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A while back Jason Drohn wrote a nice piece on the elemental character traits you must possess or develop in order to build a successful business. He combined two concepts of his own with three ideas from Seth Godin. Then I added a minor contribution of my own to create a nice even six.

They laid out like this:

1. The ability to abandon a plan (Godin).
2. The confidence to do the right thing (Godin).
3. The capacity to believe in other people (Godin).
4. The ability to create a vision (Drohn).
5. The ability to build a dream (Drohn).
6. The drive to keep moving forward, not matter what (Adkins).

Afterwards I had a lot of fun changing lenses to see how each of these would look to the varying temperaments. Here is a brief review of the concepts.

Choleric have a very difficult time abandoning plans, because they are typically the one who came up with the plan. They have made such an emotional investment, cutting losses is not an attractive proposition. In addition they are such driven people that developing a lot of confidence in others is also alien.

The capacity to believe in others is there, as long as the choleric selected those persons in the first place. In addition creating a dream and an executable vision is the bread and butter of the control driven choleric and they will excel in this realm. Also, the Choleric has an inborn ability to continue to drive forward toward a goal regardless of pitfalls and obstacles.

Sanguines have no difficulty in abandoning a plan. This is especially true if something new presents itself to occupy them. They definitely have the confidence to do the right thing. This confidence will boost even further if an audience is available to appreciate the sanguine is doing the right thing.

Cultivating a belief in the ability of others is a challenge for the sanguine not because they don’t think well of others but because they rarely think of others at all.

Creating vision, building dreams  and moving forward are tailor made skills for the charismatic sanguine who is always looking for the next great thing anyway.

The Melancholic will be able to abandon plans, have confidence in others and build great dreams with out difficulty because these things make no great drain on the limited energy reserves of the Melancholic.

Doing the right thing, building an executable vision and continuing to move forward are traits which require great discipline on the part of the Melancholic.  But, they can, if planned efficiently be done.

Phlegmatics are natural born supporters and once they have the big picture are proficient at executing all six of the prerequisite steps. Give a Phlegmatic a plan and they will execute it in a casual sincere way that brings a feeling of security to all involved.

The Supine will have difficulty abandoning a plan if someone they respect created that plan. Their fierce loyalty gives them pause at such junctures. They can whole heatedly invest their faith in doing the right thing and believing in others with whom they work. The Supine will go to great lengths to advance the dream and vision but they will feel more comfortable borrowing these elements from another in whom they believe than in generating their own. They will continue to move doggedly forward as long and the cause they serve continues to be a worthy one.

These are my views and I hope they serve you well.

Money is nice, but it won’t make you happy. I once met an extremely wealthy man name Kenny Stewart. Kenny had built a tremendous fortune in the MLM industry. He focused on the Amway plan and built an organization that brought him millions in residual revenue every year.

When he started with the organization he was a bankrupt building contractor.

Kenny was living the dream. Several big beautiful houses, motor coaches, cars, fabulous vacations the whole nine yards. At the time I met Ken he was in the midst of a divorce. Although, he was too much of a gentleman to speak in detail about his personal life he did make one statement that has stayed with me through the years. “Money can’t fix everything.”

Even though Stewart was making an obscene amount of money he could not reconcile his conscience to what he viewed as the inappropriate requirements for using the Business Support Materials (BSM’S) in the organization he had built.

What it amounts to is that we sometimes sabotage our own potential for achieving wealth.  And, we do so in such a subtle manner that we may actually delude ourselves into thinking we are working toward achieving wealth.

First, we may take on a job, contract, or position which provides a higher salary, because it provides a higher salary. This is a mistake regardless of your underlying temperament.

If we commit ourselves to something that we do not enjoy doing, every minute we put into it will be resented. If we are not intensely diligent we may inadvertently take passive aggressive actions which will undermine our efforts.

On the other hand, there are times in which we must take on the less pleasant tasks on a temporary basis in order to achieve our ultimate goals. The key being to acknowledge they are temporary and put a clock on their completion.

Based on the underlying needs of your fundamental Sanguine, Choleric, Melancholic, Phlegmatic or Supine temperament you must be alert for the following negative self defeating reactions and be prepared to control them.

Sanguine.

You may find yourself become the “loud talker”, speeding haphazardly through tasks and agreeing to less than productive actions simply to get it over-with.

Choleric.

You must be ever vigilant to avoid yelling, blowing up, bullying, throwing tantrums, taking pot shots, and displaying arrogance with faced with unpreferred necessities.

Melancholic.

You may find yourself becoming silent, fleeing, avoiding issues, withdrawing or becoming overly autocratic as you try to emotionally distance yourself.

Phlegmatic.

You may submit to undesired solutions, accommodate when you shouldn’t, gunny sack or ambush your colleagues, and develop a very passive aggressive nature.

Supine.

You may find that you sublimate all of your desires to the purpose of serving the greater good to such a degree that your own desires are never known, let alone acknowledged. This can create intense feelings of resentment.

The next post will be a compilation of this series of articles and tips.

Don’t be afraid to be an individualist.

It is a healthy exercise to ask yourself the same question on a regular basis. Why do we do it this way?

Let us take your promotional information.

People go online to search for information relevant to their need. When I do keyword research I see what people are looking for when they find my business and website. For example, a large number of visitors to Elemental Truths find their way here as the result of a search engine query on temperament analysis, or by searching for one of the specific temperament types Choleric, Sanguine, Phlegmatic, Melancholic, or Supine. 

Your keyword research will show you exactly which problem your market is trying to solve and the specific phrases they’re using to describe it.

You have to show visitors your site offers a different solution to their problem. That’s why I need  large, easy-to-read, clearly defined headline sat the top of my site. I want it to be the first thing people see when they arrive at my site, and I want it to present their problem and promise a solution in a unique way.

Choleric Temperament.

Build upon your high level of control and decisiveness. Emphasize your get it done attitude. Capitalize on your resistance to intimidation in difficult situations

Sanguine Temperament.

Emphasize how fun your solutions are. Be certain to display your creative, charismatic, energetic strengths. Buil upon your talents as an influential communicator.

Melancholic Temperament.

Capitalize on your attentiveness to details and your systematic problem solving techniques. Make certain to advertise the benefits of your consistent, well-prepared approach. You are always accurate, fast, precise and organized. Sell it.

Phlegmatic Temperament.

Build your message around your loyalty to others. You are tailor made for the team player, steadfast, patient needs of the developing business community. If anyone can shepherd others into a harmonious working solution it is you.

Supine Temperament.

Advertise your ability to provide an accurate analysis of the current social situations that may be impacting your client. You have the ability to take an identified problem and work on it independently until you find a solution. This is a highly marketable skill set.

Each temperament type brings unique perspective and should be expanded to its fullest potential.

If you have a plan and it gets rejected, adjust your plan and try again.

If you make an attempt at financial growth and is isn’t successful, try again.

Your temperament and approach to life determine most of the outcomes. Your personal financial situation is no different.

If you have a sequential, solid plan and implement it you will triumph over your personal finances.

We all struggle to balance our desire for short term gratification (spending) with our desire for long term gratification (long term return).

The person with clear financial objectives, works hard, saves a portion of earnings to meet specific objectives, eventually becomes wealthy.

The person with no clear objectives, can’t come up with $5000 in cash even if they are earning $80,000 per year.

Take the long-range view with your finances. Develop and maintain a positive, long range goals.

You must know specifically what you want to accomplish. Your drive must motivate you to consistent action.

Persistence moves you steadily towards your goals. This is particularly the case when they become hard to do.

Calvin Coolidge said: “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: Nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not: Unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not: The world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”

Choleric Temperament.

Many cholerics find this technique trying. They are not frustrated because they don’t have the discipline to put off gratification. They are frustrated because this is a system that runs under its own momentum. They must restrain themselves from making unnecessary adjustments just for the sake of maintaining control.

Sanguine Temperament.

This tip will be a challenge for the supine. It has little to do with attention, entertaining the troops or the spotlight. It might be best to enlist the help of a kind phlegmatic or melancholic to help keep you on track.

Melancholic Temperament.

This is a strategy that you will be able to embrace. This stepwise strategy is custom made for the high expectations and standards of your temperament.

Phlegmatic Temperament.

Your low key, sure steady hand should do well with this strategy. Your nature of taking the ups and downs in stride are great strengths in this area.

Supine Temperament.

Since the supine prefers indirect behaviors rather than direct action, they sometimes have difficulty putting this plan into motion. They must be particularly cognizant that systematic plans are by nature up and down ventures. Temporary down turns are merely part of the overall growth and are not personal attacks on the individual.

In most circumstances the only difference between the employee and the owner of the company is the ability to tolerate risk. On the other hand, there is a tremendous difference in taking risks and gambling your money away.

In 1988 Charles Givens wrote a book. The title of the book, Wealth Without Risk. Some of his strategy drew a lot of heat. They were decried by many as too simplistic and by others as containing self-contradictory advice. For example one of his strategies stated your shouldn’t invest in vacant land. Then 39 strategies later he encourages placing your IRA or Keogh money in vacant land.

For many that was a completely contradictory statement. To me, it simply said, neither investment was good, but land was the lesser of the two evils.

When Givens died in 1998 he had structured his estate in such a manner as to preclude any of the litigators who had sought to attach his wealth from getting much of it at all.

However, the lesson learned from Givens is not about following the advice he offered. The lesson to be learned is about risk taking.

Charles Givens (love him or hate him) all but singlehandedly created a new market. The infomercial.

He began by putting together a string of video interviews he had done with several news shows and developed them into a totally new concept. That is the epitome of risk taking.

It may be the secret to your tolerance level for risk is to find the risk which matches your temperament type.

Sanguine Temperament.

Take risks that allow flexibility, capitalize on enthusiasm, use demonstrations, are people oriented and create an opportunity to be the center of attention.

Choleric Temperament.

Take risks that capitalize on the ability to be decisive, being self confident, provides high levels of control, in a get to the point, task oriented manner.

Melancholic Temperament.

Take risks that are designed for the long haul pay off. Acceptable risks are those that can be minimized by your innate ability to plan, organize and enhance with step by step, logical facts and structure.

Phlegmatic Temperament.

Take risks that are evenly shouldered among all stakeholders. Build upon like minded relationships with those who also place high value on loyalty and team success.

Supine Temperament.

Take risks that invest in your belief in others. You have an inborn ability to see the high potential in those around you. Capitalize on this by providing the support network those worthy of your confidence deserve. But, be certain to have provided an agreed upon return your investment of support in advance.

Jason Drohn wrote an excellent piece last week that examined the key elements to achieving small business success. In his article he listed several characteristics identified by marketing guru Seth Godin and added a couple of items of his own. Inspired by Jason’s work I, in turn, wrote an article reviewing both the concepts of Jason and Seth.

You see, this is one of the beauties of the information age. We have access to the concepts of giants which we can quickly turn to our own will and build upon. It is, in truth, a very exciting age to be alive.

I am going to attempt such a construction here.

Jason and Seth have listed the frame, I will now add my view of the elements of construction.

In order to build this is a logical and sequential manner, I will publish each segment as an installment which builds upon its predecessor.

I was recently presenting at a conference on conflict resolution when on a break I heard a very successful entrepreneur make the following statement.

It beats me how anybody can avoid getting rich in this country. More people than ever before are making fortunes. In fact, those who can stomach the requirements are reaching higher financial peaks than any in the history of this nation.

If people would just stop watching the other guy and put in the work, they would be amazed at the results.

Hard Work.

I know what your thinking. “I do work hard, and I’m not wealthy!”

I’m sure you do work hard. But, who do you work hard for? And what do you work hard doing?

Those who have a regular job working hard for someone else are quite probably amassing wealth. Just not for them. The wealth amassed goes to whoever owns the business they are working for.

The key is to continue to work hard. But, to change the beneficiary of that hard work from someone else to yourself.

Remember to do what you can to invest your hard work in and area in which your temperament naturally leads you toward your success.

Sanguine Temperament.

Continue to work hard and building entertaining situations and relationships. But, do so in such a way as to shepherd the ultimate outcomes of these interaction are productive or profitable, rather than frivolous.

Melancholic Temperament.

Continue to work in a way that conserves your energy reserves and builds in payback and residual benefits.

Phlegmatic Temperament.

Plan out your work effort so that you can easily track the benefits to your pursuits.

Chloeric Temperament.

Lead others in the direction for the greater good of all, yourself included.

Supine Temperament.

As the epitome of the servant leader you must take great care in selecting the causes you wish to support. Select those that meet your personal needs as well as being altruistically satisfying.

What challenges or motivates you to excel?

If you find it hard to pinpoint these drivers, think back to the coaches and mentors who have brought you to your greatest feelings of success and accomplishment.

I have been to both enlisted training (Basic) and officer training for the U.S. Army. I was much more motivated to achieve and excel in the enlisted training than the officer training.

Enlisted training went to great lengths to instill the extreme importance of performing perfect execution each element of a mission in order that the entire mission be completed with success. Each member of each five man fire team was deeply invested in the success of each individual member of that team in order to achieve success of the team as an entity. Success was not measured by cash bonuses or contracts. Success was measure by achieving the goal AND staying alive.

In addition, there is no such thing as “acceptable losses” to an enlisted man. That “acceptable loss” could be you; or worse still you best friend.

In this roll, once you are invested, you are invested. It is difficult to take issue with the actions of those who are carrying out the same mission twenty years later. Regardless of who the commander-in-chief happens to be at that particular time.

In the officer training there was a much less driven atmosphere. While there was indeed a high stakes value attached to the success of the individual, there was no sense of investment in the success of the other leaders.

We operated on parallel objectives. Which is to say, we each had the drive to excel as individual but the success of others in the same position was only of passing , casual interest; perhaps that of an observer rather than a participant.

It seemed the focus on functions of command and staff roles was somehow divorced from the reality of the tasks we would be called on to achieve after training was complete.

I suppose it is the difference in learning theory and learning practice.

I can still field strip a number of weapons and navigate with a compass and a topographical map at night taking best advantage of cover and concealment. But, I would be hard pressed to tell you the significance of many of the myriad of the niceties of custom and tradition.

On the other hand, I trained side by side with good men who were of just the opposite philosophy. They saw no need to encumber themselves with the details of why an HE (High Explosive) round could not be used with the same efficacy as a WP (White Phosphorus) round. But, were greatly motivated to master the spiderweb of custom and tradition. Many of them remained in the service for a much longer period of time than I.

Ask yourself, “Am I more fulfilled when I am part of a successfully coordinated effort (Phlegmatic Temperament) or am I more fulfilled by reaching for order and getting things exactly right (Melancholic Temperament).

Reg Adkins writes on Behavior and the Human Condition at Elemental Truths.Com.

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The epitome of the phlegmatic is the American ideal of manhood from the last era known as the strong silent type. Biblically the most prominent phlegmatic is probably Timothy the companion of Paul. Timothy spent his time quietly and methodically going about the business of ministering to others.

Inclusion – Initiates only a moderate amount of associations and socializations, desires others to initiate only a moderate amount of association and socialization.

Control – Demonstrates a moderate amount of control over the lives of others, desires others to have only a moderate amount of control in their lives.

Affection – Express a moderate amount of affection toward others, desires only a moderate amount of affection is demonstrated toward them.

The Phlegmatic may not commit because of his inability to fully trust.

Hippocrates connected the Phlegmatic with phlegm. Phlegmatics appear deliberate and stubborn. They’re resistant to expending their energy or their talents. They typically go through life quietly, expending as little energy as possible.

In an ideal situation the Phlegmatic would follow this routine.

Get up late in the morning
Go to work
Sit in a cubical
Work with numbers
Go home
Take a nap
Eat
Take another nap
Go to bed

The only thing that even begins to regenerate the limited energy reserves of the Phlegmatic is sleep, and that is often ineffective.

The Phlegmatic is very task-oriented and has a great capacity for work that requires precision and accuracy.

Phlegmatics have excellent success in the following career paths:

data processors
bookkeepers
librarians
accountants
records technicians
museum curators
webmasters
web designers
technology specialists
programmers
lab technicians
chemists

pharmacists

The Phlegmatic is a natural born observer. They spend their lives watching the relationships of others with an amused detachment. They believe they know what everyone else is doing right or wrong. Phlegmatics go about doing their work in a quiet, efficient manner and have no problems with excess.

Someone with the Phlegmatic temperament is often considered to be slow paced and lethargic, and seem to have a lack of commitment. Phlegmatics require a peaceful environment, and go to great lengths to avoid conflict. They will go to great lengths, including the utilization of numbing drugs and alcohol, to avoid or dull the experience of conflict.

The characteristics of the Phlegmatic make them highly unlikely to be involved in many at risk behaviors. They rarely commit suicide because they will not allow themselves to be committed to anything to such a degree that they become emotionally vested. They are un-excitable and too jealous of their energy to put forth the effort for suicide.

The same holds true for perpetrating most crimes. Those activities simply require too much of their energy. In fact, Phlegmatics experience more fear than any other temperament.

Knowing your temperament allows you to capitalize on your strengths and compensate for your weaknesses.

Temperament should not be confused with personality. As you know, our personalities may change to fit the current social circumstances. Our temperament is the permanent underlying nature.

How a person demonstrates (expressive needs) these needs and responds (responsive needs) to how these needs are expressed upon them by others identifies their basic temperament types.

There are five basic temperament types (Dr. Arno added Supine when confronted with a temperament which was valid in and of itself but did not fully meet the qualifiers for any of the othe four) and they are:

The Melancholy

Inclusion - Low need for socialization, low response to need for socialization in others.

Control – Desire very little control over others, desire very little control over them by others.

Affection – Demonstrate very little love or affection, desire very little love and affection from others.

The Choleric

Inclusion – Desire to self initiate a great deal of social interaction, desire very little interaction initiated by others.

Control – Express the need for a great deal of control over others, desire very little or no control over their lives by others.

Affection – Express a high need for love and affection and approval, but accept it only on their own terms.

The Sanguine

Inclusion – Demonstrates a tremendous need for association and social interaction initiated both by self and many others.

Control – Desires very little control over others and desires others to have very little control over them.

Affection – Expresses or demonstrates a great deal of affection and desires the same.

The Supine (Added by Dr. Arno)

Inclusion – Expresses very little need to initiate association or socialization, but has a high need to be approached by many people for association and socialization.

Control – Shows very little need for control over the lives of others, desire a great deal of control over their lives by others.

Affection – Expresses very little love or affection for others, but desires others to express a great deal of love and affection toward them.

The Phlegmatic

Inclusion – Initiates only a moderate amount of associations and socializations, desires others to initiate only a moderate amount of association and socialization.

Control – Demonstrates a moderate amount of control over the lives of others, desires others to have only a moderate amount of control in their lives.

Affection – Express a moderate amount of affection toward others, desires only a moderate amount of affection is demonstrated toward them.

The next article will explore one of these temperaments and how to effectively assist, interact with and educate them more specifically.

By Reg Adkins ©