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How personality tests can help your business

22 Sep 2022
Categories: business, personal

How many personality quizzes have you done in your life? Can you event count them?

Or are you super skeptical about what they do for you?

Guess what, I’ve done a fair few of those quizzes and love talking about them. So let me share my experiences and how I think they might be able to help you in your professional and personal life.

How personality tests can help your business

There are a number of personality tests out there and you may think of them what you want but I personally found their results strangely accurate. What’s more, they actually help me in my business.

It’s crucial to understand why you do things the way you do and also understand that others might function completely differently.

That sounds like a no-brainer but how often have we been in a situation where someone else makes a decision (or is completely paralised by the challenge to decide something) that makes no sense to you?

The more you pay attention to your own thoughts and behaviours, the easier it is to notice the differences in approaches for others around you.

And that’s where the magic of personality tests comes in. It’s a way to reflect on yourself and others. That works in your personal as well as your professional life.

A few years ago, in my last job, my manager Stacey made everyone in her team take the Meyers-Briggs Test. It was just for fun but the results she got back actually made her realise that she’s not always been treating and managing us in a way that would resonate with everyone.

Lightbulb moment!

So let me share a few personality tests with you that I found particularly interesting.

Myers-Briggs Test

This is probably the best-known personality test out there. You’ll be one of 16 personalities and each has a different purpose and characteristics. You can take the test for free but the website also offers a paid option to learn more about each type.

Every result comes with a list of celebrities you share characteristics with. The website also goes into detail in how you act and perceive situations, relationships and life. It’s super interesting and I personally find it very accurate.

I am a Turbulent Advocate: INFJ-T

That means I’m an introvert who is intuitive and makes decisions based on feelings and judgment. The opposite would be ESTP (extraverted, observant, thinking, prospecting).

What they say about Advocates:

  • They’re idealistic and principled and want to make a difference.
  • They seek purpose and are committed to making the world a better place
  • They move through life with a clear sense of their values
  • Many Advocates see helping others as their mission in life
  • They value deep, authentic relationships with others
infj-anja-result-personality-quiz

advocates-personality-test-result

Let’s move on to another test…

Enneagram Personality Test

The Enneagram divides personalities in 9 types, each with their own motivations, fears, and internal dynamics. Each of the 9 personality types has its own driving force, which is centered around a particular emotion.

This test is free to take and you can learn more about your result by either paying for a report or just searching for more info online.

The Enneagram types are called The Perfectionist (1), The Helper (2), The Achiever (3), The Individualist (4), The Investigator (5), The Loyalist (6), The Enthusiast (7), The Challenger (8) and The Peacemaker (9). You’re most likely a combination of a few of them but there’ll be one that’s dominant.

I’m a type 1: The Perfectionist

What they say about 1s:

  • They strive to be good and honourable.
  • They want to live a life with purpose.
  • They have a fear of being morally flawed, or otherwise seen as imperfect.
  • They’re coping by being rigidly disciplined and very hard on themselves.
  • They have a natural talent for teaching and instructing.
enneagram-diagram

But your personality also affects your financial habits and money mindset. I recently found another quiz, focussing on just that. I’ve been doing a lot of money mindset work over the past couple of years so this one was really fascinating for me!

Sacred Money Archetype Quiz

There are 8 money archetypes and once again, they have different preferences and priorities. The whole idea around these traits was created by Kendall SummerHawk but I’ve stumbled over it via Denise DT, the Money Mindset Coach who wrote “Get rich, lucky bitch” (one of my favourite books).

The Archetypes are The Accumulator, The Alchemist, The Celebrity, The Connector, The Maverick, The Nurturer, The Romantic, and The Ruler.

Again, you’ll most likely have elements of all of these in you but there’ll probably be one that’s dominant. For me, this is The Accumulator, closely followed by The Alchemist and The Nurturer.

Accumulator – The Inner Banker

  • Accumulators love money but they like to keep it “for a rainy day”. Financial stability is very important to them.
  • They don’t believe in debt.
  • They pride themselves on getting great deals and living below their means.

Accumulators are trustworthy, disciplined, frugal, good at saving, and fair. But they feel guilty when spending money or investing, which isn’t always the best position to be in when you’re running a business. We all know, you have to spend money to make money…

My other two dominating archetypes are The Alchemist and The Nurturer.

The Alchemist – the Inner Idealist

The Alchemist is creative, idealistic, great at manifesting, and can create money in unusual ways. But they struggle to create money goals and can feel judgemental about money.

The Nurturer – The Inner Sponsor

The Nurturer has a strong compulsion, need, and commitment to care for others. This can come at the expense of themselves so naturally, they aren’t the best at creating or sticking to boundaries.

One other way to learn more about yourself is actually not a personality test but it’s a system that combines astrology, the I Ching, Kabbalah and chakra system to create a blueprint of you. It’s called Human Design.

Human Design

Human Design is a very specific way to learn more about your personality, your emotions and energy centers.