your test and which roles fit you!

Lots of love,

Lisa

Home » All posts » Who are you and what are your strengths?

Hi there! My name is Lisa and I am the author of Mind and Body Intertwined. I have a bachelor's and a master's degree in psychology. During my study, I found out how much the mind and the body are connected and it fascinated me, which is why I started my blog. Would you like to join me on this little corner of the world?

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