Every workplace is the home of different personalities, and let's face it, it would be rather dull if we were all the same. In recent years, we have witnessed the most significant transformation of working life with the shift to remote and hybrid working models and the challenges this new way of working can bring when managing people.
However, we believe the first step to navigating the complex landscape of managing people through this evolving phase of work starts with gaining a better understanding of people's work personalities.
As part of our research into this topic, we conducted a survey that sought responses from 2,000 UK workers. Respondents were presented with a series of questions and asked to select the response that best suited their working life and personality.
Together with the support of behavioural psychologist Donna Dawson, we analysed the results to highlight the key personality types and determine their key traits, features and working styles. Our research has identified five prominent work personalities in the modern workplace:
● The Go Getter
● The Visionary
● The Negotiator
● The Thinker
● The Executive
Each has different preferences for how they like to work and communicate with colleagues. Our research also found that each personality has a unique response to different management styles and has different HR technology needs to help improve the employee experience.
Using these insights, we're putting each work personality under the spotlight to discover who they are and what motivates them. This will help employers build a work environment and culture that aligns with the different personality types. Which will help improve not only the employee experience but also employee performance.
Let's delve into the first work personality type and get under the skin of the Go Getter.
The Go Getter: Who are they?
The Go Getter is outgoing and energetic with a high level of self-belief. In the workplace, the Go Getter is known for their competitive and results driven nature. They work well in environments where success is tangible and measured easily.
Our research shows that the Go Getter is the least common work personality, with just 9% of survey respondents identifying as this personality type.
Go Getter traits
The Go Getter excels when working both in person and virtually but with the caveat of enjoying independent work so that they can power their own development, agenda and careers. The most common Go Getter traits include:
● Very hard-working
● Persevering
● Persistent, often to the point of being a workaholic
● Single-minded and focused on their goals both day to day and in their long-term career
Real-world examples of The Go Getter
Real-world examples of the Go Getter work personality in popular culture include Ben Francis, co-founder and CEO of sports clothing brand Gymshark.
Ben began Gymshark in 2012 from a garage in Birmingham, armed with nothing but a sewing machine, a screen printer and a fiery ambition. Today, Gymshark serves customers in over 230 countries and employs over 900 people across five regions, including Solihull and Denver, Colorado.
Another example of the Go Getter work personality is athlete turned businessman Michael Jordan. He has not only had a hugely successful Basketball career, Michael is also the face of the world's most popular trainer, the Air Jordan.
From his humble beginnings during his sophomore season with the Chicago Bulls, Michael's net worth is now $3 billion and earns him a place on The Forbes 400.
What the expert says
Analysing the Go Getter work personality, behavioural psychologist Donna Dawson said:
"This personality is outgoing and energetic, with a single-minded focus on the goals that they need to achieve. To get along with this personality type, managers must set clear targets and give them the steps to achieve those goals. Show them how to develop a distinct competitive advantage and tell them what you expect the results will be. Go Getters are linear thinkers, and they just want to get going."
Make good workplaces great with UKG
UKG is on a mission to inspire every organisation to become a great place to work through HCM technology built for all. We want to equip workplaces with the tools they need to lead through culture. Here at UKG, we recognise that a strong workplace culture can increase productivity, improve profitability and enhance staff retention.
Our solutions, such as the UKG Great Place to Work Hub, can help businesses take action to develop their workplace culture and promote a sense of belonging. We combine AI with the world’s most extensive collection of people, workforce and culture data to create exceptional workplace experiences.
Our HCM technology helps drive people and business success; we help over 80,000 organisations achieve better business outcomes.
Discover your work personality
Are you a Go Getter, or perhaps you're a Thinker or Visionary? Take our test to explore which work personality you are. Find out more about our research in our 'What's Your Work Personality? ' white paper.
