My uncle was having breakfast with my folks and wanted to warm up his coffee. He put his cup inside the microwave, set the timer button and pressed start. When it beeped, he opened the door and stood there looking at his cup.
“Your microwave is broken.”
My mom looked at him and said, “No it’s not. It works perfectly fine.”
He insisted, “There’s something wrong with it. When I heat my coffee at home, I hit the timer button for 45 seconds and it works perfectly. The cup turns so when I open the door, the handle is pointing straight at me. It’s easier to grab. In your microwave, the handle is at the back and it’s very inconvenient.”
My mother was stunned. She wasn’t used to this kind of operational analysis. (And every time I warm my coffee in the microwave I think of him!)
My uncle, the engineer, was very likely a Cautious/Conscientious personality style.
Traits of the Conscientious, Cautious Personality Style
- Our conscientious cautious personality style folks are typically analytical types who strive for accuracy and quality. They are drawn to career fields like accounting, finance, medical, engineering, research and development, logistics, insurance claims, the law and information technology. And thank goodness we have them! Otherwise bank accounts wouldn’t balance, our taxes would be incorrect, space satellites wouldn’t sync with earth and computer systems would crash.
- These are folks who will plan a vacation in great detail. They believe in an agenda, accurate timing, definite accommodations, specific arrival and departure dates, and will budget to the penny.
- They make great poker players. They’re not as easy to read as some of us, given their ability to maintain neutral facial expressions. They also choose their words carefully.
- “High C” folks aren’t fond of change, since they like to keep things as they are until a process has the kinks worked out of it.
- They actually read directions and technical manuals before putting something together, unlike our High I friends who will just “wing it.” They tend to like spreadsheets and data analysis.
- Conscientious/Cautious people believe in the motto “Prove it to me.” Make sure you have your facts in order before raising an issue, making a complaint or suggesting an improvement with them. And be prepared, they may get caught up in the details and spend time “in the weeds” when discussing a process or procedure.
- They believe there should be a purpose to most things. They see no need to attend a networking event just to enjoy social time because it could be fun. But give them a reason which is substantive and relevant to their needs and they’ll be there.
- “High C” people prefer a businesslike environment. So pot lucks, birthday celebrations and too much laughter in the workplace can be off-putting. They might need some urging to do the interpersonal outreach most leadership books recommend.
- These folks are task focused and can be heard to say, “Let’s get the job done first; I’ll worry about feelings later.” Avoid interrupting them in the middle of a project. And don’t take it personally if they don’t stop what they’re doing to attend to something that may be perceived as non-essential.
- As with all our personality styles, we can become more effective if we partner up with people who have an opposite style from our own. This is why smart business owners often bring an analytical person on board to balance out their strengths.
- Personal achievement may be important for them. They will track scores, statistics, miles and minutes and compete against themselves if necessary. My guess is, most umpires possess a “High C” personality style.
Benefits of Personality Styles
Do personality styles stay the same throughout our lives? People I’ve worked with who have taken more than one assessment say their results are similar. We may experience more or less intensity depending on the requirements of the job, the people we work closely with or the one we married. Perhaps you don’t have to be as high of a “C” if your partner possesses the same traits.
If only we would help our young people discover their strengths early on in their lives in order to choose a better career fit. Too many of us had to figure out what we are good at through trial and error. Imagine how much pressure it would take off their shoulders if they discovered early on they were’t wired to be a lawyer, doctor, accountant or business owner!
Come to think of it, it sure would help a lot of relationships if both parties took an assessment before marrying or partnering up. Like most people, my husband and I have opposite traits — he is a High C engineer and I am a High I promoter style. But we both share mid-level strengths in the Steadiness/Supportive arena, which has a relationship focus. He understands my attention to people issues and I stay out of his way when he’s fixing something in the garage!