Summary:
The Four Tendencies is a book about four different personality types and their relations to our own expectations in daily life. This book seeks to help you understand yourself better and be able to use the knowledge of these tendencies to get more out of your day.
Related Reads:
7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Stephen Covey – Book Summary
How to Win Friends and Influence People – Dale Carnegie
Quotes:
The happiest, healthiest, most productive people aren’t those from a particular Tendency, but rather they’re the people who have figured out how to harness the strengths of their Tendency, counteract the weaknesses, and build the lives that work for them
Book Notes:
- The four tendencies are; upholders, questioners, obligers and rebels.
- These tendencies help us to learn about our nature and how we deal with expectations.
- There are two kinds of expectations we face everyday; outer expectations which come from places like work and society and inner expectations, the kind we would often set for ourselves.
- Upholders excel with both inner and outer expectations.
- Questioners have no problem meeting inner expectations but struggle to meet, and often question, external expectations.
- Obligers excel with external expectations but struggle with internal ones.
- Rebels, the fourth tendencies, struggle with both inner and outer expectations.
- Upholders are generally reliable and productive, fond of todo lists, schedules and unambiguous instruction on what’s expected of them. Upholders enjoy discipline and structure.
- Clear and precise instructions are best when dealing with upholders.
- Upholders can grow frustrated and impatient with people who don’t meet their own high standards.
- Questioners want to know why you made a particular rule and whether it’s fair or not. They can help to improve procedures by identifying flaws and are most at home as close as possible to the cutting edge of industry.
- Many questioners are at home in research heavy occupations.
- Obligers are the largest of the four tendencies groups. To maximise their productivity and effectiveness they must find ways of making internal expectations into external ones, often through use of a coach or other external motivation.
- Rebels are the smallest of the four groups and love to defy assumptions and prove people wrong.
- Rebels usually respond better to requests when presented with all the info and allowed to make their own decisions.
- Knowing which tendency you identify with can help you position yourself for more success in life and more easily play to your own strengths.
