by Jacyn Dawes, Gwartney Institute Graduate Assistant
When working in a work group or school group, there are often many personalities that come into play. It can be hard when someone has a very different personality than yourself, but it can often improve the group’s overall work. This can be seen in one of our favorite childhood stories, Winnie the Pooh, which is full of characters who are strikingly different. It is easy to point out the flaws in our own coworkers, but it is possible to see the good each person can bring to the project, even by examining their flaws from a different perspective. Let’s take this idea and apply it to some of the main characters from Winnie the Pooh.
We shall start with the character that the stories are named after, Winnie the Pooh himself. Winnie the Pooh comes off as naïve, complacent, and unaware of consequences. But with enough motivation and a couple of reexplanations, Pooh maintains an upbeat attitude and has great people skills.
Piglet is quite the contrast to the other big personalities in the story. Piglet is timid, agreeable, and quite anxious. If you provide Piglet with enough positive reinforcement, however, you will find that they are intelligent and can use that to be a great planner and problem solver.
Tigger is the classic example of an extrovert, literally bouncing off the walls with energy. This can make him a little too overconfident, impatient, and he finds it difficult to learn from past mistakes. With someone to help Tigger color in the lines, he can be very resilient and resourceful, giving him an entrepreneurial mindset in a group.
Rabbit brings an extraordinary amount of organization to the table with an eye for detail. Situations can begin to be difficult if things are not going according to plan or if Rabbit feels someone is invading their space. Keeping Rabbit in projects that require structure is a great idea and helping them delegate work to others can relieve some of their stress.
Eeyore is probably the most underrated team member. Their gloom and doom attitude can bring down the group moral, and they often feel like an isolated member. But Eeyore can be very observant of other members in the group and they are willing to challenge group ideas, which has the potential to make that idea even better. The devil’s advocate approach can balance out the risky optimists in a room.
Christopher Robin is the character that brings this all together, he is the one whose imagination started these stories! Often in the leadership position, Christopher Robin is well rounded in intelligence, modestly, compassion, and courage. As long as Christopher Robin is okay handling disagreements with and amongst other members, and can acknowledge that they will happen no matter how hard you try not to let them, he will continue to be a great addition to any team.
This is just a brief synopsis of a few of the main characters. There are many different personality types, and all bring both positive and negatives to the table. Gaining a better understanding of each person in your group, whether it be in school or at work, will allow you to use those positives to your advantage and mitigate the negatives. “A little consideration, a little thought for others, makes all the difference.” – Winnie the Pooh
Dodd, G. (2015, Jul 16). How Winnie the Pooh Can Help You Understand Your Colleagues. Retrieved from https://www.careeraddict.com/how-winnie-the-pooh-can-help-you-understand-your-colleagues
Eichner, B. (2014, Oct 19). Understanding Your Team: Who’s Who in Your Hundred Acre Wood. Retrieved from https://recruitloop.com/blog/understanding-your-team-whos-who-in-your-hundred-acre-wood/
List of Winnie the Pooh Characters (n.d.). Fandom. Retrieved from https://pooh.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_Winnie_the_Pooh_characters
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