Workaholic Personality Types
‘Workaholics’ are often those described as overachievers. They do have an the innate drive to just keep producing; no matter what setbacks, challenges, or obstacles may be in the way, these ‘human machines’ take on a powerful force field of attention, concentration, and physical prowess to overcome what may seem impossible to most.
Workaholics also spend considerable time planning, strategizing, and considering many outcomes. They can run the gamut from effective project managers, well-coordinated and skilled in a variety of tasks, to the office ‘drone’ who performs highly but consistently over years. The personality is a complex system, as are all ‘labels’ for people, but workaholics in particular are prone to catching and riding the productivity bug more often than not.
Still, the term ‘workaholic’ often consists of negative connotations, of the stereotypical stuck-in-a-cubicle mentality. Today’s Dilbert cartoons and jabs at office culture in general, highlights the workaholic’s work style as obsessed, almost maniacal. What many may fail to see, however, is the key driver of this competitive and ambitious personality has many positive traits that have created American business culture as we know it today. Without the workaholics among us, the chances of innovation, technological progress, the facets of business development, and the ongoing pools of fresh business ideas might be very limited.
Productivity is a measure of performance. It can be defined by understanding the level of input and attention on a project, and measure of the outcome, or result. Individuals who enjoy work for the very nature of work, soon find they need a diverse and vast array of interests to stay motivated and attuned to the needs of their job; or beyond! Workaholics will commit to multiple projects at a time, learning, restructuring their plans, and working through the toughest situations. Persistence has paid off for these people, and it will continue to do so as long as the individual obtains a certain level of satisfaction from it.
However, workaholism to an extreme will certainly have side effects. An excess focus, in lieu of more important priorities, can be detrimental to a person’s state of mind, relationships, and overall productivity. Compulsive attachment to work can seem out of place or unnecessary; obsessing about details and minutia when a larger perspective may be necessary, is a huge setback of excessive work habits. Work can take on a life of its own, possibly even creating projects for no reason just to satisfy the workaholic’s desire to ‘get things done.’ The key factor in any extreme is how in control the person is at the end. If they feel pulled in a million directions constantly, it may be a signal that they are overwhelmed and need to reanalyze their priorities. When a person knows that they have a workaholic-prone personality type, or acknowledge strong traits, they can re-distribute that energy in other ways. Channeling the energy and drive can make both their lives and others who work with them, more efficient, easy, and enjoyable!
