The Lens of Personality

A good metaphor for developing understanding when dealing with opposing personalities is to realize that each personality sees the world through a unique lens.

• The Togetherness personality sees the world through a magnifying glass—always trying to capture that "Kodak moment"—and is always concerned about others in the process.
• The Enterpriser personality sees the world through a telescope and wants to keep moving toward a distant shore (the goal).
• The Analyzer personality sees the world through a microscope and is constantly trying to get a closer, more detailed view.
• The Motivator personality sees the world through a kaleidoscope, which captures the fun, spontaneity and excitement of life.

Using these metaphorical lenses can help us view a conflicted situation through the eyes of the other person—even if that person is our personality-opposite. Understanding the perception of the other party is the great empathetic leap that makes most conflicts reasonable and many broken relationships reconcilable.

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