– You’re the reason I’m quitting …
That’s what a man said to me as he was going round the office to say goodbye to his colleagues. ‘Oops,’ I thought...
He carried on: Well, you ran a workshop with us in the IT department. We had to analyse our personalities and how well they matched the personality requirements of our jobs. It didn’t match very well.’ That got me thinking… Now I’m going to educate myself to a nursery nurse instead of working in IT operations. Thanks for the nudge…
His comment naturally made me curious about how he’d been getting on in his job?
– He wasn’t very good at his job, but he was such a nice guy, said his boss. Sometimes there were major mishaps, such as customers receiving their invoices twice, and so on.
To explain the poor job match, it was like this: he scored low on Structure and high on Sensibility and Quality, to use the theory that forms the basis of the HumanGuide test. The test is based on a theory comprising eight core dimensions (see humanguide.com for further details), which makes the results more nuanced and useful. It identifies some key characteristics for each
- Sensibility, i.e. caring, empathetic and service-oriented
- Power, i.e. results-oriented, quick and dynamic
- Quality, i.e. responsible, determined and long-term perspective
- Exposure, i.e. colourful, spontaneous and lively
- Structure, i.e. orderly, organised and disciplined
- Imagination, i.e. open-minded, creative and curious
- Stability, i.e. security-oriented, traditional and economical
- Contacts, i.e. people-oriented, easy-going and sociable
I met him a few years later, after he’d been working as a childcare worker for about a year. He was very happy and thanked me once again.
It’s not always such a bad match, but even a minor mismatch can take its toll in the long run. No matter how big the mismatch is, it’s not good. It can even lead to mental health issues. On the other hand, it’s usually difficult to make a change – especially if you need to change the job; for example, what about your finances? However, my constant advice is that you should do something to ensure you have a good life. It is possible to make changes bit by bit, which is easier if you have a clear opinion of your personality; in other words, if you know what drives you, it’s easier to realise which jobs are a good fit. Or how your current job needs adjusting.
By the way, in the book HAPPY, HAPPY, there’s a useful tip for making difficult decisions. The author, Katarina Wennstam, recommends the 10-10-10 principle. It involves
- The tricky part of the conversation usually lasts about 10 minutes, so it’s quite manageable. You could even practise the beginning a bit…
- Then imagine yourself 10 months from now: what will it be like then, once you’ve done 1?
- Finally, imagine what the next 10 years would be like if you didn’t do 1?
If you’d like a clearer understanding of your personality – your motivations – you can do so here: humanguide.nu.
If you use this service, you’ll also gain access to the web app at your.humanguide.se, where you can view your test results, find out more and get advice, and so on.
The web app also includes a feature to Calculate your passionindex. This means you can check how well your personality matches a job, a culture or a person.
Once you’ve taken the test, the very best thing to do is to identify your ‘jackpot activity’ – that is, what you essentially do when you utilise all your strongest traits (drivers) in an activity. I came up with that idea when I was in my 40s. My ‘jackpot activity’ is solving complex problems for the greater good of society. I’ve been doing that ever since, and I’ll soon be 80. I’ve actually chosen to be passionaire for my work. I don’t believe in being a traditional pensioner. This is partly because, for some people close to me who have made that choice, it hasn’t gone so well. What’s more, research has shown that those who help others are happier than those who think mostly of themselves.
Hmmm, 80. I hope my two sons upgrade me to 8.0 😉
You can read more about jackpot activity here https://www.humanguide.org/en/blog/individual/whats-the-point-of-knowing-your-jackpot-activity
Do you have a clear understanding of your jackpot activity, or should you try to figure out one?
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