Mr. Personality: Using Personality Profiles to Make Your Company Better Of course, no PU would be complete without professor of straight talk David Baker. For his session, we talked about personality profiles and why they matter. It was frank, hilarious discussion that edified and provoked.

1. you may not be as screwed
up as you thought (the
jury’s out)
david c. baker, paramore u, 2012

2. david c. baker

3. david c. baker
• www.davidcbaker.com

4. david c. baker
• www.davidcbaker.com
• i have fooled a lot of people so far: Wall Street Journal, USA
Today, Fast Company, Inc. Magazine, Forbes, CBS Business
Network, MarketingProfs, BusinessWeek, and about a dozen
books others have written. my second (of four) books was just
chosen by Inc. Magazine as a “Top 10 Book for Entrepreneurs to
Read.”

5. david c. baker
• www.davidcbaker.com
• i have fooled a lot of people so far: Wall Street Journal, USA
Today, Fast Company, Inc. Magazine, Forbes, CBS Business
Network, MarketingProfs, BusinessWeek, and about a dozen
books others have written. my second (of four) books was just
chosen by Inc. Magazine as a “Top 10 Book for Entrepreneurs to
Read.”
• i wasted 6 years in graduate school.

6. david c. baker
• www.davidcbaker.com
• i have fooled a lot of people so far: Wall Street Journal, USA
Today, Fast Company, Inc. Magazine, Forbes, CBS Business
Network, MarketingProfs, BusinessWeek, and about a dozen
books others have written. my second (of four) books was just
chosen by Inc. Magazine as a “Top 10 Book for Entrepreneurs to
Read.”
• i wasted 6 years in graduate school.
• i charge ridiculous fees.

7. david c. baker
• www.davidcbaker.com
• i have fooled a lot of people so far: Wall Street Journal, USA
Today, Fast Company, Inc. Magazine, Forbes, CBS Business
Network, MarketingProfs, BusinessWeek, and about a dozen
books others have written. my second (of four) books was just
chosen by Inc. Magazine as a “Top 10 Book for Entrepreneurs to
Read.”
• i wasted 6 years in graduate school.
• i charge ridiculous fees.
• my therapist of 3.5 years has told me to quit telling people that
i’m one of the smartest people in the world, so i fired him.
besides, there’s too much stigma to have a therapist in the
south.

8. david c. baker
• www.davidcbaker.com
• i have fooled a lot of people so far: Wall Street Journal, USA
Today, Fast Company, Inc. Magazine, Forbes, CBS Business
Network, MarketingProfs, BusinessWeek, and about a dozen
books others have written. my second (of four) books was just
chosen by Inc. Magazine as a “Top 10 Book for Entrepreneurs to
Read.”
• i wasted 6 years in graduate school.
• i charge ridiculous fees.
• my therapist of 3.5 years has told me to quit telling people that
i’m one of the smartest people in the world, so i fired him.
besides, there’s too much stigma to have a therapist in the
south.
• hannah is one of my best friends [i am only saying this because
she hasn’t paid my invoice yet]

9. connecting

10. connecting
• twitter: ReCourses

11. connecting
• twitter: ReCourses
• opt-in email:
www.recourses.com

12. connecting
• twitter: ReCourses
• opt-in email:
www.recourses.com
• pix: www.retake.com (all
of these are mine—they
have nothing to do w/ the
content, but i like seeing
my stuff)

13. experience

14. experience
• w/ this topic, spent $350k
on a study that began in
1998 in which 14,000+
people were given
profiles, a 25-question
survey, a 30-minute
interview. i am exhausted.

15. intro

16. intro
• what is your greatest personality trait?

17. intro
• what is your greatest personality trait?
• what is your weakest personality trait?

18. intro
• what is your greatest personality trait?
• what is your weakest personality trait?
• who you are is positive—but if you
overuse it, that same trait becomes a
negative

19. frame goals like this

20. frame goals like this
• start by becoming self-aware,
understanding your tendencies,
preferred environments, biggest areas to
work on, etc.

21. frame goals like this
• start by becoming self-aware,
understanding your tendencies,
preferred environments, biggest areas to
work on, etc.
• if you stop there, though, it’s not much
more than belly button gazing

22. frame goals like this
• start by becoming self-aware,
understanding your tendencies,
preferred environments, biggest areas to
work on, etc.
• if you stop there, though, it’s not much
more than belly button gazing
• so the next—and most useful—step is to
be “other aware”

23. frame goals like this
• start by becoming self-aware,
understanding your tendencies,
preferred environments, biggest areas to
work on, etc.
• if you stop there, though, it’s not much
more than belly button gazing
• so the next—and most useful—step is to
be “other aware”
• that often means subordinating your
own preferences to the other person’s
preferences. that is at the heart of
maturity

25. there are some strange
perceptions around this,
though, even now

26. there are some strange
perceptions around this,
though, even now
• freaked out spouse

27. there are some strange
perceptions around this,
though, even now
• freaked out spouse

28. there are some strange
perceptions around this,
though, even now
• freaked out spouse
• psychic consultant

29. there are some strange
perceptions around this,
though, even now
• freaked out spouse
• psychic consultant
[me]

30. history

31. history
• william marston, 1893-1947

32. history
• william marston, 1893-1947
• psychologist at harvard/tufts

33. history
• william marston, 1893-1947
• psychologist at harvard/tufts
• feminist theorist: “more honest and
reliable than mean and could work
faster and more accurately”

34. history
• william marston, 1893-1947
• psychologist at harvard/tufts
• feminist theorist: “more honest and
reliable than mean and could work
faster and more accurately”
• inventor: polygraph and blood
pressure tester

35. history
• william marston, 1893-1947
• psychologist at harvard/tufts
• feminist theorist: “more honest and
reliable than mean and could work
faster and more accurately”
• inventor: polygraph and blood
pressure tester
• comic book writer: wonder woman

36. history
• william marston, 1893-1947
• psychologist at harvard/tufts
• feminist theorist: “more honest and
reliable than mean and could work
faster and more accurately”
• inventor: polygraph and blood
pressure tester
• comic book writer: wonder woman
• 1928: Emotions of Normal People

37. who are you?

38. who are you?

39. drive for...
D domination
i induced positivity
S stability
C correctness

40. learn via
D trial and error
i talking through it
S step by step process
C by the book,
understanding
the rules

41. also learn by

42. also learn by
•watching a study hall

43. also learn by
•watching a study hall
•watching an elevator

44. also learn by
•watching a study hall
•watching an elevator
•shopping for groceries

45. also learn by
•watching a study hall
•watching an elevator
•shopping for groceries
•eating

46. inmate

47. david

48. scientific
DiSC (expanded)
Indra
Myers Briggs
Performance Index (PI)
TJTA
Birkman
Keirsey

49. recommend
• DiSC Classic
GeneralCharacteristics
PPSS
• 21 languages
• 25 countries
• 40 million profiles
• 2,700 distributors
• gary little/pamela cole

50. easy reading
please understand me II
—david keirsey

51. 3 problems

52. 3 problems
•younger than ca. 17

53. 3 problems
•younger than ca. 17
•unclear words

54. 3 problems
•younger than ca. 17
•unclear words
•disruptive events

55. great uses

56. great uses
•brainstorming

57. great uses
•brainstorming
•expressing creativity

58. great uses
•brainstorming
•expressing creativity
•business roles

59. great uses
•brainstorming
•expressing creativity
•business roles
•managing below

60. great uses
•brainstorming
•expressing creativity
•business roles
•managing below
•managing above

61. great uses
•brainstorming
•expressing creativity
•business roles
•managing below
•managing above
•being managed

62. great uses
•brainstorming
•expressing creativity
•business roles
•managing below
•managing above
•being managed
•client relationships

63. great uses
•brainstorming
•expressing creativity
•business roles
•managing below
•managing above
•being managed
•client relationships
•significant others

64. suggestion
• don’t over-complicate
the job of managing. if
you know what
behaviors a job requires,
why not put a person in
that role who exhibits
those behaviors?

65. suggestion
• you can’t change people!
they can modify their
behavior marginally and
for limited periods, but
over time people will
always act in ways that
meet their needs.

66. suggestion

67. suggestion
• profile of a firm’s leader
determine the culture
and how it might be
improved

68. suggestion
• profile of a firm’s leader
determine the culture
and how it might be
improved
• High D: seldom celebrate
success

69. suggestion
• profile of a firm’s leader
determine the culture
and how it might be
improved
• High D: seldom celebrate
success
• Low D: seldom attack
problems

70. con’t

71. con’t
• High i: don’t maintain
consistent focus

72. con’t
• High i: don’t maintain
consistent focus
• Low i: usually don’t talk
enough

73. con’t
• High i: don’t maintain
consistent focus
• Low i: usually don’t talk
enough
• High S: respond too
slowly

74. con’t
• High i: don’t maintain
consistent focus
• Low i: usually don’t talk
enough
• High S: respond too
slowly
• Low S: too impatient to
stick with a plan

75. con’t

76. con’t
• High C: look for
problems rather than
opportunities

77. con’t
• High C: look for
problems rather than
opportunities
• Low C: seldom create
performance metrics for
subordinates

78. remember

79. remember
• you can try to change
someone, but when tired,
scared, angry, or under
pressure, they will revert
to their natural selves

80. remember
• you can try to change
someone, but when tired,
scared, angry, or under
pressure, they will revert
to their natural selves
• they can perform, but it
will be exhausting

81. successfuls

82. successfuls
• understand themselves

83. successfuls
• understand themselves
• understand how their
behavior affects others

84. successfuls
• understand themselves
• understand how their
behavior affects others
• know how to align their
roles that fit profiles

85. successfuls
• understand themselves
• understand how their
behavior affects others
• know how to align their
roles that fit profiles
• have positive attitude
about who they are

86. successfuls
• understand themselves
• understand how their
behavior affects others
• know how to align their
roles that fit profiles
• have positive attitude
about who they are
• know how to adapt

87. struggles?

88. struggles?
• who do you struggle with
the most?

89. struggles?
• who do you struggle with
the most?
• write “karen” if it’s the
person sitting next to
you, unless that’s her
real name

90. struggles?
• who do you struggle with
the most?
• write “karen” if it’s the
person sitting next to
you, unless that’s her
real name
• what is that person’s
profile?

91. solutions

92. solutions
• read “this person desires
an environment that
includes”

93. solutions
• read “this person desires
an environment that
includes”
• write down 3 things that
you personally are going
to do differently in your
relationship with them