From profile to practice: making personality data actually useful
Most leaders know the feeling. You run a personality workshop, everyone gets fired up, people swap colourful reports… and then nothing changes. The insights get saved in SharePoint, but not in behaviour. And here’s the uncomfortable bit: it’s not a data problem. It’s a translation problem. If personality only boosts self-awareness, it never reaches the moments where it could actually shift outcomes.
A quick refresher. Think of personality as your stakeholder map. Not a label, not a verdict, and definitely not a behavioural excuse. It’s a pattern-based guide that helps you anticipate what people need to feel comfortable, credible, or convinced. When you use that map, you read the room faster and pick the right approach before tension even arrives. When you ignore it, you rely on guesswork and hope for the best. No leader needs more hope; they need tools they can actually use.
So today’s TALY blog digs into how to turn personality insights into practice. Because personality shapes every meeting, every pitch, every moment of friction or momentum. If you’re not tapping into it, you’re flying blind in conversations that matter.
Curious how TALY gives you actionable insights on knowing and working better with others? Our platform lets you explore everyone’s working style in different contexts, such as brainstorming, decision-making, persuasive pitches, or giving feedback, giving you a massive edge as a colleague.
Want to learn more? Let’s chat about how TALY’s tools can help you navigate the entire employee lifecycle and empower everyone along the journey. Get in touch or book a demo today.
Why do we use personality anyways?
When leaders use personality as a working tool, projects move faster, and relationships settle more easily. In our data, leaders who flex their communication style build trust faster and cut meeting churn significantly. This isn’t about being a chameleon. It’s about knowing which version of you connects with which stakeholder. Communication tends to land more effectively when tailored to the audience.
Picture walking into a strategy session already knowing who needs detail, who wants direction, and who thrives on brainstorming. Suddenly, influence stops being guesswork and becomes design. You’re not performing. You’re choosing your angle on purpose.
Balancing the spectrum
Before we dive into traits, here’s the point. Every room is a mixed bag. You already know people differ in how they think and decide. Personality simply gives you a shared language for that difference, so you know how to connect rather than collide.
Take Openness, one of the traits measured in TALY’s profile. Walk into any room, and you’ll see the full spectrum.
High openness people love ideas and novelty. They lean in when you talk about possibilities and future options.
Low openness people value predictability and risk control. They relax when you talk about proven steps and stability.
Neither end is superior. Each shines in the right conditions. Your job isn’t to change anyone. It’s to meet them where they are, then guide the conversation so both sides get what they need.
Practical moves, a few tricks of the trade:
Plan your pitch using personality. Understand who is likely to expect what.
Map decision styles before big initiatives. Understand who’s more likely to want firm plans, directness, explore tangents, or understand risk contingencies early.
Create simple if-then playbooks. For example, if someone scores low on openness, lead with concrete plans rather than exploring tangents.
Build reflection into your prep. Before a 1:1, ask what’s the biggest communication behaviour you can engage to make the most impact.
Use AskTALY’s insights to spot patterns so you’re not relying on memory.
For example: try writing your next update in two versions, one for structure seekers and one for idea hunters.
Safety net: never use personality to justify behaviour. It’s a compass, not a box.
Bringing personality into the room
Imagine walking into a stakeholder meeting already knowing what makes people lean in or shut down. The exec who resists new ideas? You start with structure, not slogans. The creative lead who fades out during long decks? You open with a question rather than a spreadsheet. The colleague who hates small talk? Just dive straight in after exchanging greetings.
Or picture a flexibility policy conversation. Instead of saying this will change how we work, try here’s how we’ll keep consistency while piloting a few shifts. The operations exec who usually digs their heels in suddenly leans forward. Curiosity replaces defensiveness. The energy shifts because now you’re speaking a language that resonates with their deepest motivational drivers: they want to listen and know more.
Nothing magical happened. You simply matched your message to their mental map. That’s what happens when personality moves from being a report to becoming a relationship tool.
Personality isn’t a profile. It’s a navigation tool. And the payoff is simple. When you plan conversations through the lens of personality, you shift from describing people to actually working with them. You reduce friction, you speed up alignment, and you give people what they need to join you rather than resist you.
Find out what will click with a colleague and start today. Or better yet, login to TALY and get pinpoint communication tips to elevate your pitch.
What’s one conversation this week where using personality could change the outcome?
Get in touch to find out more… we really do love talking about this stuff. Or Book a Demo today to see how easy it is to start using TALY in your business.
