Social Style & Career #1: Analytical

If you are an analytical, you are very organized, rational, precise, and methodical. You break everything down and consider every alternative before making a decision. You are too the point, like facts, prefer choices and don’t enjoy small talk while discussing business.

Best careers for an analytical: Scientists, Financial Analyst, Engineer, Sales

Social Style & Career #2: Amiable

If you are an amiable, you are cooperative, dependable, a good listener and a negotiator. You like to talk and avoid confrontation at all costs. You are a people pleaser.

Best careers for an amiable: Day care, Customer Service Representative, Doctor, Nurse

Social Style & Career #3: Expressive

If you are an expressive, you are enthusiastic, outgoing and creative. You love to talk, like to give advice and tend to be a little dramatic.

Best careers for an expressive: Interior Designer, Marketer, Columnist

Social Style & Career #4: Driver

If you are a driver, you are always in control. You are direct, demanding, and consider yourself superior.

Best careers for a driver: Entrepreneur, CEO, Vice President, Manager, Team Leader

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Expressives are motivated by recognition, approval and prestige. They tend to appear communicative and approachable, often sharing their feelings and thoughts. They move quickly, continually excited about the next big idea, but they often don’t commit to specific plans or see things through to completion. Expressives enjoy taking risks. When making decisions, they tend to place more stock in the opinions of prominent or successful people than in logic or research. Though they consider relationships important, the Expressive’s competitive nature leads them to seek quieter friends who are supportive of their dreams and ideas, often making relationships shallow or short-lived.

Driving styles want to know the estimated outcome of each option. They are willing to accept risks, but want to move quickly and have the final say. In relationships, they may appear uncommunicative, independent and competitive. Driving styles tend to focus on efficiency or productivity rather than devoting time and attention to casual relationships. They seldom see a need to share personal motives or feelings. Driving styles are results-oriented, tending to initiate action and give clear direction. They seek control over their environment.

Each of the categories represent roughly 25 percent of the population, which means only about one-fourth of the people you work with prefer to interact in the same way you do. This provides a plethora of opportunities for workplace conflict to manifest. What are you doing to manage your relationships?

Analyticals value facts above all, and may appear uncommunicative, cool and independent. They have a strong time discipline coupled with a slow pace to action. They value accuracy, competency and logic over opinions, often avoiding risk in favor of cautious, deliberate decisions. Analyticals are usually cooperative, providing they have some freedom to organize their own efforts. Power often arises suspicion in Analyticals, but if they come to see it as necessary for achieving goals and objectives, they may seek power themselves. In relationships, Analyticals are initially more careful and reserved, but once trust is earned they can become dedicated and loyal.

Amiables are people-oriented, and care more about close relationships than results or influence. They usually appear warm, friendly and cooperative. Amiables tend to move slowly with a low time discipline, minimizing risk and often using personal opinions to arrive at decisions. Belonging to a group is a primary need, and Amiables may make every effort to gain acceptance. They typically seek to uncover common ground, preferring to achieve objectives through understanding and mutual respect rather than force and authority. When managed by force without relationship, Amiables appear to cooperate initially but will likely lack commitment to the objectives and may later resist implementation.