Team Work: Managing Personalities And Tasks

Do you understand how to manage personalities and tasks in the work place?

Hi everyone

Today, we would be discussing teamwork. Basically how to understand and manage personalities and tasks in the work place. Now, note that if you work in a one-man business, SME, Multinational organization, are a CEO, manager, or cleaner in any establishment; one thing remains constant - you will always work with people. You cant carry out tasks alone.

But how do we manage people better, to encourage effectiveness?

Firstly, if you work at any level; it is advisable to understand personality types.
(I have had some banter about this with a few BVs). There are four (4) major personality types (otherwise called temperaments) and i will summarize their general attitude to work.



1. Sanguine - Quite playful. Would not like to be put in a box. When they are serious they go full in. When they are not they dodge and make excuses. Motivated by things they have natural interest in. Can exhibit high levels of indiscipline and dislike rules. Are not very thorough. 

2. Choleric - Natural leaders. Can be veey visionary even when they cant see a route. They dont need to be told what to do. Can counter boss's opinions and ask questions until they receive answers. Hate disorderliness. Little or no empathy, could be slave drivers if not controlled. Have this 'if i can do it then you can too' mindset. Generally workaholics. Doers and active learners.



3. Melancholic - Emotional. Can cry when scolded. Allow emotions affect their work. High emotional intelligence and empathy, too. Very thorough and into details. Hate making mistakes. High empathy levels. Generally dislike being put down or criticised, so has to be done with caution. Could have more mood swings. Manage stress well and are patient.

4. Phlegmatic - Easy going. Need extra extra motivation to bring out the best in them. Would rather be good than effective. Dont like making/taking harsh decisions. Can be stuck in one spot, or a particular work style and not see anything wrong with it. Can take forever to get the job done. High resistance to new technology initially, even if it is meant to make their job easier.



Once you understand personality types, many things co-workers do will not irritate you as much. Also understand your personality type, your strengths and weaknesses and how you can be part of the group without being the difficult one. This is why one approach doesn't work for everyone or every project. E.g shouting would make some people more effective and other people resistant to your leadership; while being quiet would make some people climb your head and make others respect you. Try as much as possible to understand the prevalent temperament in your team, and apply the right leadership style.


A good team player will not always see/feel the need to escalate everything to superiors. This is because you make superiors feel the team is uncooperative, and you can also loose your team members cooperation afterwards. The best way to get noticed is to focus on the task. Once the task is complete, argue and correct mistakes later and apply corrections to subsequent tasks. Do not halt a task halfway, except the process has been irreparably disrupted.


Good team players are problem solvers not problem avoiders or exaggerators. Please, when you encounter difficulties, dont go and ring bell in the whatsapp group or group email. Ensure that there is a budding solution FIRST, so that as you are informing them about the difficulty, you're also describing the possible solution. 

Don't be the group's achilles heel. Lol.


I think this is long enough. 

Can you share your leadership / team management experiences? 

Have you been a bad team player before? What personalities do you think are more difficult to work with?