Personality Types

Sherman Tank – Ask how much influence he has; how important is the issue; how many people will be affected; will it affect the church? Avoid unimportant issues. When a need to confront- they don’t understand tactfulness – confront specific issues face to face.
He tends to cause most pain because he feels little pain himself. As a result, he can be unreasonable. He has the ability to draw a following.
Space Cadet – Walk to a different drummer. They are not good sounding boards. They have difficulty pulling people together in the same direction. Don’t put them in positions of leadership. Search for the key to his uniqueness and seek to develop it. They work best alone. (Bill Gates type)
Volcano – This is an explosive, unpredictable type of person. They cause tension. Calmness on your part is key. Try to isolate them and allow them to vent steam. Don’t try to interrupt them as they will not be listening. Minimize any exaggerations and remove any hearsay and deal only with the facts. Then give a clear, soft answer. Hold them accountable for the things they say and the people they harm.
Thumb Sucker – They tend to pout and are full of self-pity. The pouting is used to manipulate people. Make the Thumb Sucker aware of the fact that moodiness is a choice. Teach them that they are responsible for the atmosphere that they create. Sometimes it is helpful to expose them to people with real problems. Praise him for his positive ideas and actions and ignore him when he’s sucking his thumb.
Wet Blanket – He is constantly down and negative. He sees a problem in every solution. He finds problems and makes excuses. He needs to choose whether or not he’s going to risk being positive and responsible. If he chooses to change his behavior, he’ll have a cheering section. If not, your best move will be away from him.
Garbage Collector - He has surrendered his life to the leadership of their lives to negative emotions. They nurse their wounds and hold onto their wounded ill spirits. Briefly, they stink. Garbage in life is depressing, but to collect it and haul it around is downright sick. Confront them about the way they try to represent other people. Never allow them to state, “there are many others who feel this way also.” Ask for names. Challenge them when they make generalizations and exaggerations.
The User – Manipulates others for his own personal gain. Require responsibility from them.

Dealing with people:
Love them unconditionally
Ask God for wisdom in working with them
Stay emotionally healthy yourself
Don’t elevate them to leadership positions in order to ‘rescue them’
Be honest with God, yourself, and them

When you realize that people treat you according to how they see themselves rather than how you really are, you are less likely to take personally their behavior toward you. I am responsible for how I treat others. I may not be responsible for how they treat me; however, I am responsible for my reaction to those who are difficult. I can’t choose how you’ll treat me but I can choose how I will respond to you.