Do personality labels limit what you can achieve?

Key Takeaways

• DISC and other assessments reveal what jobs you naturally gravitate toward, but are not a good indicator of performance in other challenging areas.
• Any personality type can succeed in real estate if they exhibit drive and determination.
• Know the limitations of your personality type, and collaborate with agents who whose skills and personality traits complement yours.

Recently I interviewed an agent for my brokerage. She told me she had previously applied for a position as a sales agent with a large homebuilder in town. She was well-qualified with many years of sales experience and had often been the top salesperson in her previous jobs.

That homebuilder had her take the DISC assessment, and shortly after that, she found out she didn’t get the job. The company was convinced by her results that she would not be strong at sales. They told her instead that she’d do better in a lower-paying customer service job.

This company ignored years and years of evidence — her proven sales record — and denied her the sales job based on an assessment.

I’ve learned over time that an assessment is not necessarily a good indicator of performance. How you rate on the DISC might reveal what type of job you’re more likely to pursue because of your comfort level, but I think anybody can succeed in real estate no matter how they score on that test.

ADD and OCD, introvert and extrovert

You’ve likely heard of ADD and OCD. These are both diagnosable disorders, but a lot of people joke and casually label themselves as having tendencies toward one or the other of these behavioral conditions.

Whether it’s correct to the actual disorder is beside the point. People put themselves in a box and say they can’t possibly finish that book or complete that training because they have ADD. They can’t work from home because their OCD compels them to clean all day.

Another system people use to label themselves is introvert or extrovert. People who consider themselves introverted might think they’ll struggle at being a real estate agent.

Introverts may not be as outgoing as extroverts. They might not prefer to talk to people and might prefer to work from home. An extrovert is a “people person” who prefers talking to people and mixing it up. People assume that an extrovert is better suited for success in real estate.

Some people find it more difficult than others to complete certain tasks. Their brains don’t seem wired for that task. Does that mean they should give up? Should they not become a real estate agent because those tasks are challenging for them?

I don’t think so. I’ve seen people of all behavioral and personality types, with all different strengths and weaknesses, be extraordinarily successful in real estate.

Labels don’t matter

It doesn’t matter if you have OCD, ADD, you’re an introvert or an extrovert, or whatever frickin’ score you got on the DISC test. None of that matters if you really want something to work. There’s always another way. There’s more than one workaround.

Leverage your strengths. If you’re good at networking, then leverage that. If you’re good at networking but suck at technology, then align yourself with somebody who’s good at technology so you can go out and network to your heart’s content.

Build collaborations and partnerships to bolster the skills you may not excel at. You don’t have to force yourself to do things you’re not good at.