They rejuvenate themselves by going to parties and spending quiet time. It may seem very beneficial to live in the world as a person with a balanced personality, who among us wouldn’t prefer to feel comfortable in both solitude and company.
Research conducted on more than 300 executives found that a third of them had balanced personalities. Adam Grant, a psychologist, and professor at the Wharton School of Business found that people with these types of personalities are considered the best salesmen due to their ability to speak and listen effortlessly.
Grant's research highlights one of the greatest advantages of a balanced personality, which is the ability to bring out the points of strengths of an introvert and an extrovert, each at their appropriate time. Although this point is in their favor, it also has a downside.
One of the biggest traps that people with a balanced personality fall into is believing that they will not experience job burnout. However, if they do not heed, they will wear out more quickly. As balance is the key to living a healthy life, and this personality is no exception and includes the negative aspects of social mixing: Irritable moods, stress, and fraught relationships. On the other hand, spending too much time alone can lead to feelings of isolation, frustration, and loneliness.
Too much socializing can have serious repercussions on both our personal and professional lives, and we are often tempted to focus on one side of our personality and ignore the other. Sometimes, you may feel relieved after talking to someone for a while, but other times, you just want a quiet night alone.
Based on the interviews conducted with more than 50 people with balanced personalities, it was found that introverts and extroverts have clear strengths and that people with balanced personalities have the same strength but to a different degrees.
For these people to feel relaxed when speaking in public, they have to push themselves a little more than extroverts do, and to think properly before doing anything, they have to remind themselves to take it easy. Extroverts and introverts naturally tend to do these things, while balanced personalities may need to step up their efforts.
Generally speaking, introverts and extroverts are more aware of their identities than persons with similar personalities, where introverts are aware of their introversion and extroverts are aware of their openness. So, they are aware of the types of interactions they require.
For instance, introverts are known to need downtime to refuel, while extroverts become impatient if days go by without any social interaction. However, people with balanced personalities poise between social relations and independence, either randomly or with attention to deploying the most suitable behavior at the appropriate time.
Effective tips to help you develop a balanced personality
What do people with balanced personalities need to be effective workers? Here are some tips that could help them build on their strengths and manage their weaknesses:
1. Control your environment
To monitor your productivity, the simplest thing to do is to situate yourself in a proper environment. If you need a break from social interactions, try closing your office door or putting on noise-canceling headphones for half an hour.
On the other hand, if you haven't spoken to anyone all day, having a cup of coffee or calling a friend during your break can give you energy. Therefore, flexibility is the key.
2. Plan ahead
A holiday spent socializing will make you feel exhausted on the first working day of the week. So, take the necessary steps to make sure you allocate time for yourself. You can achieve that by spending your day off alone, so you’d feel ready to meet people at the start of the week.
The same applies to limited social interactions, where spending too much time alone would make it harder to interact with others. By planning ahead, you can mitigate the negative consequences of too much socializing or total isolation.
3. Don’t fear rejection
When we desire others’ company, we often feel drawn into commitments that we should not have agreed to. Hence, if you made such commitments, you would be overwhelmed with exhaustion and stress, which will negatively affect your productivity.
Additionally, in the corporate world that has become increasingly focused on openness, communication, and team effort, taking the time to think independently is imperative. Furthermore, by knowing how to say no, you'll be able to identify your need for solitude and enable yourself to function at your best at work.
With the aid of these tips, people with balanced personalities can start addressing their needs and working to the best of their ability.
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