The Life of the Party: Inside the Core Values of Merchants

Merchants live to make connections with others, valuing relationships above all other things. In fact, it's rare for a Merchant to be happy while working on tasks conducted in isolation.

If you need optimism on your team, include a Merchant. Their ability to see endless opportunity and to spread that optimism to others brings them great joy. Their high emotional intelligence (EQ) makes them superbly capable in this capacity. Their optimism also makes them more willing to take risks than those with other core values. In fact, a Merchant often only needs 30% of the information available before taking action, something that can make Innovators and Bankers flinch with nervousness.

Merchants succeed as leaders because people actually enjoy working with them.

Merchants make great leaders. They are naturally able to inspire and motivate others with their enthusiasm and optimism. Their high emotional intelligence gives them a sense of intuition about the emotions of others, and they are better able to control their own negative responses due to their awareness of their emotions. A mature Merchant is also adept at accepting and giving honest feedback or criticism.

Effective teams work best when a Merchant plays an active role. They generate enthusiasm by placing high value on the ideas of others. They are at their best when inspiring others about their vision. Merchants also excel at taking the contributions of other people and putting them together in a way that achieves maximum value. Nothing makes them happier than seeing their vision come to fruition with a combined effort from the team.

Merchants are also great team players by empowering other core value energies. They help Bankers see opportunity and possibility where they would otherwise see none. They help Innovators stay focused and engaged when they might otherwise become stagnant or bored. And they help Builders by eagerly fueling a sense of team community through relationship-building and communications.

In times of stress and fear, or when they feel threatened or unloved, Merchants can feel anxious and may manipulate relationships and reputations, making the offender an enemy of evil and unworthy of regard. They establish new relationships with those who can support them and their emotional cause, diffusing or weakening the position of those who offend them.

If you want to learn more about the other Core Values, here is a handy guide:

• Bankers
• Builders
• Innovators