Your understanding of personality types can support your role as a Business Analyst

As a Business Analyst, you are dealing with a range of stakeholders who interact and respond differently so you have to be really good at reading people and understanding their personalities fairly quickly. First off the mark you must accept that a one size fits all approach to stakeholder engagement or interaction will not work. It is useful to find ways to connect meaningfully with your stakeholders in formal settings as well as in informal settings.

It is important to understand the personality of your key stakeholders and engage with them in a way that they will best respond to. Please note that there isn’t one personality that is superior to the other. Rather an understanding of each personality helps to find the best ways to work with each individually and as a group. You may also find that some people exhibit characteristics of more than one personality type depending on the situation. The Business Analyst needs to be flexible in their approach to dealing with all personality types.

Having said that, here are some ways I have found success in engaging with stakeholders of various personalities based on the the Four Basic Personality Styles:

The Expressive Type

They are energised by people, outgoing, enthusiastic, socially confident people who enjoy discussion and are open and willing to share. They can dominate group conversations and like to take action but may not follow up.

Engage them by informal discussion, arrange meetings with them informally for example go for a coffee or grab lunch with them. Follow up with an email appreciating their time and input then summarise your takeaway from the chat to formalise the discussion. Be friendly, open, and flexible but careful not to include any information they might have given you in confidence.

In formal or group settings rely on them to get conversations going but consult with them prior to this to set the tone for the outcome you require.

The Analytical Type

They are deep thinkers. Whatever they do or engage in has a clear purpose. They also work to high standards, expect details and well thought out information. They are organised, orderly and professional. They can be indecisive and stall when decisions need to be made.

Engage them by having lots of conversations that are structured and have a clear goal. Don’t be woolly when you converse with them. They can be introverted so ask questions to probe their position on a matter or topic to avoid blockers at critical decision points. Provide additional information or data to help them make decisions quicker.

In formal settings, be prepared to answer their questions. Do your homework and consider a range of perspectives in advance. Most importantly be clear in communicating the why or purpose with them.

The Amiable Type

They are calm and easy going people. Amiables tend to be diplomatic and will avoid conflict where possible so they are easy to get along with. In the same vein, they will often leave decisions until the last minute and favour consensus or status quo.

Engage them by asking for their opinion because they get along with most people, they can be a rich source of information. Seek their help in navigating other challenging relationships. They are often a good resource to lean on for getting people on side. Like the analytical personality, they don’t like uncertainty, so the Business Analyst should be clear in their communication, plan and purpose. Having a good level of clarity will help you get the best out of amiable stakeholders.

In formal settings, share your ideas, objectives and desired outcomes with them in advance of meetings and decision points. Once they get it they can help you progress the agenda with others.

The Driver Type

They are natural leaders and action takers with very strong personalities. They seek to get things done and can dominate in the process. They are results-driven which means they can be quick to drive you towards a specific decision or path. They can be stubborn and may be impatient in certain circumstances. Therefore, the Business Analyst may need to do some ground work in getting other stakeholders to a certain level prior to group engagement and decision points to avoid others being pushed in the driver’s direction.

Engage them by having a clear vision of what needs to be done. They are good resources to help remove blockers especially if they are senior or influential. Share the vision or plan with them. Be careful not to drown them in detail. Think big picture when engaging with them.

In formal settings, lean on them to help motivate others. Drivers are known for making decisions quickly and delegating naturally so use this strength to make things happen. Where you have resource constraints, Drivers will help you figure out ways to deliver on time and within budget.

One last note

The Business Analyst must be mindful that some personalities may clash and so in working with groups, be careful to find a good balance by leveraging the strengths each stakeholder brings.