Personality Test

“Gardner’s Law: Eighty-seven percent of all people in all professions are incompetent.” ~ John Gardner

 

Let’s hope today’s quote isn’t actually true, although we’ve all probably felt that way at one time or another. Regardless of the percentage, however, it cannot be denied that incompetence really does exist in every profession, even those like physicians, attorneys, school bus drivers and stock brokers.

Some people do a great job no matter what it is they do, while others can’t seem to succeed even after trying several careers.

Sometimes it’s not really a matter of competence so much as matching a job to specific abilities, interests and personality.

An introvert who enjoys working alone probably shouldn’t pursue a career in communications, while a creative person who enjoys the outdoors likely wouldn’t be happy in accounting.

How much of the “incompetence” that we encounter is simply the result of a person who is mismatched for their job? We all have certain skills and personality traits that better suit certain types of careers, but we often start down that path before we’ve ever gotten to really develop and know ourselves.

We believe our parents, guidance counselors, and spouses more than we do ourselves sometimes.

Realizing your true personality is challenging. Applying that knowledge to your choice of career is even more difficult, but absolutely necessary if you want to be happy in your choice.

If you’re feeling dissatisfied, try to find at least some small aspect of your job that you find enjoyable, and aggressively apply your personality to it to produce more satisfying results.

If that’s not working for you, perhaps it’s time to take a long hard look at where you’ve been and where you are and why you don’t like it there.

Matthew Arnold said, “Resolve to be thyself; and know that he who finds himself, loses his misery.” You’ve probably learned a lot about other people in your lifetime. Aren’t you ready to know yourself?