Emily Marsh October 29 2019
Featured

Facet5 personality profiling: what happens when Will and Affection collide?

We explore how different Facet5 factor combinations show up in people. Here we examine what the combination of Will and Affection looks like.

People with high Will scores on the Facet5 personality profile are driven and decisive.

People with high Affection scores are warm and compassionate.

But what happens when you combine these two traits together?

And what about people at the opposite end of the scale, who are neither driven or compassionate?

How do these personality trait combinations play out in the workplace? What does it tell us about people’s strengths? What does it tell us about the things they may need to watch out for?

High Will and High Affection

In a team environment, individuals with both high Will and high Affection will be extremely driven and committed to focusing on what is good for the group. They will have strong opinions but will take a humanitarian approach, wanting to bring others along with them. Because they have both strong opinions and a strong desire to help, the risk is that they may come across as interfering or controlling.

As a leader, decisions that affect others will be carefully considered. Ethics and morality are important to them and decisions may be less commercial as a result. When faced with conflict, they will assert and defend their point, especially around issues concerning people.

Facet5 Families: Advocate, Traditionalist, Idealist, Generalist

High Will and Low Affection

For people with high Will and low Affection, the focus is on getting down to business. They come at problems with a more pragmatic, business-like approach and can be intolerant of people who don’t see a simple solution or want to engage in a lengthy debate.

As a leader, they set clear goals and hold people accountable for results. They give direct feedback and expect people to take it on board. This may make them appear blunt or inconsiderate - they expect people not to take things personally.

Facet5 Families: Architect, Promoter, Entrepreneur, Producer

Low Will and Low Affection

People with both low Will and low Affection are flexible and willing team members with a strong practical focus. They work conscientiously on their own projects and can be relied on to get things done. As they don’t have strong opinions they may not always participate actively in the group - particularly if they also score low on the Energy factor. By seeming not to join in, they may seem unengaged, causing others to question their reliability.

As a leader, they make decisions based on data and facts. They like to see things in black and white and won’t try and ‘sell’ a solution. In terms of people development, they will offer practical or technical advice if asked, but it isn’t in their nature to nurture and develop those they manage. Their aloof nature may also make them seem unapproachable as a source of support or guidance.

Facet5 Families: Explorer, Controller, Presenter, Specialist

Low Will and High Affection

People with low Will and high Affection are flexible and willing team members. They take a genuine interest in the ideas and opinions of others and will actively encourage harmony and positive relationships within the team. Their affectionate nature means they are sensitive to other people’s feelings and good at spotting when others are struggling. The risk is they may be seen as too soft and may be taken advantage of by more shrewd members of a group.

As a leader, they will always put the needs of others first and decisions will be made firmly with the wellbeing of others in mind - group consensus and harmony is very important to them. They can come across as very approachable, which means people are likely to feel comfortable going to them with any issues they’re facing. However, they may be too lenient and tolerant of poor performance, which may jeapordise the success of the team or cause some people to take advantage of them.

Facet5 Families: Supporter, Facilitator, Coach, Developer

Summary

Here's a summary of how each of these factor combinations can play out in an individual's behaviour:

  • High Will and High Affection - driven, decisive, people-oriented and compassionate
  • High Will and Low Affection - driven, decisive, pragmatic and business-like
  • Low Will and Low Affection - flexible, practical and task-oriented
  • Low Will and High Affection - flexible, willing, people-oriented and compassionate

Research by Facet5 revealed that it's more common for people to be high Affection and low Will or low Affection and high Will than to be both high Affection and high Will or low Affection and low Will.

But everyone is different, and so even the descriptions we've outlined here may not apply to every individual exactly as described here. A person's behaviour will of course also be impacted by how they score on the other factors (Control, Energy and Emotionality).

The Facet5 profile gives us an insight into how we - and those around us - are likely to think and behave in a certain situation. This is powerful insight that will help your leaders, your teams, and your organisation to thrive.

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