Managing different personalities a challenge

One of the recognisable personality types is the workhorse - the person you can rely on to get the job done. They consistently go the extra mile to produce excellent work and their work ethic is extremely valuable to the team. Although they will become impatient with other personality types, their drive can motivate other team members to put more effort into their work.

"Their quiet nature often means they are placed in supporting roles and overlooked for promotions or other developmental opportunities. They probably won't raise the issue, but will feel the injustice of this as they believe that their hard work should speak for itself. Moreover, because they are not likely to make a noise about how stressed they are, managers may give them many tasks and responsibilities, believing they can handle it when, in fact, this is just compounding the pressure," explains Vittee.

She suggests that managers need to keep a close eye on the workhorse's workload, ensuring that it is realistic while providing them with opportunities that will force them to work with others, take on leadership roles and develop their interpersonal skills so that they can become more noticed in the workplace.

Great team players

The creative person embraces the bigger picture. They think out of the box and can invent new strategies. Their ideas are often contagious and they can inspire others to think in an innovative way. Creatives are also open to other people's ideas and are great team players. They think visually and have a clear picture of the end result, but may have trouble planning the practical steps to bring this about.

"Managing the creative requires a fine balance. They do need to be brought down to reality, but beware that it is not done in such a way that it demotivates them. Creatives become easily discouraged and so if they feel their contributions are constantly being met with a negative reaction, they will stop contributing altogether. Without their creative outlet, other aspects of their work may begin to suffer.

"Instead, be open to their ideas and guide their thinking along the practical route by asking how they suggest their ideas work within the constraints. Their creative thinking will probably mean they have hidden problem-solving abilities and with the right guidance, this ability may come to light," says Vittee.

Focus on relationships

Smooth talkers are the ones who contribute in meetings and are great at getting others to buy into an idea. The smooth talker is a people person who enjoys forming relationships. Their relationship focus means that their work ethic may suffer and while they are likely to make promises they cannot deliver on, they will also be able to talk themselves out of any bad situation.

"Managers need to be aware of exactly what the strengths and weaknesses of their smooth talker are and take steps to ensure they meet their deadlines and take responsibility for their actions. Although the smooth talker may need to be reigned in, remember that their sales abilities are an advantage to the team, so do not restrict them to the point that they feel stifled. They know many people and will easily be able to jump ship," Vittee warns. "What helps a smooth talker is to give them a very clear goal. Explain that their natural leadership qualities will make them great managers, but in order to get there, they need to achieve certain work ethic objectives."