Web Watch was having a conversation the other day about what it was like to conduct business – sales, really – in various parts of the country.
One of our friends chimed in that there is a distinct difference between business styles when he visits New York and other northern locales compared to when he travels to the south. In the south things are more relaxed, personal, and a bit slower paced. People tend to care about people first, then they’ll get down to business.
Visits out to the West? Those, he said, were full of feel-good, granola folks.
Do What You Are:
Discover the Perfect Career for You Through the Secrets of Personality Type
Granted, this was just one person’s observation combined with casual stereotyping.
But it ends up that he wasn’t that far off the truth.
Based on a 12-YEAR STUDY OF PERSONALITY TRAITS OF OVER 1.5 MILLION PEOPLE – using the Myers Briggs scale — here’s what they found out about the US: America basically falls into three distinct clusters:
- NORTH: covering New England, the Northeast, and Middle Atlantic – these people are temperamental and have high levels of neuroticism, low levels of agreeableness, and often are people prone to being aloof, irritable, and competitive.
- SOUTH: covering everywhere from Michigan (we know, right?), around the Midwest, and then all through the South – folks tend to be friendly and conventional. The zone is typically socialable, considerate, open to being agreeable and conscientious. Their low level of narcissism leads to a high level of emotional stability
- WEST: this is the West coast, Rocky Mountains area. People here tend to be more creative, innovative. Low agreeableness levels, but also low in neuroticism like the South is.