Your personality type affects everything in your life: how you interact with others, how you spend your free time, how you build relationships—it even affects how you do business. So what is your personality saying to your colleagues, clients, and co-workers?
It’s always a fun escape to check out your zodiac sign or your daily horoscope, but it’s a little easier to justify taking time out of your busy work day for a business-related personality test. This article is part of a four-part series on the four temperaments model of behavior. We’ll be looking at how the personality types (sanguines, cholerics, melancholics, and phlegmatics) of the four temperament theory affect the way you do business. It’s a fun way to break out of your everyday routine and explore the different sides of your business personality.
This article deals with the phlegmatic personality. Not sure which temperament personality you have? Try taking
this quiz to find out.
Characteristics of the Phlegmatic Personality Type
Phlegmatics are the most relaxed of the four temperaments. They’re easy-going, content, and hard to rattle. Phlegmatics are level-headed and consistent. They’re shy and slow to warm to people, but once they get to know a person they’re extremely loyal. Phlegmatics tend to avoid conflict and hate getting involved in disputes. They display the most concrete and practical thinking of all the temperament types.
Business Strengths for Phlegmatics
If you’ve got a phlegmatic business personality, you boast one of the most stable and steady temperaments of all. You tend to keep a cool head in a crisis and you’re not quick to criticize others. You tend to be non-judgmental—other personality types feel like they can be themselves around you. You also display incredible patience and persistence. A practical thinker, you can be quick to find the simplest solution to a problem.
Business Weaknesses for Phlegmatics
You hate conflict, so you’ll avoid it at all costs—even if it hurts your business.
- Speak Up – Phlegmatics tend to be extremely quiet and reserved, so you may avoid voicing your opinion to others (even if you see a major flaw in someone else’s plan). Step up and speak up: you’ve got nothing to gain by staying mute.
- Stop Avoiding Arguments – If a pushy client is demanding the impossible, it may seem easier to stay quiet and try to meet their demands. Instead, be open and honest up front– a little honesty now will save you from future conflict in the long run.
- Embrace Change – Phlegmatics also tend to love routine and despise change. You’re likely to struggle with any change to your daily processes, plan, or natural rhythm. Change, though unpleasant at first, is a necessary part of owning a modern business. Developing a step-by-step strategy for implementing new practices or procedures can help you (and your employees) slowly ease into new territory.
- How Phlegmatics Interact Online – Phlegmatics tend to be very passive Internet users, so you’re probably more of an observer than a participant on social media. On Facebook, for example, you’re much more likely to click “like” on a friend’s status than to make a comment—and you rarely post any updates of your own.
Phlegmatic users on
Commonfig will appreciate the site’s scheduling tool, ensuring they’ll know their upcoming agenda well in advance. Phlegmatics can also post their standard working hours to ensure clients know their regular work routine.
Final Precautions for Phlegmatics
You boast a level-headed business personality that’s as practical as it is consistent. Just be wary of your fear of change—after all, your customers and your market change constantly. If you can’t keep up, your business will be left in your competitors’ dust.
What Other Factors Affect Your Personality?
Of course, most people aren’t 100% one solitary personality trait. Most personalities are blends of all four temperaments, with one or two personality types leading over the others. Take
this quiz to find out your own personality blend– and don’t forget to check out our other articles on the sanguine, choleric, and melancholy temperaments!
Further Reading:
Want to learn more about temperament or the four temperaments model of behavior? Check out the
history of temperament theory or the
fundamentals of temperament behavior for more information.
Your personality type affects everything in your life: how you interact with others, how you spend your free time, how you build relationships—it even affects how you do business. So what is your personality saying to your colleagues, clients, and co-workers?
It’s always a fun escape to check out your zodiac sign or your daily horoscope, but it’s a little easier to justify taking time out of your busy work day for a business-related personality test. This article is part of a four-part series on the four temperaments model of behavior. We’ll be looking at how the personality types (sanguines, cholerics, melancholics, and phlegmatics) of the four temperament theory affect the way you do business. It’s a fun way to break out of your everyday routine and explore the different sides of your business personality.
This article deals with the phlegmatic personality. Not sure which temperament personality you have? Try taking this quiz to find out.
