Your DOMINANT temperament is an EARTH! As you have learned from the quiz by now, EARTHs 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).

Earths see facts and figures and want to plan and organize them. It’s how they view the world! They want to understand the realities of every situation and design a specific plan for manipulating those realities to help their family, team, or institution. Earths take great pride in their homes, resources, finances, and even their reputations. They believe it is their duty to protect them at all costs. They are skeptical of those who wish to make changes in policies, regulations, procedures, and rules since they are often the ones who have designed and developed them in the first place!

Earths believe that trust is earned and not given. For example, a new employee must demonstrate they are worthy of being trusted by proving they are capable of following directions and getting their work done—on time; on budget; and, while communicating progress in a timely manner.

Personal integrity and personal responsibility are critical values of Earths who try model such behaviors for their children and co-workers. They enjoy social gatherings where they can “talk shop.” They view such interactions as opportunities to network, perhaps meet new customers, promote their organizations, and even proudly relate family accomplishments.

The ideal world of the DOMINANT EARTH includes loyal and trustworthy managers, employees, co-workers, and family members who strive to maintain the status quo while protecting the organization, job, and home from any and all dangers, real or imagined.

A typical Earth goal is to strive to obtain a leadership role in the organization and tackle challenges that contribute toward the security of their company’s economic and social standing. These efforts can occasionally get Earths in trouble.

Earths sometimes earn a reputation for being conservative, parental, domineering, and judgmental.

You Know You’re An Earth When You. . .

• LOVE working on administrative tasks that aid in addressing issues that protect the home, family, job, and company. Earths believe they are capable of assuming leadership positions in their organizations;
• HATE to be asked by an employee to make an exception to a company rule because of extenuating personal circumstances. Earths are fair-minded and feel it their duty to treat everyone the same;
• LOVE to write Strategic Plans, Mission Statements, and job descriptions. This provides co-workers at all levels with clarity for company goals, objectives, and job expectations;
• HATE when employees do not follow HR policies concerning working hours, holidays, administrative leave, and vacation days. Earths strive to treat everyone fairly and want to ensure no one is taking advantage of the system;
• LOVE leading meetings that can serve as a platform for communicating corporate announcements and sharing employee information;
• HATE listening to formal presentations for changes that may jeopardize the company. Earths are typically hyper-critical of any idea, suggestion or proposition that they consider potentially detrimental to the success of the organization, its workforce, or its reputation;
• LOVE networking with clients in social settings. Earths view such meetings as opportunities to strengthen customer relationships and possibly generate new ones;
• HATE being accused of being a “micro-manager” when they truly believe they are actually providing technical assistance to others;
• LOVE employees who complete assigned tasks, meet deadlines, and submit timely progress reports;
• HATE reviewing reports that contain typos and poor grammar. Earths are prone to make written corrections on such documents before returning them to the author for revisions.

READ MORE ABOUT EARTHS AT:  WWW.BRADDUDE.COM