Knowing and using your workplace strengths part five: Emotional stability

With daily routines upended, what can we do to stay motivated at work? One answer: get in touch with who you are, and how you can put your personality strengths to use.

Today, Traitify concludes our five-part series on workplace strengths in the midst of a pandemic. We wrap up with a closer look at the last of the "Big Five" personality dimensions: Emotional Stability.

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What does high Emotional Stability look like in everyday life?

A person with high Emotional Stability is likely to be someone whose responses to the world are predictable. They've got steady moods and are inclined to "keep their cool" in the midst of bad news or challenging conditions. They tend to say comments like, "It's going to be alright," or "Don't worry." In workplaces, they don't appear rattled when deadlines are pushed forward or a customer wants "to speak to the manager." They are able to move on to the next task without needing time to vent. Outside of work, they don't hold grudges or worry about past troubles. They bounce back when things don't go well and are often able to laugh at themselves. They're willing to try new challenges, unafraid of falling short, and rarely stay in a bad mood for an extended period.

If you have a higher level of Emotional Stability, you've been able to adjust your routines and make arrangements for the response to COVID-19 without becoming upset or needing to "shut down" for a while. You believe your team can and will get through this. While you acknowledge the challenge, you've been able to reassure others who seem more scared and uncertain.

High Emotional Stability: Tools to Use

Traitify values the importance of action-oriented takeaways from personality data. In that spirit, these "Tools to Use" help you turn your high Emotional Stability into an asset in the age of COVID-19:

• Be the calm in the storm. Now is the time to apply your ability to persist in the face of disruption and unpredictability. Your ability to keep doing your job may inspire others to do the same.
• Steer the ship. You're even-tempered. Your co-workers may experience more ups and downs, taking attention away from work. You can pick up a bigger share of the workload while others take time to re-center themselves.
• You are who you are. You're comfortable in your own shoes. People know what to expect from you, which creates a sense of calm in your work environment.
• Use your filter. Since you're unlikely to have an emotionally charged reaction to a workday experience, there's little chance you'll "pop off" and say something you'll regret. That makes you an ideal liaison between the company and customers.
• Wait it out. You can keep experiences in perspective. Your ability to endure life's ups and downs means you're unlikely to overreact.

What does low Emotional Stability look like in everyday life?

Individuals with lower Emotional Stability feel the world around them. They are keenly tuned into changing conditions, human reactions, and up-to-date information. They're ready to respond quickly and frequently ramp up into a heightened state of alert. In workplaces, they don't hesitate. Instead, they leap into a response without extensive deliberation. They therefore do not suffer from "analysis paralysis." They believe action is essential and may become upset if others are too slow to respond. Outside of work, they keep themselves busy. They are unlikely to be described as "naive." They're the cold hard realists, worried about outcomes but also ready to address risks. They value speedy responses, quick answers, and closure.

If you have a lower level of Emotional Stability, you've been in crisis mode in your personal life as the pandemic response unfolds. Your stress level has been high, and you feel worse every time you check out the latest headlines. You ruminate about worst-case scenarios and have been eager to check in on the people in your life.

Low Emotional Stability: Tools to Use

Lower Emotional Stability can bring value to the workplace during this time:

• Be the lookout. You're great at checking to see what needs to be done, where issues are flaring up, and where future problems may start.
• In denial? Not you. You know what's up and don't bury your head in the sand. You'll make sure that your team won't be caught unprepared.
• You're ready to go. Motivated by a desire to "just do something!", you urgently take action. You're not one to ignore an issue until it becomes a bigger issue.
• Grade-A work ethic. Choosing to stand still stresses you out. You'd rather get out there and address the problem. Whether it's needing to respond creatively to a loss of revenue in your industry or dealing with a demanding client one afternoon, you're on it.
• Don't hold it in. Since some degree of stress is a familiar part of your life, you're accustomed to responding. You therefore routinely diffuse the tension you're feeling, and avoid the scenario of appearing calm but then reaching a breaking point.

As this five-part series has addressed, every personality is equipped with tools that can become coping skills in times of difficulty. By making personality easy to understand, Traitify puts that valuable resource into the hands of leading employers and their workforce.

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Don't know your personality? Find out for free

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To learn more about focusing on strengths from other dimensions of your personality, follow the links below:

• Openness
• Conscientiousness
• Extraversion
• Agreeableness

To utilize the power of personality at your company, connect with Traitify's team for more information.