Your DOMINANT temperament is an AIR!  As you have learned from the quiz by now, AIRs are one of the four Basic Elements of Temperament (a practical model for self-awareness and for understanding the behaviors we see around us every day).

Airs see possibilities and meanings and relationships between systems and processes. It’s how they view the world! They are skeptical of politics, government programs, and standard operating procedures, whether they encounter them at hospitals, the local bowling alley, or at the Department of Motor Vehicles. This skepticism is driven by the behaviors they see in employees and managers of government and business organizations and the lack of logic in their operations. In fact, it is the perceived lack of imagination, understanding, and intellect on the part of others that ticks Airs off the most.

Airs believe there is always a more efficient and effective system for doing things—and smarter, better trained people who should be doing them.

For example, an Air may encounter long lines at a grocery store and immediately assess there are several probable causes for them: inefficient planning, poor understanding of customer buying habits, lack of scheduling skills, improper training of checkout clerks, and, generally, an overall lack of professionalism by grocery store management who should have recognized all of these issues and taken steps to address them!

Personal intelligence and the ability to apply such intelligence to life and work are paramount to success in the world of Airs. Logically, they want to interact with those customers, colleagues, clients, managers, vendors, and service providers who are well-trained and able to get their jobs done in an efficient manner.

The ideal world of the DOMINANT AIRs includes trained perfectionists who understand exactly what is required of them and get the job done with little or need for additional guidance or personal interaction. This search for perfection often gets Airs in trouble.

Airs are sometimes accused of being cold, condescending, and unrealistic.

You Know You’re An Air When You. . .

• LOVE working alone or in small groups. Even on a small team you prefer to work alone then report your findings back to the other members;
• HATE idle conversation, especially on subjects of no personal interest to you. You view this as a wasted commitment of time that could have been better spent learning something useful;
• LOVE learning a new skill or competency. This could be as minor as learning how to change a bicycle tire or as major as learning a new language;
• HATE showing your emotions, especially in front of family members or at work. Airs believe showing emotions reveals a lack of composure and professionalism;
• LOVE reading, watching documentaries, and surfing the Internet to learn new things. Whether it is learning about a whale’s taste in krill or how climate change is impacting the Antartica, all is of interest to you to some extent;
• HATE having to over-explain instructions to others who, in your opinion, should be able to understand the first time you told them;
• LOVE new and revised approaches based on validated models and expert research. Anecdotal experiences alone will not convince and Air that a new approach is valid;
• HATE when traditional rules, procedures, and processes impede the rollout of new ideas or changes in the status quo;
• LOVE making decisions based on data, sound analysis, and clear logic. Unfortunately for many Airs, there is never enough information available to make a rapid decision;
• HATE potentially testy encounters with others, especially arguments or giving negative feedback during a performance evaluation. Dealing with personnel issues are often excruciating for Airs.

READ MORE ABOUT AIRS AT:  WWW.BRADDUDE.COM