The Personality Types of Successful People

If you’ve ever felt discouraged while learning about personal finance and managing your credit, you’ll be pleased to know that researchers at the Carnegie Institute of Technology discovered that only 15 percent of financial success is due to technical knowledge.

Where does the other 85 percent come from then, you might be wondering? According to that same study, it comes from “human engineering” — which is just a scientific way of saying your personality. All the factors that make up who you are, like your communication skills, negotiation tactics and leadership abilities, also determine your financial success.

While the most commonly used Myers–Briggs personality type can be an effective indicator, a lesser known personality typing method called How to Fascinate, provides deeper insight into how to best utilize your strengths. New York Times best-selling author, Sally Hogshead, spent 10 years researching in order to create the fascination personality test.

The Fascination Types as Personalities

Test results reveal a person’s primary Advantage type — the way they add value, capture attention and ultimately earn more revenue — as well as a secondary type. Together the two types form one of 49 personality Archetypes that further explain how each person persuades and captivates in a unique way. What makes this test unique is that while other personality tests measure how you see the world, this one measures how the world sees you.

How do you fascinate people?

There are seven fascination advantages in total. While each type is multi-faceted, the differences can be summarized in these short descriptors:

Innovation: Forges new ideas and solutions
Passion: Creates warm emotional connections
Power: Leads through authority
Prestige: Achieves success with higher standards
Trust: Builds loyalty over time
Mystique: Thinks before speaking
Alert: Uses careful precision

Each personality type has a different approach to building relationships and adding a distinct value to a conversation. For example, Innovation types speak the language of creativity, giving them a heightened ability to solve problems, while Trust types are more likely to remain consistent and stable in their approach. Each type has its strengths and weaknesses, and understanding which type you are will only help you play to your strengths.

To learn which of the seven fascination types you are, take Sally Hogshead’s quiz, and use your results to better understand how you can market yourself as you read through our infographic below.

If you want to further nail down your personal brand, every person has a primary, secondary and dormant Advantage. Your primary and secondary Advantages are your keys to holding the attention of others, while your dormant Advantage is the area you struggle with more than others. Your dormant type may be a more exhausting way of communicating for you, so it’s best to work with your strengths.

Learning about yourself (and others around you) can improve your life in a multitude of ways you may not even realize. There is no one personality that’s better than the other — each just brings different perspective and skill set to every situation. Also, keep in mind that while certain aspects of our personality are simply innate, if you’re not happy with an area, like how you manage your money for example, you can work to change that. You might just need the help of a professional or a skilled friend to get started.

Sources: How to Fascinate | Forbes