Right Personal Profile Makes the Right Business Team

After having a not-so-successful partnership in business with my best friend, I have realized that two dominant persons are quite difficult to work together in one team - As chinese saying, "Two Tigers Can't Reside in One Hill"


Recalled a few years back in my first and also the last employment when I first came back to Malaysia after my studies in Canada, my employer has sent me to a pretty well-known US program called Money & You where every participant has to fill up their DISC profile.


D.I.S.C. defines 4 major personality profiles in human - Dominant(Controller), Influencial(Promoter), Supportive(Supporter), and Competent(, respectively. A couple of years later, I went to the Asia Work's Effective Communication program, which also helps the participants to identify their category of personality. Later on, I have also found out several programs that work in the similar way. But most importantly, it is for me to identify what kind of personality profile in me and how I utilise it in my buiness. Each profile has its strengths, weaknesses, and its sensitivity or hot button. For instance, people in Dominant group do not want to be told what they should do or how to do his/her job. Worst, if you say they 'suck', they will either hate you for life, or work their ass off to prove that you are wrong.


Each people in a certain profile group communicates differently from the people in other profile group. These programs helped me to identify why the partnership with my best friend didn't work out so well. Due to the research of those profiles, Dominant group is pretty stubborn but very decisive. However, they really do not want their decisions to be overwritten by any party. That will eleborate further why my best friend and I cannot be in the business together.

Anyway, the main point here is learn about yourself and study other's people profiles. So that you can easily identify what kind of person you talk to after 15 mins of conversation, so you know that what should be said and what should be kept quiet while building relationships with a stranger.

This information also allows me to choose who to be my business partner or my management team, and work well with them. So, what's your profile?

"Knowing yourself is more important than studying others" - SL Ong