By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN
A great leader understands that each individual (themselves included) has unique personality traits that need to be honored in the relationship. One easy-to-remember model, often termed OCEAN in the field of psychology, was developed by Dr. Lewis Goldberg. It has five factors that are measured on a sliding scale from high to low: They include the following:
Openness: This personality trait reflects how you approach new ideas and change. It also describes your curiosity and creativity. If you are very open, you enjoy change and pursuing new ideas. If you are less open, you value routines and traditions.
Conscientiousness: This trait describes your approach to getting things done. It measures your self-discipline, organizational skills, and reliability. If you are very conscientious, you probably keep to-do lists and enjoy detailed work. If you are less conscientious, you probably prefer working on big-picture projects and strategy. You may find schedules stifling and may not worry as much about delivering on goals you have set.
Extroversion: This personality trait involves how you approach people. Do social situations energize you or do they exhaust you? If you are extroverted, you get energy from being with others and seek out social time. If you are introverted, you probably value your alone time and may find social events draining.
Agreeableness: This trait describes how you approach cooperation and working with others. It also speaks to your empathy and willingness to forgive others. If you are agreeable, you are usually more empathetic and quickly forgive the mistakes of others. If you are less agreeable, you are more analytical, practical and keep emotion out of decisions.
Neuroticism: This personality trait describes how you approach worry and how reactive you are to changes in your environment. If you are neurotic, you may worry about every situation. If you are less neurotic, you worry less and are more stabilized in your moods.
Personality plays a significant role in how we make decisions, handle responsibilities and form goals. As a nurse leader, you need to decode your personality before you work with others because it has a strong influence on your leadership. The five-factor OCEAN model is a roadmap for assessing your personality and those of others. The five-factor personality test is available for free at https://www.123test.com/big-five-personality-theory/
Read to Lead
Goldberg L. The structure of phenotypic personality traits”. American Psychologist. 1993 48: 26–34
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