Our individuality is the most beautiful quality we all possess. We are all unique in our own way. No two people are the same, and that means that no one is mimicking your experience. Your experiences are your own and no one else's. 

Even if another person were to be given the same stimulus or circumstance as you, they would not technically be experiencing the same thing. What the other person goes through will be based on who they are, what they know, and the total culmination of their past. Two people can be looking down the street at the same street — and they will always see a different picture.  

That being said, I see a big issue in generalization and grouping people together based on one or two distinguishing qualities. Even when people are similar, they’re not the same… and while our brains may strive to group, match, and make sense of it all, we have to accept the futility of that goal when getting to know individuals.

On the other hand, I do see immense value in exploring data surrounding personality types. Yes, I’m talking Myers-Briggs model which outlines personality based on 4 different aspects:

• Where they place their attention: extroversion or introversion.
• How they derive information: senses or intuition.
• How they make decisions: thinking or feeling.
• How they live their life: judging or perceiving.

With 7.8 billion people in the world, it’s impossible to dissect and chart every last feeling, response, and viewpoint. But, these insights can help team leaders to understand what their team members are going through right now.

We’re all working from home during one of the strangest and most difficult periods of the last decade. By understanding the various personality types, leaders and managers can help their entire team deal with WFH culture to encourage success, prosperity, and proficiency.

The Harvard Business Review just published an awesome article relating to how each of these personality types responds to the current WFH status. It’s the same situation, but each personality type perceives it completely differently. Managers who aren’t clued into this basic psychology tip aren’t going to be able to support their teams to the fullest right now.

To go above and beyond for your team, here’s what you should know:

Take the Right Kind of Breaks

We don’t all unwind the same way. Instead of sending broad ‘have fun and relax’ messages, make a real impact by curating your response to the polarities on your team. 

Extroverts recharge by being active, spending time with others, and releasing their energy. On the other hand, introverts benefit most from some quiet personal time. 

Don’t Burn Yourself Out 

When we’re all working so much, it’s easy to get burnt out. 

People with intuitive preferences can easily get lost in scenarios, so it’s important for them to come into the moment and only focus on the here and now. People with sensing preferences can waste a lot of time exploring the little details, so it helps them to talk to others about the big picture. 

Cater Communications 

Did you know that 93% of communication is nonverbal? With everyone talking via the web, the team should do some proofreading before hitting ‘send’. 

Feeling preferences shouldn’t get too caught up worrying about other people, they need to look out for themselves, too. Thinking preferences should strive to add some charisma into their messages to avoid sounding curt.

Create Balance Your Way

Living your best life starts with a positive work-life balance. 

Judging what you do can benefit from going on ‘do not disturb’ outside of working hours. It’s okay to unplug and separate. While perceiving preferences may love the freedom and flexibility of WFH, they should understand that they need to give team members their space to avoid being overbearing. 

At the core of all this is the theme of understanding. Your best and most creative environment might be downright dreadful to another person. We cannot expect that everyone feels like we do, even if we’re all following the same flow. Team leaders need to slow down, listen, and step outside of themselves to foster a happy, healthy, and efficient team.