James Smith 05-Apr-10: Foundation Chapter

James Smith
05-Apr-10
Personal Profile
Foundation Chapter
Insights Vancouver
Insights Discovery 3.5 James Smith Page 2
Personal Details
James Smith
Imported
Date Completed 05-Apr-10
Date Printed 05-Apr-10
Insights Learning and Development Ltd.

Jack Martin Way, Claverhouse Business Park, Dundee, DD4 9FF, Scotland
Telephone: +44(0)1382 908050
Fax: +44(0)1382 908051
E-mail: insights@insights.com
www.insightsvancouver.com Ph: 604-522-4229

© Copyright 1992-2010 Andrew Lothian, Insights, Dundee, Scotland. All rights reserved. www.insights.com
Contents
Introduction 4
Overview 5
Personal Style 5
Interacting with Others 5
Decision Making 6
Key Strengths & Weaknesses 7

Strengths 7
Possible Weaknesses 8
Value to the Team 9
Communication 10
Effective Communications 10
Barriers to Effective Communication 11
Possible Blind Spots 12
Opposite Type 13
Communication with James's Opposite Type 14
Suggestions for Development 15
The Insights Wheel 16
Insights Colour Dynamics 17
Jungian Preferences 18

Introduction
This Insights Discovery profile is based on James Smith’s responses to the Insights Preference
Evaluator which was completed on 05-Apr-10.
The origins of personality theory can be traced back to the fifth century BC, when Hippocrates
identified four distinct energies exhibited by different people. The Insights System is built around
the model of personality first identified by the Swiss psychologist Carl Gustav Jung. This model
was published in his 1921 work “Psychological Types” and developed in subsequent writings.
Jung’s work on personality and preferences has since been adopted as the seminal work in
understanding personality and has been the subject of study for thousands of researchers to the
present day.
Using Jung's typology, this Insights Discovery profile offers a framework for self-understanding
and development. Research suggests that a good understanding of self, both strengths and
weaknesses, enables individuals to develop effective strategies for interaction and can help them
to better respond to the demands of their environment.
Generated from several hundred thousand permutations of statements, this profile is unique. It
reports statements which your Evaluator responses indicate may apply to you. Modify or delete
any statement which does not apply, but only after checking with colleagues or friends to identify
whether the statement may be a “blind spot” for you.
Use this profile pro-actively. That is, identify the key areas in which you can develop and take
action. Share the important aspects with friends and colleagues. Ask for feedback from them on
areas which seem particularly relevant for you and develop an action plan for growth personally
and interpersonally.

Overview
These statements provide a broad understanding of James’s work style. Use this section to gain a
better understanding of his approaches to his activities, relationships and decisions.
Personal Style
With his friendly organisational skills, James is supportive of other colleagues and will enthuse
over most projects. Attending to others' wants is felt by him to be a satisfying, legitimate way of
expressing his own deeper needs. He is aware of and involved in his physical environment and
likes to be active and productive. He is convinced of his own abilities and is constantly seeking
environments where people will appreciate him. He may become pessimistic and gloomy when he
is thwarted or fails to see ways to make the important changes in his life.
His warmth, sympathy and understanding encourages others to come to him. He likes people and
tends to be aware of and appreciate a person's more admirable qualities. He is prepared to attempt
almost anything, but his work needs to be active rather than theoretical. James can be very
effective in using his concern for others to ensure involvement. Able to cope with a number of
projects at once, James gets a lot of enjoyment from the social aspects of work.
He tends to be fiercely loyal to his friends, prepared to sacrifice his own wants for the needs of the
other person. He will be hurt if people ignore him and likes to be remembered and appreciated for
the services he continually seeks to offer to others. He is good at “reading” people and situations
and will seldom be far wrong about the motivation or intent of another person. Despite this, he
may be hurt when a relationship goes wrong. At times, events can overwhelm him and he may
find it almost impossible to say “No”, even when the demands are unreasonable. He pays scant
attention to negative, pessimistic or divisive situations or conclusions.
Optimistic in outlook, he is rather impulsive in decision making. Being tolerant of other people,
James is seldom critical and usually willing to give people the benefit of his trust. Because he
tends to live for the present moment, he does not sense the need to prepare or plan more than is
necessary. Due to his sociable, friendly and warm-hearted demeanour, he is best employed in
providing practical service to others. He can be relied upon to keep a check on the social calendar,
though he may well overlook some of the smaller details in preparing for events.
He flourishes in jobs where he can be of constant service or use his talent to persuade. James seeks
greater fulfilment in his life through the offering of help and service to others. He relies on what
he can hear, see and know from first hand experience. He may ignore or deny anything that
threatens the harmony he seeks. He is proficient at alleviating the concerns of others.
Interacting with Others

James is seen by others as an easy-going, talkative and practical person. Seldom at a loss in any

situation, he can be relied on to say something appropriate to put people at their ease. He may
become rather over-emotional when stressed. As he is highly articulate with a quick sense of
humour he is often the life and soul of the party. His outgoing nature may lead him to misinterpret
the significance of some issues. By working hard on his relationships with other people, James
tends to be seen as popular, gracious and eager to please.
James is both charming and popular, constantly enthusing through his gift of ready articulation.
He constantly seeks opportunities to talk things through with others. He prefers a stimulating life
of co-operation and harmony. James's preferred focus is on the positive, harmonious and uplifting
aspects of people and human relations. Placing a high value on his harmonious relationships, it is
not surprising that people turn to James for encouragement, nurture and support.
He is at his best in co-operative roles that deal with people and allow him to air his views.
Gracious, considerate and sympathetic, he is usually quietly effective in relating to others. He does
not appreciate critical comments about his personal qualities as he sees these comments as
personal attacks on his integrity. He prefers democratic and participative processes rather than
written instructions or autocratic systems. Even-tempered and tolerant, James constantly tries to be
the diplomat. He excels in promoting harmony around him.
Decision Making
James will respect alternative views and although he may not agree with them, they will be
considered. He is prone to jump to conclusions and may act on assumptions that may well turn out
to be wrong. He views talking through ideas with people to promote decision making as an
effective strategy of itself. A tendency to take rejection and conflict personally may lead to his not
taking early notice of the opinions of key members of the team. He may choose to change his
decisions if it turns out that someone may be adversely affected by them.
He is prepared to make decisions to settle matters, and will be disappointed when not all the
suggestions are implemented. If everyone can be involved in a project, he will ensure that they are.
Although others' opinions will sway him, he can readily disassociate himself from a previously
held opinion if a significant disagreement occurs with a third party whose view he values. He
would perform better if he focused more on in-depth study of analytical data during the decision
making process. When a situation demands forceful tactics, he can take the action necessary but
will seldom go to extremes to obtain retribution or reward.
He prefers tasks or projects which allow flexibility of scheduling. He would often rather make any
decision than no decision at all. He has the ability to appear to listen to other people's viewpoints
but may not necessarily be hearing or intending to action them. He may be perceived by others as
a somewhat impulsive decision maker. He is prepared to make decisions through group consensus.
Personal Notes

Key Strengths & Weaknesses

Strengths
This section identifies the key strengths which James brings to the organisation. James has
abilities, skills and attributes in other areas, but the statements below are likely to be some of the
fundamental gifts he has to offer.
James’s key strengths:
Accommodating and will provide help where needed.
Adaptive and versatile people skills.
Friendly and sociable.
Enjoys having lots of harmonious relationships.
Fluent and reassuring.
Interactive and inspirational approach.
Ability to see options and alternatives.
Trusting and tolerant of others' actions.
Builds relationships quickly and effectively.
Gracious, charming, empathetic and considerate.
Personal Notes

Key Strengths & Weaknesses

Possible Weaknesses
Jung said “wisdom accepts that all things have two sides”. It has also been said that a weakness
is simply an overused strength. James's responses to the Evaluator have suggested these areas as
possible weaknesses.
James’s possible weaknesses:
May be prone to embellishing the truth.
Loses interest when the initial challenge has gone.
Easily distracted from the routine.
Unduly affected or influenced by others' opinions.
Overly concerned with the opinions of others.
Idealistic in relationships - wants everyone to be happy.
May procrastinate on the longer term task.
Knows the answer before the question is asked.
Will tend to be influenced by the last person he speaks to.
Finds it difficult to concentrate on a single topic for long periods.
Personal Notes

Value to the Team

Each person brings a unique set of gifts, attributes and expectations to the environment in which
they operate. Add to this list any other experiences, skills or other attributes which James brings,
and make the most important items on the list available to other team members.
As a team member, James:
Provides a sharp and quick opinion.
Is a constant source of inspiration and fun.
Creative in providing team “welfare” solutions.
Brings boundless energy to any situation.
Has an awareness of the people issues in the world around him.
Makes friends quickly and easily.
Has strong personal and interpersonal skills.
Is the life and soul of the group - often “centre stage”.
Works to promote and maintain harmony within his team.
Creates and maintains a harmonious atmosphere.
Personal Notes

Communication
Effective Communications
Communication can only be effective if it is received and understood by the recipient. For each
person certain communication strategies are more effective than others. This section identifies
some of the key strategies which will lead to effective communication with James. Identify the
most important statements and make them available to colleagues.
Strategies for communicating with James:
Seek his advice, views and opinions on welfare matters.
Maintain harmony in exchanges - minimise conflict.
Maintain personal content in communication.
Avoid detailed reports, focus on people issues.
Use an easy-going and fun approach.
Be alive and entertaining.
Talk about him and areas he finds stimulating.
Support his need to be deeply involved in personal matters.
Encourage the expression of feelings which might remain unsaid.
Listen for the essence of what is being said.
Always seek his willing co-operation.
Seek confirmation of willingness to undertake new tasks.
Personal Notes

Communication
Barriers to Effective Communication
Certain strategies will be less effective when communicating with James. Some of the things to be
avoided are listed below. This information can be used to develop powerful, effective and
mutually acceptable communication strategies.
When communicating with James, DO NOT:
Overload him with irrelevant information.
Be addicted to rules and procedures.
Stick rigidly to business issues.
Over-delegate “key” responsibilities, deadlines and general tasks.
Create a hostile environment devoid of feelings.
Forget to recognise him personally in a job well done.
Be dull, dour or redundant.
Use destructive criticism or create unnecessary conflict.
Ignore or disregard his views.
Assume you will complete all of your agenda.
Remove the opportunity for socialising.
Burden him with too many papers to read.
Personal Notes

Possible Blind Spots

Our perceptions of self may be different to the perceptions others have of us. We project who we
are onto the outside world through our “persona” and are not always aware of the effect our less
conscious behaviours have on others. These less conscious behaviours are termed “Blind Spots”.
Highlight the important statements in this section of which you are unaware and test them for
validity by asking for feedback from friends or colleagues.
James’s possible Blind Spots:
Trying to be less sensitive would enable James to hear the often helpful information that is
contained in constructive criticism. He may sometimes come across to others as somewhat
boastful and selfish. He focuses on emotions to the point that he may fail to see the logical
consequences of his actions. He would do better if he sought the advice of more practical people
to find out how workable and useful his ideas are. He may jump to conclusions without gathering
all the necessary information or taking the time to really understand the situation.
He could learn to protect himself against closed-mindedness by waiting a few seconds more before
speaking, giving others the chance to offer input. James takes even the most well-intentioned
criticism personally and can respond by becoming flustered, hurt or angry. He should try to
suppress his automatic good feeling towards people who treat him well, applying a cooler
perception to the reality of the situation. Endowed with the gift of articulation, he is likely to feel
that he is competent in most areas. Tending to take on too much at one time he can find himself
overloaded and unable to keep his commitments.
He should realise that on occasions confrontation can clear the air. He should be careful not to
leap too quickly without considering the consequences, making sure that he completes the tasks he
is responsible for before turning to more enjoyable matters. Taking the time to pay closer attention
to what is actually going on in the world around him and listening carefully to both the input and
reactions of others will help him.
Personal Notes

Opposite Type
The description in this section is based on James's opposite type on the Insights Wheel. Often, we
have most difficulty understanding and interacting with those whose preferences are different to
our own. Recognising these characteristics can help in developing strategies for personal growth
and enhanced interpersonal effectiveness.
Recognising your Opposite Type:
James’s opposite Insights type is the Observer, Jung’s “Introverted Thinking” type.
Observers are precise, cautious and disciplined and are painstaking and conscientious in work that
requires attention and accuracy. They are objective thinkers, concerned with the right answer and
will avoid making quick decisions. James may see the Observer as hesitating to acknowledge a
mistake or as becoming immersed in researching for data to support an isolated view.
Observers tend not to trust strangers and will worry about outcomes, their reputation and their job.
They are reticent about expressing their feelings and James will often see the Observer as
unresponsive, cool and uncaring. Observers draw conclusions based on factual data. They may
be slow at producing results, as gathering data is the stimulating part of the job for them.
Observers like to make rules based on their own standards and apply those rules to daily life.
James may find himself at odds with Observers due to their private nature and lack of enthusiasm
for social events. Introverted analysis may prevent the Observer from expressing thoughts as
readily as James would wish.
Personal Notes

Opposite Type
Communication with James's Opposite Type
Written specifically for James, this section suggests some strategies he could use for effective
interaction with someone who is his opposite type on the Insights Wheel.
James Smith: How you can meet the needs of your Opposite Type:
Remember to ask for his opinions of other systems and projects.
Expect him to come back later for clarification.
Allow time for him to think of the consequences.
Prepare thoroughly, and plan to explain every feature of your proposition.
Use “should” rather than “must”.
Be clear and straightforward.
James Smith: When dealing with your opposite type DO NOT:
Talk emotionally, quickly or loudly.
Do not assume that his lack of response means tacit agreement with what is proposed.
Be illogical or obscure.
Exaggerate.
Pretend that you know more than you do.
Expect rapid acceptance of changes to his accepted methods.
Personal Notes

Suggestions for Development

Insights Discovery does not offer direct measures of skill, intelligence, education or training.
However, listed below are some suggestions for James’s development. Identify the most important
areas which have not yet been addressed. These can then be incorporated into a personal
development plan.
James may benefit from:
Drafting watertight policy statements, agreements or procedures.
Writing lengthy and comprehensive reports.
Distancing and formalising certain relationships.
Constant reminding of the need to consider alternatives and anticipate consequences.
A plethora of rules and regulations for him to follow.
Asking searching and probing questions.
Standing back to consider all the alternatives.
Including more logical analysis in the process of his decision making.
Becoming neater, tidier, more systematic and orderly.
Help to discover the real meaning behind the statistic.
Personal Notes

The Insights Wheel

James Smith
05-Apr-10
BLUE R E F O RM E R RED
R 16 1 D
E 116 101
I
V R
R E
E C
S 15 2 T
B O
O 36 21 R
136 121
14 3
35 22
34 56 41 23
113 156 141 104
55 42
C 133 54 43 124
O M
O 153 144 O
R 13 4 T
33 24
D 53 44 I
I V
N 52 45 A
A 32 25 T
12 5
T 152 145 O
O R
R 132 51 46 125
50 47
112 149 148 105
31 49 48 26
30 27
11 6
S 129 128
U 29 28 R
P E
P 10 7 R
O I
R P
T 109 108 S
E N
R 9 8 I
GREEN H E L P ER
YELLOW
Conscious Wheel Position
47: Helping Inspirer (Accommodating)
Personal (Less Conscious) Wheel Position

7: Helping Inspirer (Focused)

Insights Colour Dynamics

James Smith
05-Apr-10
Persona Preference Persona

(Conscious) Flow (Less Conscious)
BLUE GREEN YELLOW RED BLUE GREEN YELLOW RED
6 100 6
50
3 0 3
50
0 100 0
1.68 4.08 5.36 3.72 0.64 2.28 4.32 1.92
62.0%
28% 68% 89% 62% 11% 38% 72% 32%
(Conscious) (Less Conscious)

Jungian Preferences
James Smith
05-Apr-10
Attitude/Orientation:
100 0 100
Introversion (I) Extraversion (E)
Rational (Judging) Functions:
100 0 100
Thinking (T) Feeling (F)
Irrational (Perceiving) Functions:
100 0 100
Sensing (S) Intuition (N)
(Conscious) (Less Conscious)


James Smith 05-Apr-10: Foundation Chapter

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James Smith

Date Completed 05-Apr-10

Date Printed 05-Apr-10

Insights Learning and Development Ltd.

www.insightsvancouver.com Ph: 604-522-4229

Key Strengths & Weaknesses 7

Value to the Team 9

Possible Blind Spots 12

Suggestions for Development 15

The Insights Wheel 16

Insights Colour Dynamics 17

www.insightsvancouver.com Ph: 604-522-4229

www.insightsvancouver.com Ph: 604-522-4229

Interacting with Others

www.insightsvancouver.com Ph: 604-522-4229

www.insightsvancouver.com Ph: 604-522-4229

Key Strengths & Weaknesses

James’s key strengths:

Accommodating and will provide help where needed.

Adaptive and versatile people skills.

Friendly and sociable.

Enjoys having lots of harmonious relationships.

Fluent and reassuring.

Interactive and inspirational approach.

Ability to see options and alternatives.

Trusting and tolerant of others' actions.

Builds relationships quickly and effectively.

Gracious, charming, empathetic and considerate.

www.insightsvancouver.com Ph: 604-522-4229

Key Strengths & Weaknesses

James’s possible weaknesses:

May be prone to embellishing the truth.

Loses interest when the initial challenge has gone.

Easily distracted from the routine.

Unduly affected or influenced by others' opinions.

Overly concerned with the opinions of others.

Idealistic in relationships - wants everyone to be happy.

May procrastinate on the longer term task.

Knows the answer before the question is asked.

Will tend to be influenced by the last person he speaks to.

Finds it difficult to concentrate on a single topic for long periods.

www.insightsvancouver.com Ph: 604-522-4229

Value to the Team

As a team member, James:

Provides a sharp and quick opinion.

Is a constant source of inspiration and fun.

Creative in providing team “welfare” solutions.

Brings boundless energy to any situation.

Has an awareness of the people issues in the world around him.

Makes friends quickly and easily.

Has strong personal and interpersonal skills.

Is the life and soul of the group - often “centre stage”.

Works to promote and maintain harmony within his team.

Creates and maintains a harmonious atmosphere.

www.insightsvancouver.com Ph: 604-522-4229

Strategies for communicating with James:

Seek his advice, views and opinions on welfare matters.

Maintain harmony in exchanges - minimise conflict.

Maintain personal content in communication.

Avoid detailed reports, focus on people issues.

Use an easy-going and fun approach.

Be alive and entertaining.

Talk about him and areas he finds stimulating.