Teamcraft

In this episode of Teamcraft, Andrew and Mark are joined by Nikita Mikhailov, an expert in psychometrics, psychologist and co-author of the book 'Personality, a User's Guide.'

We dive into how understanding personality and individual differences can inform talent selection, development decisions, relationships, and even culture. Nikita explains self-narratives, personality traits like neuroticism, and the social aspects of personality. We also discuss the importance of curiosity, asking questions, and appreciating the diverse personalities within teams.

The conversation highlights Nikita's insights into personality in both professional and personal contexts, offering practical advice on effective communication and collaboration in team settings.

Nikita shares insights from his book, 'Personality, a User’s Guide,' co-authored with Georgi Yankov, discussing how a deeper understanding of personality can enhance talent selection, development, performance and culture, and goes on to share practical tips on fostering effective communication and collaboration within teams.

Pass it on resources

Personality: A User's Guide - Nikita's excellent book

Why You Are Who You Are by Mark Leary

Personality Testing In Employee Selection by Andrew Munro

Chapters
00:00 Pre-roll
00:50 Intro - Nikita Mikhailov
02:13 You don't just have one version of you
03:19 How do we even define personality?
09:22 What was the inspiration behind your book?
12:05 How dare you compare psychometrics to the Zodiac...
13:57 Language and the psycholexical origins of personality research
17:00 The big five in brief
18:49 The bright side of neuroticism
20:19 The cheapest couples therapy you could imagine
23:31 How to balance behaviours with different personality traits
24:15 How should you engage with people who seem different to you?
27:19 Introverts, extroverts and ambiverts
31:29 Is individualism a problem?
33:02 How people see you, and how you see yourself
36:18 Giving and receiving personal feedback
37:54 Why you shouldn't 'give people 15 minutes back'
40:15 Organisations, cults and the stress of early careers
42:58 At what age do our personalities become 'fixed'?
44:54 Quick Fires - what's your best team memory
45:42 What are your team red flags
46:23 Do you have a resource to pass on?

#personality #teams #management #psychology #business

Thanks for listening!

Music by Tom Farrington