Employment Skills : Disagreeable Employees Can Be A Company Asset

Trying to find a solution to a company problem? Although you may try to avoid asking your company’s Grump, they may be the best person to go to for advice. According to a study done by the American Psychological Association about personality traits in adults between the ages of 19 and 89, “those who are highly intelligent may be more aloof and independent.” Yes, the non-social butterfly in your organization may be your “diamond in the rough”.

During my work life I’ve found that to be true. I once worked with a man who I am sure is a genius. However, his personality often led to head butting sessions with his fellow employees. He had very strong opinions and wouldn’t back down if he felt he was right. Usually, he was. Thankfully, he and I got along well so I was never had to bear the brunt of any of his hot tempered head butting sessions. Come to think of it, I never had a reason to disagree with him and that’s probably what saved me.

In addition, the study says that “a disagreeable nature may go hand in hand with better vocabulary and knowledge retention in older age”. Disagreeable and vocabulary? Sounds like a dangerous combination to me. But, if they’re in a good mood, a good vocabulary and knowledge could certainly work to the benefit of your organization. I guess the trick is to make them feel happy.

Going to ask their advice? It might not be a bad idea to bring them their favorite food or drink. A Hallmark card one in a while might not hurt either. I’m kidding (well, sort of). Being nice to someone can go a long way, especially if they have a grumpy personality. But, being nice can be something as simple as smiling at them and remembering to say “good morning” to them everyday. If there’s one thing I know that’s true…everyone wants to be acknowledged and appreciated.

On the opposite side of the personality spectrum, older adults who were conscientious and open minded had good short-term memory and were good at processing visual and auditory information. The study suggests that those qualities could enable older adults to perform better on tests. Apparently, you CAN teach an old dog new tricks!

The study also looked at the personality traits of younger adults. Younger adults who were open and extraverted scored well on general knowledge. The higher they scored on openness and extraversion, the higher they scored on general knowledge. Openness in young adults, the study says, is a strong predictor of their ability to retain general knowledge and retain short term information.

The study, conducted by Thomas Baker MA, of York University and Jacqueline Bichsel PhD, of Pennsylvania State University, compared the personality traits that predict intelligence of adults on 381 adults between the ages of 19 and 89 years old. - Disagreeableness is linked to higher intelligence in older people -