How am I? Personality, Needs, and What Truly Drives You

If your values are your inner compass, your personality is the way you walk the path 👣

Some people recharge in silence, others in conversation. Some see patterns and possibilities, others facts and details. Some make decisions from the head, others from the heart. Some thrive on plans, others on free flow. You might see these behaviors as quirks. Nope! These are stable tendencies shaping your entire life!

So what is personality?

It’s how we interact with our environment. How we gain energy. How we take in new information. How we decide. How we prefer to move through the world. Also what we crave in life, what drives us.

These patterns tend to stay relatively stable over time. Life experience adds nuance and growth – I like to think of it as a repertoire that expands as we develop.

In coaching, you learn how certain personality patterns show up in your everyday behavior, what strengths they bring, and where friction or blind spots might occur. It also gives you language for something that was always there – just not yet articulated.

But personality isn’t just how we prefer to act, it’s also what we need.

Some psychological needs are universal. Like our need for autonomy, belonging, or purpose. But our underlying motives add another layer of individuality. Some of us are driven by power, others by acceptance, others by tranquility, and so on.

Together, these elements can create a dynamic picture of how you are in this world.

My Personality – How am I?

In coaching, you explore these personality typologies and strengths. They show most clearly when you’re not performing for anyone – when you’re not adapting, impressing, or managing your image.

That’s what we’re exploring: the unfiltered version of you, not shaped by societal, cultural, or organizational norms. When no one’s watching, you can sense how you actually move through the world.

As a psychologist, I’m aware of the many personality tests out there, especially in corporate contexts. Yet, I often see people feel like they don’t fully fit into any of the categories – or, conversely, feel boxed in. For others, it feels like a relief – ”Ah, finally my box!” But I believe growth includes thinking outside that box.

What works well, in my experience, is an ongoing dialogue about different personality tendencies, needs, and motives: how they remain stable or shift over a lifetime, and how you can engage in fruitful conversations with family, colleagues, or team members to strengthen your relationships and collaboration.

Through that process, you become more tolerant and the nuances of “not being like me” become sources of energy and teamwork.

When you get clear on how you are and what fuels you, another question opens up: What am I capable of…?

Next up: your skills – and I don’t mean just the professional ones.

Keep reading → (coming soon!)

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