Talent Spotting!
Using a real
time personality
profiling tool
Have you ever needed that little bit of extra reassurance when
selecting a candidate for promotion, a new leadership role or
even a brand new hire? I know I have. I once needed to appoint
a responsible individual to project manage the refurbishment of
a government department’s offices. I also needed to be sure I
was selecting a team of determined individuals to join me in an
attempt to climb Mt Everest.
One would naturally turn to a candidate’s
track record of achievements, evidence
of competence, third party references, an
interview and maybe even a trial period.
But one of the most useful and least
known techniques I use is a personalityprofiling tool called Bioenergetics. It is the
study of personality and character traits
that can be accessed live or in real time.
In other words, if I’m meeting you for the
first time, I can look at you, observe your
body shape and eye connection and
make a really accurate assessment of your
personality, likes & dislikes, your qualities
& talents and your preferred world view.
How I hear you ask?
Well, since around the time of 1875, some
clever people including Carl Yung, Melanie
Klein, Wilhelm Reich and Alexandar Lowen
all developed pieces of the puzzle that
culminated in a psychometric evaluation of
character technique called Bioenergetics.
First came the realisation that we all
possess Primary Drivers – these are safety,
fear and anxiety; connection, attention and
closeness; power, superiority and control;
pleasing others, doing the right thing and
getting it fixed; winning, competing and
succeeding. When a number of these
Primary Drivers are blocked or threatened
in any way and for a sustained period of
time during our early developmental years
(from birth to six years old) then there will
inevitably be an emotional and physical
response. Any repeating patterns will elicit
a muscular tension that shapes our body
architecture and a psychological adaption
that develops our emotional character. So
you end up with five distinctive character
types that I call:
1. ANALYST
2. ARTIST
3. POLITICIAN
4. SHEPHERD
5. EXPLORER
The ANALYST is the type of person who is
generally quite anxious, holds every detail
in their head, needs space to analyse
the information, will feel either safe or
threatened and can be relied upon for their
sharp thinking. They will show tension
in their bodies, tend to scan the horizon
with their eyes, have a thin angular body,
sharp face and walk in a somewhat jerky
manner. The ANALYST will be vigilant,
academic, private and principled.
The ARTIST is the type of person who
needs to be connected, is very people
orientated, needs attention, will either
feel noticed or ignored and can be relied
upon for their sensitivity. They will be
reaching out and drawing people in,
will have large yearning eyes, languidly
stretched limbs, an oval face and walk in
a liquid-like lethargic manner. The ARTIST
will be charming, vulnerable, playful and
sensitive.
The POLITICIAN is the type of person who
must be top dog, likes to be in control,
seeks power, will feel either powerful or
weak and will be known for their strategic
thinking. They will have an inflated upper
body, their eyes will be deep set and all
observing, own a large chiseled forehead
and walk in a kind of strutting manner. The
POLITICIAN will be superior, strategic,
political and powerful.
The SHEPHERD is the type of person
who seeks approval, can be relied upon
to work hard, must obey the rules, will
feel approved of or punished and their gift
is that of responsibility. They will have a
rolling gait, soft burdened look to the eyes,
possess a thick, strong body with rounded
shoulders, a soft round face and walk in
a way that can be described as solid. The
SHEPHERD will be compliant, industrious,
obedient and responsible.
The EXPLORER is the type of person who
strives for success, loves to compete,
is always ready to take on a challenge,
will feel either success or failure and
can be relied upon to show a sense of
pragmatism. They will have a fairly athletic
body, eyes focused and alert, an upright
and balanced stance, firm jawline and will
walk in a positive manner. The EXPLORER
will be driven, adventurous, practical and
energetic.
You might now be thinking what character
type you are? It’s OK if you think you
might be more than one personality type.
That’s quite normal. The great advantage
of Bioenergetics is that once you’ve
learnt the “coding” it can be applied to
everyday use – making a good impression
when meeting a prospective client for the
first time, understanding why the boss
does what he or she does and helping
to build trusting relationships with work
colleagues. For those in a leadership role,
it provides great insights in understanding
each person’s personality type. It offers
a framework to help you manage them
individually according to their personality
preferences, ensuring a happy, engaged
and high performing team. Personally, I
would not employ, select or engage a new
member to my team without considering
their Bioenergetics profile against the
requirements of the role.
B
y Neil Laughton
www.laughton.co
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