This entry is the 2nd in a series of 5 where Keirsey Temperament expert Edward Kim addresses a reader’s question on dealing with stress.   The first article is linked here.

Each of us deals with stress differently.  Taken to the extreme, each of us has our different ways of “going insane” so to speak.  Depending on your temperament (Artisan, Guardian, Idealist, or Rational), you may be triggered differently, and you may behave differently from others who are of a different temperament.

Jobs are scarce.  Your stocks are not what they used to be.  Bills are piling sky high.  You owe more money on your home than what you paid for it.  These are difficult times.  Our reactions to financial stress depend on the way we understand and approach the world.  Each temperament has a natural pitfall they will tend to gravitate toward, and that they should try to avoid.  In today’s article, we will be discussing the Guardian.  If you are a Guardian, then this article will hopefully be of help to you.  If you are not a Guardian, chances are that you know many Guardians (they represent about 40% – 45% of the general population—reading this article may help you understand a friend, and enable you to assist in their time of need.

Continue reading How Different Types Deal With Stress (2): Guardians →

No matter what career you have chosen, at some point you are called on to make a presentation to “the Big Boss”. Whether you’re in a corporation, academic setting, non-profit, or government organization, you will be asked to make a presentation about your project, research, team, or class, etc, to the CEO, VP, Director, Principal, or Department Head – someone who has a great deal of impact on your future within the organization.

Most people called upon to make these presentations are reasonably competent in their area of responsibility or expertise. They usually work hard to put together a presentation that, if not captivating, does a good job of explaining what they are working on, and what results they have achieved or are planning. Yet, more often than we would like, the results of the presentation are less than we hope for. Sometimes, the results are catastrophic – the presenter ends up receiving a public dress-down from the Big Boss, or receives less direct feedback that their presentation (and therefore future career prospects in the organization) didn’t measure up to the Big Boss’s standards. Most of the time, the presenter is left mystified as to why this disaster occurred – after all, they were well-prepared, knew their material, had well thought-through conclusions, and a well-crafted presentation.

The key is to know something about the Big Boss’s personality, and just as importantly, about yourself. A prime cause of presentation melt-downs lies in the difference between the two: in key areas you are speaking the equivalent of a foreign language – without knowing it.

The following links are to a series of articles I wrote that are featured in our newsletter this month that directly address the issues each temperament faces in presenting to bosses different than themselves.  Hopefully, after reading your specific article, you will be armed with information that will make your next presentation to the Big Boss your best ever.

• For Guardians Only: Presenting to Rational, Artisan and Idealist Big Bosses

• For Artisans Only: Presenting to Rational, Guardian and Idealist Big Bosses

• For Idealists Only: Presenting to Rational, Artisan and Guardian Big Bosses

• For Rationals Only: Presenting to Guardian, Artisan and Idealist Big Bosses