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Insights Foundations Profile PDF
Insights Foundations Profile PDF
05-Apr-10
Personal Profile
Foundation Chapter
Insights Vancouver
Insights Discovery 3.5 James Smith Page 2
Personal Details
James Smith
Imported
Contents
Introduction 4
Overview 5
Personal Style 5
Interacting with Others 5
Decision Making 6
Communication 10
Effective Communications 10
Barriers to Effective Communication 11
Opposite Type 13
Communication with James's Opposite Type 14
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.
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
Personal Notes
Personal Notes
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.
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.
Personal Notes
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.
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:
Do not assume that his lack of response means tacit agreement with what is proposed.
Be illogical or obscure.
Exaggerate.
Personal Notes
Personal Notes
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)
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%
Jungian Preferences
James Smith
05-Apr-10
Attitude/Orientation:
100 0 100
100 0 100
100 0 100