Group (2) The socialite (supportive and direct)

Socialites are direct and supportive, exhibiting characteristics such as animation, intuitiveness and liveliness. But they can also be
viewed as manipulative, impetuous and excitable when displaying behaviour inappropriate to a situation.
Socialites are fast paced. Their actions and decisions are spontaneous and are seldom concerned with facts and details; they try to
avoid them as much as possible. Their motto is:
‘Let’s have fun! Do not confuse me with the facts.’

This disregard for details sometimes prompts them to exaggerate and generalise facts and figures. It also gives them a built-in
excuse when they are wrong: ‘I did not have all the facts!’. They are more comfortable with best guesstimates than with exact data.
Socialites’ primary strengths are their enthusiasm, persuasiveness and delightful sociability. Their primary weaknesses are getting
involved in too many things, impatience and their short attention spans, which cause them to become bored easily.
Socialites are ideas people. They have the ability to get others caught up in their dreams because of their good persuasive skills.
They influence others and shape their environment by bringing others into alliance to accomplish results. They seek approval and
recognition for their accomplishments and achievements and have a dynamic ability to think on their feet.
Socialites are true entertainers. They love the audience and thrive on involvement with people. They tend to work quickly and
enthusiastically with others.
Socialites are stimulating, talkative and gregarious. They tend to operate on intuition and like to take risks. Their greatest irritations
are boring tasks, being alone and not having access to a telephone.
Many socialites are in occupations such as sales, relationship management, entertainment, public relations, professional hosting,
and can be lawyers, social directors on cruise ships, in the hotel business and other glamorous high-profile careers. In the business
environment they like other people to be risk-takers and to act quickly, be uninhibited, spontaneous and entertaining.

1
Socialites design and use their space in a disorganised, creative and cluttered manner. Their walls may hold awards, stimulating
posters or notes and motivational personal slogans. Their seating indicates warmth, openness and a willingness to make contact.
Since socialites do not have issues with physical closeness and do not mind a slap on the back or a handshake, often they move to
an alternative seating arrangement when talking with visitors. There is little danger of alienating socialites by standing too close or
playing with something on their desks.
To achieve balance and behavioural flexibility, socialites need to:

 control their time and emotions

 develop a more objective mindset
 spend more time checking, verifying, specifying, organising and developing a greater task-focus
 take a more logical approach to projects and issues.

Communicating with socialites

Socialites can communicate effectively with both challengers and friends, as they are supportive and competitive. They find it
difficult to communicate effectively with experts. Socialites perceive experts as boring, unsociable, aloof and too focused on detail,
whilst experts perceive socialites as unfocused exaggerators – over the top and with no real focus. Socialites are (unsurprisingly) the
most social of all the styles and they are engaged by communication with lots of enthusiasm and positive recognition. The best way
to delegate to a socialite is to say something like:
‘I would love for you to do this. It is an exciting project. It is a bit tricky but I absolutely think you will completely succeed with it
because you are great at this sort of thing. Oh and, by the way, when you do succeed, which I know you will, I will make damn sure
everyone knows what a great job you did.’

2
Characteristics Moto Strengths Occupations In Business On their What they need to Communication with
Environment Desks achieve balance and friends
behavioural flexibility

Let’s Enthusiasm Sales use theirThere is control their time and communicate effectively
direct have Persuasiveness relationship space in a little emotions, with both challengers and
delightful management friends, as they are
supportive fun! disorganised, danger of develop a more
sociability entertainment supportive and competitive
animation Do not creative and alienating objective mindset,
public
intuitiveness confus cluttered socialites spend more time
relations
liveliness e me manner. by standing checking, verifying,
professional
with hosting
too close or specifying, organising
manipulative the lawyers, social Their walls playing and developing a
impetuous facts. directors may hold with greater task focus
excitable awards. something take a more logical
on their approach to projects
desks and issues.