The Big 5

The Big Five, or as I like to say OCEAN. Actually, the Big 5 is Openness to Experience, Conscientiousness, Extroversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism (or Emotional Stability, but ES doesn't make a cute little mnemonic device).

As one of the first assessments I took, I figured it should be one of the first I write about, and with no straightforward way to start this off, we can jump right in. In analyzing my results, where extroversion, openness to experience and conscientiousness were ranked highest, there was no Cinderella story coming out of the woodwork. I felt the assessment, as well as the answers were all straightforward.

Even though I don’t feel that I am an extraverted person, I can see how I am. I don’t like to talk to people that much and I enjoy doing things on my own, but when it comes to meeting new people and taking the lead, I do enjoy that. I will randomly talk to people to avoid awkward silences or strike up conversations with whomever may be around at the moment. I’m not the extravert that is the life of the party, I actually prefer that attention is not drawn to me, but if it has to I won’t avoid the situation.

Openness to experience was also not too extremely shocking. As shown by the other exercises as well as through what I have learned about myself, I like change. I enjoy trying new things and very rarely shy away from any opportunity placed in front of me. I am extremely conscientiousness. I think it is the leader’s roles to help with the little details so the team members are able complete the task.  I always pay attention to the little details and think they are what make the difference in the long run. While I think that paying attention to details is important, I need to be efficient. It is hard for me to tolerate people who don’t manage their time efficiently. I believe that if things are done efficiently, then there should be time for more activities.

I see how my neuroticism and agreeableness are lower than the others. I am not too extremely critical of myself and I try to control my emotions in every situation I am in. While I am not perfect about controlling my emotions, I have seen what happens when one’s emotions are not in check. I feel that my score for agreeableness is lower because I sometimes have challenges with emotional intelligence and empathizing with others. It is something I am working on, but sometimes I have trouble relating to others in this way and while it may seem insulting to others, that is never my intention. I have noticed it more lately because I have been more stressed, but I have been working on it and when I feel like I am about to say something negative or if I had already, I immediately apologize and try to remedy the situation.