This document provides an overview of techniques for gaining self-knowledge and understanding one's strengths and potential. It discusses typologies like the Greek theory of humours, Yin-Yang balance, job classifications, and body proportions. Three self-research techniques are highlighted: cluster graphs to show social connections, repertory grids to understand how one handles incidents, and life charts to map one's past and future goals. Understanding what activities are easy to learn and do can reveal natural talents. Finding one's true passion is key to maximizing potential.

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Know Yourself
Maximising Your Potential
MTL Course Topics
MAXIMISING YOUR
POTENTIAL
Know Yourself

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Know Yourself
Maximising Your Potential
MTL Course Topics
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Maximising Your Potential
MTL Course Topics
ARE YOU READY?
OK, LET’S START!

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Maximising Your Potential
MTL Course Topics
INTRODUCTION
Self-knowledge is the starting point on the journey of self-
development. Self-knowledge gives us a window onto our
potential. It indicates where our strengths lie, what things
we are naturally good at and how we might combine our
natural gifts with the opportunities around us. There are
many routes to self-knowledge. Some people are lucky
enough to perceive their talents at an early age, perhaps at
school or in the family. Others come to them slowly after a
process of wrong turns and failings. Others may not come to
self-knowledge until late in life when they suddenly see with
blinding clarity where their lives have been taking them. The
important point to remember is that, at whatever point it
comes, it is always possible to turn self-knowledge into self-
realisation.

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TYPOLOGIES
There are a wide range of techniques which can help us
discover our own true selves and, thereby, our own
strengths and potential. Some techniques, like the Greek
theory of humours, lasted for centuries; others, such as
magazine questionnaires, may only be of passing interest for
our amusement.
Some of the methods that can get you acquainted with your
own natures are:
1. self-research
2. strengths theory
3. the theory of humours
4. Yin-Yang balance
5. job classifications
6. body proportions
7. personal centres.

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MTL Course Topics
SELF-RESEARCH
There are many ways in which you can do research on
yourself:
1. look in the mirror and notice what you see
2. journalise and diarise. Diaries are useful for recording
events and your reactions to events.
3. write down a dialogue with parts of yourself. If you have
a fear, call it "Bill" and have a chat with him. He might
give you insights into what really makes him afraid.
4. get feedback on your work and behaviour from team-
mates and friends; for a balanced view ask your critics'
views as well
5. study your relationships and how they make you feel
6. draw your life history to date and project it forward
7. design a cluster graph with yourself at the centre
8. fill in a repertory grid of critical incidents in your work
and life and how you respond to them.

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SELF-KNOWLEDGE
Three self-research techniques for getting to know yourself
better are:
1. Cluster Graphs. A Cluster Graph can show you who you
like to be with and work with. It simply shows in a cluster all
the people who are important in your life. By analysing the
sort of people you are interested in, you can get a reflection
of your own interests.
2. Repertory Grids. A Repertory Grid records the way you
believe you handle key incidents in your daily life and so
indicates the things you do with ease and those you find
difficult.
3. Life Charts. A Life Chart draws a line of your life to the
present date charting the ups and downs. You can project it
into the future to show where you want to go next.

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STRENGTHS
In "Play to Your Strengths", Donald Clifton and Paula Nelson
suggest five ways we can discover our strengths.
1. Listen For Yearnings. Yearnings are often triggered when
we see someone doing something we'd like to do or feel we
could do better.
2. Watch For Satisfactions. When we get a glow of
satisfaction from doing a job, even though we don't know
why, it's likely to be a strength.
3. Watch For Rapid Learning. A strength is characterised by
initial rapid learning that continues for a lifetime.
4. Natural Talent. Be aware of moments of excellence.
5. Watch For Total Performance. Total performance of
excellence is a flow of behaviour when there appear to be
no conscious steps taken.

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EASY TO LEARN AND EASY TO
DO
Holocaust survivor, Dr Viktor Frankl, said that you can divide
the things in your life into four categories according to the
degree of difficulty in learning them and the degree of
difficulty in doing them.
1. Things That Are Hard To Learn And Hard To Do. These
are likely to be your weak areas. Make them a small part of
your life, done out of necessity not choice.
2. Things That Are Hard To Learn And Easy To Do. These are
likely to be everyday skills that take time to learn but, once
mastered, are never forgotten, like riding a bike and tying
your shoes.
3. Things That Are Easy To Learn But Hard To Do. These are
likely to be activities that, although you know how to do
them, always present a challenge, like chopping wood and
changing a car wheel.
4. Things That Are Easy To Learn And Easy To Do. These are
where your natural talents lie because you engage in these
activities with carefree, natural and unrestrained ease and
joy.

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YOUR TRUE PASSION
The secret to finding your strengths is to do what you love.
Steve Jobs, legendary founder of Apple Computers and Pixar
Animation Studios, said:
"You’ve got to find what you love. Your work is going to fill a
large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied
is to do what you believe is great work.
And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If
you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with
all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.
Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s
life. And most important, have the courage to follow your
heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you
truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."

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HUMOURS
The word "humour" originally meant "moisture" or "fluid".
The Ancient Greeks believed that the human body was
made up of four kinds of fluid or humour: blood, phlegm,
yellow bile and black bile. When these were in equal
proportion, the body was healthy; when out of balance, ill.
The four humours came to be associated with four
personality types:
1. Blood = sanguine (quick, enthusiastic and changeable)
2. Phlegm = phlegmatic (slow, calm, lazy)
3. Yellow Bile = choleric (excitable, proud, quick to react)
4. Black Bile = melancholic (pessimistic, sad, slow to react)
Hans Eysenck in our own day has adapted the four humours
around scales of introversion and extroversion, stability and
instability to create a personality typology.

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TEMPERAMENTS
Eysenck's classification of temperaments is the basis of
many personality tests.
Each of the four predominant temperaments has a range of
characteristics similar to those of the ancient Greek theory
of humours.
1. Melancholic: moody; anxious; rigid; sober; pessimistic;
reserved; unsociable; quiet.
2. Plegmatic: calm; even; controlled; reliable; carefree;
thoughtful; passive; peaceful.
3. Sanguine: easy-going; lively; in charge; outgoing;
carefree; responsive; sociable; talkative.
4. Choleric: aggressive; touchy; changeable; restless;
optimistic; impulsive; active; excitable.

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YIN-YANG
In Oriental philosophy, everything in the universe is
considered to have two opposite and complementary
characteristics. Thus human beings are male and female; we
have a right and left side, back and front, up and down. Our
lives are influenced by day and night, hot and cold, water
and fire, sun and moon. And so on.
The two principles are known as Yin and Yang. Everything
associated with life has either a yin force or a yang force.
While they are different, they are also part of the same life
force. When a yin element becomes too yin, it seeks balance
by becoming yang and vice versa. Perfect equilibrium is held
to be non-dynamic and thus leads to stagnation. Everything
is therefore in a state of flux.
We can use the Yin-Yang dichotomy to assess what we are
like normally or under a given set of circumstances and thus
gain insight into our inner natures.

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JOB CLASSIFICATIONS
Mumford and Salisbury asked a group of people to answer
the question "Who am I?" twenty times. The work role
featured prominently in every response. It seems that our
identity is wrapped up in the job we do.
A. Maccoby suggested there were five different job
classifications:
1. Experts driven by mastery, control and Autonomy
2. Defenders, driven by protection, dignity and power
3. Helpers, driven by caring, sociability and relating
4. Innovators, driven by creating, competing, and glory
5. Self-developers, driven by balancing, mastery and play,
knowledge and fun.
B. Richard Bolles in "What Colour is your Parachute?" says
that people are attracted to working with: things, data,
ideas, knowledge or other people.

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JOBS ‘R’ US
John Holland suggests that there are 6 categories of job
types.
These categories are:
1. people who like to work with things: the fixers of complex
mechanisms, growers, engineers and technologists. They
work with their hands.
2. people who like to work with data: accountants, business
managers, computer programmers. They like to use their
left-side brains.
3. people who like to influence others: sales people,
managers, lawyers, diplomats. They like contact.
4. people who like to serve others: educators, doctors,
health care workers
5. people interested in innovation: artists and musicians.
They like to use their right-side brains.
6. people who are investigative and analytic: problem-
solvers such as chemical engineers, psychologists, systems
analysts.

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JOBS AND PERSONALITIES
The nine main personality types provide us with nine job
types.
These are people who...
1. like to produce something of value; eg chefs, writers,
gardeners. They usually work alone.
2. like to work with others; eg carers, retailers, doctors.
3. like to present an image; eg actors, advertisers, marketing
consultants.
4. like to create something distinctive; eg artists, film
producers, architects.
5. like to piece data together; eg computer programmers,
librarians, scientists.
6. like to measure; eg security forces, bankers, managers.
7. like to handle numerous jobs at once; eg builders,
directors, project managers.
8. like to overcome the odds; eg sportsmen and women,
entrepreneurs.
9. like to work with natural forces; eg geologists, vets,
farmers.

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BODY PROPORTIONS
In the early twentieth century, psychiatrist Wilhelm Reich
suggested that our personalities were reflected in our body
shapes. This is because the way we come to terms with the
world around us is the way we use body language.
There are five basic body proportions:
1. Right and Left A strong left side suggests a passive
defence; a strong right side an aggressive defence.
2. Head and Body A large head shows an intellectual
tendency; a large body shows an emotional tendency.
3. Front and Back The front is the conscious you; the back
the hidden, secretive you.
4. Limbs and Body Short arms indicate a fear of contact;
thin legs can mean you are not willing to take a stand.
5. Top and Bottom A well-developed upper half shows an
outgoing life; a well-developed bottom half, a more
private life.

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LIFE CENTRES
According to Stephen Cover, our “life centres" are the things
that we live most for. When we cherish these centres, our
lives have direction, meaning and structure and in turn we
do well. When we lose them, our lives seem to fall apart and
have no meaning. For Covey, these centres could be family,
work, friends, pleasure, even self.
There are three groups of centres: feeling, thinking, and
relating groups and three sub-groups in each. They are:
1. In the Feeling Group: those who are centred on Others;
those centred on Success; those centred on Talents
2. In the Thinking Group: those who are centred on
Things; those centred on Security; those centred on
Pleasure
3. In the Relating Group: those who are centred on
Enemies; those centred on Self; those centred on Work.

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CENTRED ON OTHERS
The following features describe the characteristics of
personality types who are centred on Others:
Work is: a means to an end
Others are: the highest priority, particularly those with
whom we have close relationships
Success is: what the group do; how the team gets on; what
the family are like; the feeling amongst friends
Your Unique Talent is: the gift of helping others
Things are: unimportant in themselves; enjoyable only with
others
Security Lies in: your knowledge that others can't get by
without you
Pleasure is: contact with others, the glow you get when
you've helped someone; being of service
Enemies are: those who threaten the group
Self-worth is Measured by: how much the group needs you.

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CENTRED ON SUCCESS
The following features describe the characteristics of
personality types who are centred on Success:
Work is: the route to success
Others are: selected for their asset and status value. Who
we are connected with reflects our importance and
impresses others
Success is: the current measure of how others see you. It
may be money, status, popularity, fame, intelligence.
Your Unique Talent is: the apparent ease with which you
advance, win prizes, achieve goals
Things are: the proof of your success
Security Lies in: money, status, contacts
Pleasure is: applause from those you want to impress
Enemies are: those who see through your superficiality
Self-worth is Measured by: your current personal market
value.

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CENTRED ON TALENTS
The following features describe the characteristics of
personality types who are centred on Talents:
Work Is: a means of self-expression
Others Are: either the majority of those with little taste or
the handful who are like you and respect your gifts
Success Is: expressing innermost and personal gifts
Your Unique Talent is: your ability to see deeper into things
than others and give this insight a unique means of
expression
Things are: only functional but beyond that meaningless
Security Lies in: finding out who you are, experiencing real
feelings and emotions, authentic experiences
Pleasure is: rarely felt and not as meaningful as pain; pain is
therefore pleasurable
Enemies Are: those who don't appreciate you
Self-worth is measured by: being fully yourself.

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CENTRED ON THINGS
The following features describe the characteristics of
personality types who are centred on Things:
Work is: the means to buy goods and things
Others Are: objects to analyse, observe and control
Success Is: having enough material things to live
comfortably and without dependence on others
Your Unique Talent is: noticing what you want and grabbing
it
Things are: a way to feel good
Security Lies In: being in a position to observe the world
from a safe distance and keep one step ahead of it
Pleasure is: shops; buying; hoarding
Enemies are: those who might take things away from you
Self-worth is measured by: what you own.

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CENTRED ON SECURITY
The following features describe the characteristics of
personality types who are centred on Security:
Work is: the source of security
Others are: to be obeyed or put in line depending on
whether they have authority over you or you over them
Success is: when those in authority are pleased with you
Your Unique Talent is: fitting in
Things are: needed so as not to feel vulnerable
Security lies in: using one's brain to sniff out danger;
adapting any means to defend oneself against threats
Pleasure is: poking fun at others
Enemies are: those who might harm you or embarrass you
Self-worth is measured by: symbols of security, eg money in
the bank, strong friends, a good secure job.

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CENTRED ON PLEASURE
The following features describe the characteristics of
personality types who are centred on Pleasure:
Work is: OK if it's fun, a chore if it's not
Others are: there to have a good time with, to bounce
interesting ideas off, to tell stories to
Success is: feeling happy and not afraid; having plenty of
new experiences waiting around the corner
Your unique talent is: the ability to bring sparkle into other
people's lives, to invent new experiences
Things are: an endless source of pleasure, gadgets to play
with, toys
Security lies in: knowing that you're happy
Pleasure is: the whole purpose of activity
Enemies are: those who want to limit your unbounded
enthusiasm for life
Self-worth is measured by: how much fun you bring into
your life.

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CENTRED ON ENEMIES
The following features describe the characteristics of
personality types who are centred on Enemies:
Work is: a chance to escape or a chance to prove yourself
Others are: supporters in your battles or scapegoats to be
blamed
Success is: the feeling you get when you beat the opposition
Your unique talent is: your strength and power to meet any
odds and come out victorious
Things are: fighting tools, a means to secure allies
Security lies in: engaging in conflict knowing that you will
win
Pleasure is: the rest between battles
Enemies are: those who are enemies of justice
Self-worth is measured by: how well you fight.

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CENTRED ON SELF
The following features describe the characteristics of
personality types who are centred on Self:
Work is: to be avoided unless it is the way to be free
Others are: providers, lenders or people to whom you give
Success is: being content with your lot
Your unique talent is: being yourself without pretence,
being at one with the world, healing conflict around you
Things are: a source of self-definition; the means by which
you while away the hours
Security lies in: no commitments
Pleasure is: sensate: feeling nice and cosy, with nobody
hassling you
Enemies are: those who want to make you do things against
your will
Self-worth is measured by: the amount of peace and
harmony you have.

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CENTRED ON WORK
The following features describe the characteristics of
personality types who are centred on Work:
Work is: the source of fulfilment
Others are: a help to achieving what you want or a
hindrance
Success is: how much you achieve, how correct the work is,
how much you've managed to do
Your unique talent is: what can be produced through
working
Things are: what you need for the job
Security lies in: being right and knowing you're right
Pleasure is: something which interferes with work and can
be enjoyed after work is done
Enemies are: those who obstruct your plans
Self-worth is measured by: your achievements.

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Maximising Your Potential
MTL Course Topics
THAT’S
IT!
WELL DONE!

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Maximising Your Potential
MTL Course Topics
THANK YOU
This has been a Slide Topic from Manage Train Learn