Personality=Job role?

Hello Nigel,



Human instinct for survival follow the path of assuming the personality of that particular position.



Believe me, in my lifetime, i encounter of a lot of "D FAKE". This people polluted their cv/resume to get the job. They are also smart in the sense that they pretend to really go the experience to handle the position.



We can be whatever we wanted to be for as long as our heart is there and our human instinct for survival is threaten. The only way to sustain when we are there (in that position)is to play it smart.



Cheers,



Charlie

I just want to be a van driver! Everybody hates them anyway and expects them to act like tossers....and you can always blame the traffic. OK, the pay’s pretty rotten but at least you can vent your frustration on an inanimate object....and see the expression on the owner’s face as his pride-and-joy gets a lovely little scrape...ooooohhh the satisfaction!



James

James,



Don`t become a Project Manager, become a politician, the pay and perks are better, and when things go wrong, you can always blame the civil servants, they aren`t allowed to answer back.



Chris Oggham

Either that, or I could become a Project Manager.....arrrgggghhhhh.



James.

I don’t know of any drug that will turn people into deceitful, lying, little gits, but for a lot of people lots and lots of money and perks will do it. Just take a look at most British politicians.



Chris Oggham

Another thought.



I often think that I’d like to be a Project Manager. However, my natural character is one of honesty (stems from my teenage years when my brother and I cut-off the electricity supply to three villages) and utter reliance on the programme and the numerical values that derive from it (practical experience in the Planning & Programme Management environment). I would have great difficulty submitting a progress report that was based on political expediency, gut-feel or outright fear of the truth. However, I see many a PM that complete these reports with absolutely no reference to any of the data, therefore no ability to substantiate and trace-through to see how such values were derived. Therefore, if there are any questionable numbers, they cannot categorically determine how the quoted values were calculated.



I keep saying to myself that I’d have to be honest and tell the truth as I see it....but at least I could explain it and numerically substantiate the data. However, whether this outlook would change if actually doing the job, I don’t know. But what I do know, is that I’d have great difficulty in doing a job that would entail "saving-my-skin" every couple of weeks. Moreover, if one is constantly spinning a web of smoke-and-mirrors, there is no way that I could remember what I said a couple of weeks ago. The truth is far easier to deal with, and it’s far easier to reference the programme. If I’m gonna get shot, I’d rather it be done on the basis of the more accurate truth. I don’t have a problem with putting a positive spin on stuff, but we all know that no project is as rosy as any PM protrays.



Do you know of any drugs that can turn me into a lying, deceitful little git with no sense of conscience or guilt?



Cheers.



James.

Hi Guys,



As James said, an incredible amount has been written about this subject and I think on the whole James has summed it up pretty well. I remember the programme James referred to, and it was interesting to see how people changed over a period of time.



As James again pointed out while we have certain character traits which might make us suitable for certain types of job, these can and do change. The experiences we gain simply by living and working are bound to have an effect on us, as Nigel pointed out both nature and nurture have an effect.



Myers/Briggs, Belbin and loads of others all claim to be able to analyse character traits and determine what team role (job) you are best suited for. My own experience of these techniques is that they are not that reliable as they are quite easy to "cheat".



I do agree with Nigel, though, some people do seem suited to their jobs, but is this becuse they have a job that their character fits, or has their character changed to fit the job? I think James has got it right, you have to be comfortable with what you do, only then can you start looking for ways to use your own natural abilities to do it better.



Regards



Chris Oggham

Nigel,



Ye Gods, man, many a tome has been written about this...mainly by job-creating recruitment agencies, psychologists and HR consultants who have to justify their existence.



Well - my personality ranges from the "I Can’t Be A*sed" to that of "I’m Gonna Change The World".....wholly dependent on how inspired I feel. I mean, you’re hardly likely to go for a job interview as a PM and say "...well, the project it going to take as long as it takes...and managing stuff like that is just gonna cost more money, interference and take longer than it would if you just left it alone..blah, blah, blah"



Seriously, though; I think almost everyone has a degree of flexibility within themselves, and will undertake the persona that is required to do the job. Moreover, it has been shown that, given legitimate authority and the expectations of the role, people’s personalities can undertake extraordinary transformations.



There was a programme on the TV, nigh-on two years ago. It was about an experiment, in the US, where one group was given the role of Prison Guards and the other, the Prisoners. The experiment, I believe, was cut-short, owing to the fact that the "guards" became so engrossed in their role that they began to behave extremely violently....and yet none of them had shown any inclination towards such behaviour previously. In subsequent interviews, most of them were nearly traumatised by their own actions and realisation that such sadistic character-traits were lying so close to the surface of their day-to-day personalities.. Spooky, really! Like anything else, tough, it’s amazing what you can get used to, eventually!



I think that, if you are generally comfortable with what you have to do in order to get the job done, then you can adapt to a variety of roles. Often we can get an idea as to what a role will encompass, via looking-around at some of our colleagues and bosses. I usually ask myself if I would do something different; something that is part of my natural personality that I can bring to the job, thus do it with a greater degree of integrity.



James.