Personality: Know Thyself

By Ruth Kwalanda | March, 2024

Knowing ourselves is the first step to appreciating our uniqueness and understanding others and extending grace self and to others. In ancient Greek, it was so important to know thyself that am told there is temple that had a big inscription saying just that.

Hippocrates (460-370BC),Yes ! he lived that far back, considered the father of medicine, was a Greek physician and philosopher , was curious why people behaved differently, and the relationship  of individual disposition to illness. He came up with the four temperaments. All modern personality studies are originated in his work.  He discovered four different grids which is basically a framework to behaviour, decision making and personal interactions. So you may have heard about Choleric describing people who are confident, competitive and can be impatient. Sanguine describing people who are expressive, spontaneous and perhaps impulsive. Phlegmatic who are calm, diplomatic and sometimes can be indecisive.  And finally, melancholic who detail oriented, high standards and can be critical.

There many modern personality frameworks, all originating in this work, my personally favourite, Everything DiSC® because it is intuitive, designed for use in workplaces and accessible to you and me. It connects people on a human level to deliver “A-ha!” moments that transform workplaces and relationships.  It is Built on a Foundation of Research and Rigor, that provides a trustworthy assessment with strong psychometric properties, and prioritizes quality by using computer adaptive testing, global norming, and real-world testing. Powered by Wiley, it is fueled by over 40+ years of assessment-backed expertise and 200+ years of publishing excellence.  As if that is not enough, it is just not assessment but a Transformational Learning Experiences that goes beyond the classroom with MyEverythingDiSC, a personalized mobile-friendly tool that helps participants use DiSC every day to connect better with others in real-time. And finally, it is Simple but not Simplistic, Everything DiSC® translates assessment results into a personalized, actionable narrative that makes behavior change tangible for the participant.

No one style is better or worse than the next. So what is it exactly, basically it is a powerful personality model that describes four basic personality styles; Dominance; Influence; Steadiness; Conscientiousness hence DiSC. The Dominance personality style describes people who are firm, forceful and results –oriented. They prioritize immediate results and are motivated by winning. They may come across as impatient and lacking concern for others.  The influence personality style describes people who optimistic, outgoing and lively. They are motivated by social recognition and friendly relationships. The y may lack follow through capacity. Steadiness personality style describes people who are even-tempered, patient and tactful. The maintain stability and give support. They are motivated by cooperation and can be overly accommodating. Conscientiousness personality style describes people who are analytical, systematic and precise. They ensure accuracy and also challenge assumptions. They are motivated by opportunities to share expertise and can sometimes have a tendency to overanalyze.

Just through these descriptions, you can immediately the importance of knowing thyself and knowing those who you relate with closely so you can accommodate them but also you can appreciate the differences and sometimes areas of conflict.

If you would like to view a sample report or get assessment for yourself, email me or reply to this message.

Something to ponder;

Truth 1- It written;

‘I will praise You, for I  am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.’  (New King James Version, 1982, Psalms 139:14)

May you be aligned and illuminating!

N/B: Full disclosure;

 I am a  certified and authorized  partner  for Wiley learning solutions.