Your personality and your brain | Scott Schwefel | TEDxBrookings

yellow, like my oldest daughter. Look at her hat. Energy, enthusiasm. Mine seemed disorganized. That's the risk of having too much sunshine yellow. And look at my son. It's hard to see, but he looks closely. When we did this little exercise ten years ago, she said quietly, "Can I wear more than one hat?" And my wife, with a lot of fire.red, said, "What? No! Pick a hat." (laughs) Maybe at one point we realized and said, "Connor, he wears as many hats as you want." Look closely. He said, "I'm green, but I'm bluer." And in fact he wore two hats.

That is the uniqueness of

personality

. It's the way we gather information and the way we make decisions and how we show up in almost everything we do. So keep in mind. The underlying psychology is extroverted, introverted, thinking and feeling. The same psychology, Jungian psychology that underpins Myers-Briggs or MBTI. Just a brilliant tool or tools in psychology that help you access who you are, how you are wired, and what motivates you. It's about being aware that this exists so you can be aware of it in other people. I'll let you read this slide, because this will happen as soon as we go to lunch.

You will look at each other and see behaviors. Read it

your

selves. (laughs) I know, it's crazy, right? But it is true. You do one of these things, don't you? And one of those things other people do drives you crazy. They are probably

your

opposite type. Isn't it funny how we do it? I should probably have one more for the person who leans over pretending to press the "open door" button, but actually presses the "close door" button. (Laughs) Maybe it's a bad red, I don't know. The point behind what I'm saying is: think about how you're connected and how you present yourself in terms of boosting your business and being more successful in that area.

How could you contribute, whatever role you play? It's a function of your

personality

and where you fit into our model. And if you really want to amplify that impact, think about it in terms of leading others. How can you have a greater impact? Because there is a natural position you occupy within models like this, you are naturally good at some things and struggle more with others. Keep in mind. Be focused. Know yourself. Get to know yourself, get to know other people. Pay attention to other people as you interact with them, in order to understand who they are and how they are connected.

Take steps to move forward, but recognize that when you have problems with another person. Here is a quote from Jung again. Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to a deeper understanding of ourselves. You've already heard that from some of the other speakers. If you are irritated by something someone else is doing, pause and reflect on why. That's the question, as Reece said. Because? Why is this happening? What is happening? Because most likely it's more about you than anyone else. So when you finish, pay attention. Keep in mind. Use your conscious

brain

to see who people really are.

If you're wondering what it feels like, pay attention to your blinking right now for just a second. Do you notice your blinking? You are doing it. You are self-aware. It is easy. Now, tomorrow morning, when you brush your teeth and look in the mirror, I hope you have a little moment of self-awareness again. I don't want you to think about me, but think about blinking. Look in the mirror and say, "Wow, I know that." I'll keep an eye on everyone I meet today. This is the plan. Focus on others. Get to know your unique personality style.

Use any model that helps you understand your relationship with others, but observe the otherness of the other. Everyone here is unique among others. Everyone brings a gift. Everyone has a unique personality and they are dying for you to notice it. Just as you are dying to be communicated with in your preferred style, so is everyone else. Give them that gift, take action and make a difference. Thank you so much. (Applause)