They’re often cautious by nature, and while planning and organisational skills come naturally to a Thinker, being the centre of attention does not.
Starmer has had to adapt significantly to the role of prime minister. His personality style naturally places him as more at ease heading up a department, rather than leading a country.
Starmer can be labelled boring, which he’s not, but no amount of media coaching or the craft of a skilled speechwriter can overcome his natural disposition as a Thinker type personality, who loves detail and analysis but struggles to sell the big picture vision to others.
Commander
Often an extrovert who is focused on getting things done, but sometimes at the expense of people. Commanders thrive on challenges, but their lack of patience comes to the fore when progress is delayed. They are decisive and goal-oriented people who prefer talking to listening. They enjoy taking charge of a situation and are not great being a number two.
Nigel Farage is a typical Commander personality. He’s comfortable being in the limelight, as long as he’s in charge. There’s no way, unlike Rishi Sunak, he would step down from leading Reform to take a more junior role within the party, or embrace the anonymity of being an ordinary constituency MP, sat on the back-benches. Farage will thrive on the momentum Reform are currently building and he can sell a vision and connect well with people. But he will need others to focus on the detail of that vision, and don’t be surprised if his natural impatience leads to some explosive outbursts at times.
If Reform fail to live up to their electoral promise, expect to see Farage step down from leadership and concentrate on making his fortune on the professional speaking circuit. Oh, and expect to see his autobiography published before the decade is out, titled You Couldn’t Make This Up – which tends to be Farage’s favourite saying when talking about British politics.
Advertising helps fund Big Issue’s mission to end poverty
Cheerleader
People possessing Cheerleader characteristics are typically extroverts who gain energy from being around others. A lack of people contact can quickly lead to them feeling low and subdued. They have a tendency to wear their emotions on their sleeve, and thrive on praise and recognition. Both Boris Johnson and Donald Trump would be described as strong Cheerleaders in their personality, and knowing this can make them prone to being easily influenced by others. To his credit, Keir Starmer and his officials have tapped into this aspect of Trump’s personality in order to achieve better trade deals for the UK. Ingratiation is the price they have paid.
If they lack self-reflection and discipline, Cheerleaders can be impulsive and spontaneous in their opinions and actions, jump quickly to conclusions, and often act without thinking.
Trump and Johnson both demonstrate these characters in abundance. If a Cheerleader is left unchecked or not challenged, this can bring chaos and confusion to a situation. (Tariffs, anyone?)
Boris Johnson’s success as mayor of London came about due to his ease at being the centre of attention, his ability to charm people, but most importantly, having a great team around him. However, the step up to prime minister was well beyond his abilities. His impulsive nature and lack of attention to detail, plus his over-reliance on charisma and confidence over character and competence to see him though a crisis led to his ultimate downfall.
Carer
A Carer is a social person who values people contact but, unlike a Commander or Cheerleader, doesn’t need to be the centre of attention. They are often comfortable listening as opposed to doing all the talking and are keen to avoid conflict and confrontation whenever possible. They are also naturally trusting of others, and like to see the best in people.
Angela Rayner definitely possesses some strong Carer-type personality traits, which until her recent downfall led to her rise to prominence in the Labour Party. Her willingness to compromise and allow others to take centre stage means she was able to form a generally acceptable working relationship with Keir Starmer despite their obvious political differences. If she had shared more of Nigel Farage’s personality traits of a Commander there is zero chance this would have happened.
Advertising helps fund Big Issue’s mission to end poverty
However, without making excuses for her actions, her trusting nature and natural inclination to prioritise relationships over tasks may be one of the reasons that contributed to the recent scandal that led to her resignation.
In reality none of us are simply one personality type – like a cake, we possess ingredients of all four. However, there are certain flavours that come more to the fore in each of us, and these, along with our values, life experiences, and upbringing, go towards shaping who we are.
Each personality type possesses many positive attributes, but these attributes can become weaknesses when taken to the extreme – and you can see that in many politicians. Ultimately, to succeed as a society we need to embrace and utilise all personality types and the instinctive and unique insights they can bring to a situation.
SUMO (Shut Up, Move On): The Straight-Talking Guide to Succeeding in Life: 20th Anniversary Editionby Paul McGeeis out now (Wiley, £12.99). You can buy it from the Big Issue shop on bookshop.org, which helps to support Big Issue and independent bookshops.
Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this? Get in touch and tell us more.
Reader-funded since 1991 – Big Issue brings you trustworthy journalism that drives real change.
Advertising helps fund Big Issue’s mission to end poverty
Every day, our journalists dig deeper, speaking up for those society overlooks.
Could you help us keep doing this vital work? Support our journalism from £5 a month.
