My manager called me this…

[TypeAy]

Hi

my manager was chatting to me and referred to me as a ‘type a personality’ I had 0 idea what that meant but I know he meant it in a nice way as he was smiling and it was part of a friendly banter kind of conversation. A few people joined in and were saying I was the textbook type a person and that ‘omg it’s my personality to a t!’ I later googled it and was a bit shocked - I’m definitely a perfectionist but some websites said type a people can be abrasive, stubborn and blunt and will do whatever it takes to be number 1- not quite shove people out the way (metaphorically speaking!) to be the winner, but basically that!

i know they meant it in a nice way but I’m a bit shocked that’s how I come across. Does anyone else have a ‘type a’ personality or know anything else about it and can offer advice to be a bettter person? I don’t want be seen as abrasive, stubborn etc!

tia!

theyre saying your confident and an alpha personality your taking this too personally

apologies I didn’t meant to take it personally, I know they weren’t being nasty and it was part of a friendly banter conversation. Just sort of wondered if maybe I was portraying some of the negative qualities and if I should work on that or not

Do you think you can be abrasive and stubborn?

Most Type A people I know are women and massively successful and good at their jobs.

I'm a type A personality too.

Things I have worked on are listening, patience, not dominating, shifting attention to others, not being too full on.

Workplaces need all kinds of people and A types can be really useful for getting things done in a relatively bullshit free way.

I wouldn’t take it too seriously.

I’ve just googled and type A is not what I thought it was 😂 but I don’t think it’s an insult really.

1. I find the type of people who use these personality tests are usually pretty dim. You can't put people in boxes, people aren't simplistic. In different settings, at different times, people behave differently.

2. if anything, professionally, I'd rather be known to be a perfectionist go-getter than a laid back, anything goes type of person. I think they meant it as a compliment, and if you find the right team and company, your work ethic will be snapped up.

This. I have a colleague who is brilliant at her job and she's what you'd describe as a typical Type A (and proud of it)

I'm type A. Most of my friends are type A. We're all quite driven and quite focussed, and successful at what we do (despite some of us coming from very poor, non-privileged backgrounds). I suspect almost everyone I work with (in Financial Services) is type A as it's pretty much a job requirement.

It's not an insult. And you certainly don't need to "be a better person". Or if you do, it's got nothing to do with being type A.

i thought type A were neurotic

I agree and would be proud if a group of people described me this way. You must be a smart confident woman who knows what is what, no bullshit and gets the job done. Probably polite and kind as well

I’m type A and I love it.

Of course.

I'm type a - I don't usually subscribe to boxes as we all have the ability to dial up and dial down our various personality traits. But I'm proud of it, I'm no nonsense, get stuff done and do a good job doing it without too many frills. It's done well for me so far, but as I've progressed through my career I've had to work on other aspects such as bringing people with me, listening, coaching rather than telling etc.

Abrasive and stubborn is how you may show up on a bad day. I certainly do, but on a good day I'm thoughtful, kind and engaging even when inside I think it's not overly necessary in some situations.

Have a look at insights discovery or lumina profiles - they offer a much more balanced approach to personality types and how to work with them rather than against them.

I thought type A meant very organised and likes to plan stuff, rather than a go-with-the-flow type of person.

Type A personality to me means someone who’s organised, in control and very meticulous - I don’t think people would use it to call someone stubborn or abrasive, I don’t think they’re common connotations with a type a person.

Type A is about drive, focus and ambition. All positive.

Perfectionism, competitiveness and abrasiveness are not essential, but potential flaws where a type a personality isn't also a considerate and decent person.

it's this isn't it. a successful team needs a mixture of personality types. it's neither good nor bad to be any 'type', it's a neutral statement imo. and every type has pros and cons. you can't expect to have no annoying/negative personality traits, everyone has some

Reading all these replies no @TypeAy are you proud to be described this way? You should be (imho)

We once underwent team communication and dynamics assessment at my organisation.

At the review day, I was flicking through the sample personalities in the guidance, and said, "None of these profiles look anything like mine".

To which one of my direct reports said, "That's because these profiles are based on normal people".

I laughed, everyone laughed, all good.

On the other hand, one of the guys got very het up about his section of "Your negative behaviours may include..." Rejected the profiles entirely. Except to everyone else, his was just as accurate as mine.

They're not supposed to be a perfect description, but it can be useful to reflect. I've made efforts to tone down my negative tendencies (which tend to surface under stress), and embraced the positives.

Me as well 🙂
However I've found that sometimes too many type A people together can be a toxic mix.
Generally though I've found this personality type is an advantage in the workplace.