Leadership and Group Work: How Does Personality Affect It?

Leadership and working with groups is something that we all have to do at some point, especially when it comes to school. This post is going to describe the different personality types and how it affects how children lead and function in a group. Even if the child isn't the leader of the group, the same feelings they have as a leader will come out in how they function together.

Helper: The Stabilizer
Dr. Keirsey explains that to a helper the most important part of leadership is "carefully considered administration of what is to be done, how it is to be done, and who is to do it" (pg. 102). This type is the children who want to set up a schedule and plan out how everything is going to go. As a leader this would be their first priority to set up. As part of a group, they would be looking to see if that already exists and if it doesn't, to help get it into place. One problem can be if they don't agree with how someone is leading, they may have a hard time following them.

Player: The Negotiator
On page 61 of Please Understand Me II, it states that "Negotiating is a kind of bargaining or dealing in such a manner that the negotiator is able to resolve a strained and trying situation...making do by using whatever is at hand at the moment, and to their advantage." These children know how to work situations and people. They are very good at solving and troubleshooting problems and thinking of alternate ways. They work well with managing groups of people as they can see their strengths and have people use their talents. One thing they may lack is the planning and things can sometimes not be structured as well as it needs to be.

Feeler: The Catalyst
The feeler holds relationships as the most important and their leadership follows suit. Dr. Keirsey states the Feeler's "style of leadership is quite unlike that of other types, for they are the Catalysts, acing as facilitators, motivators, or energizers with their unique capability of bringing their subordinates together in cooperative actions and of maintaining high morale in them" (pg. 147). These children will work to be friends with everyone in the group and encouraging them as they work. They are the cheerleaders either in their role as leader or in their role as a group worker. They want there to be harmony and everyone working together to complete something. Sometimes there are too many to keep track of or there is disharmony in the group and that can cause them to become upset.

Thinker: The Visionary
The Thinker "looks far ahead and all around, their plans leaving nothing important to chance"  (pg. 194). The strong suit of Thinkers is that they are strategic. They will think everything through and have the exact way they want it to work. This type is also very good at communication and will be able to help their group know what their vision is for the project. By being able to convey their vision and message, they will gain the support of their group. Problems can arise when their vision conflicts with someone else's in the group. This type also prefers to work alone, which can sometimes cause problems. 

Through learning how they lead and work in a group, hopefully this can help with forming groups to work together and also to help you troubleshoot problems groups might be having. You will be able to understand why someone might be upset or why they might be having a hard time working together.