On behalf of all of us at Career/LifeSkills Resources Inc. & Personality Dimensions®, we would like to wish everyone happy holidays and a prosperous New Year.
Our offices will be closed as of 3pm EST on December 23rd, 2015, and will re-open on January 4th, 2016 at 8:30am EST.
See you in the new year!
As I write this a local radio station is playing seasonal music in the background, yet another reminder that this year is almost at a close. In some ways it seems like we were just welcoming this year into existence and in others I can’t believe it’s only been one year! Looking back I’m amazed at what took place. In addition to packing up and moving – lock, stock and barrel (or, in our case, boxes and boxes and boxes) – to our new location in Aurora, Ontario, we managed to bring out revisions to both the Personality Dimensions® Manual and the Building Blocks Facilitator Guide. Our sincere thanks to Lynda McKim, Scott Campbell, Carole Cameron and everyone else who made this possible. And, thanks to the input from Personality Dimensions® Trainers, we also created the new PD for Youth materials.
So, what does 2016 hold? Dr. Angela Shik and her team are hard at work creating the Chinese version of the on-line Personality Dimensions® assessments which will launch in January. In addition to all her hard work in Hong Kong and China, Angela is also opening a California-based office and has already done work using both the English and Spanish materials in that area. Our hats are off to Angela!
Emil Boychuk, along with a great team of facilitators and educators, is putting the final touches on a new resource for use in the classroom – a Personality Dimensions® Awareness Workshop for Students (suggestions for a more creative title are welcome!). We are planning to introduce this to you late winter/early spring of 2016. We have tentative plans for several other Personality Dimensions® happenings, including some face-to-face and/or web-based learning and networking opportunities… so stay tuned.
You may have noticed that you didn’t get a Christmas greeting card from us this year. Instead, we are making a donation to the local Salvation Army in support of community outreach programs. Cards have always been part of the traditions I was raised in so this has been a bit of a rethink for me. But the reality of how great the needs of the community are was made clear to me after I spent time working to register people who need the help of the Sally Ann to get through this Christmas.
My wish for you is that the joy and beauty of the season make this an especially warm and happy holiday for you and yours. We look forward to joining you in making our world a better place in 2016.
Yours, from the back office … Denise
Denise Hughes is the Director and owner of 
Career/LifeSkills Resources Inc. and general editor of Personality Dimensions® materials and products. She just noticed the calendar and realized it is just past the 41st anniversary of her introduction to career and type and temperament materials. Those experiences and the expertise she gained through her years with the Guidance Centre, University of Toronto, and now with CLSR, continue to shape the direction that both Career/LifeSkills Resources and Personality Dimensions® take.
I know there are some of you who have not yet completed your shopping, and may be completely stumped about what to give your loved ones. Here’s some great advice – make it all about them! Really watching and listening to the person you are buying for and making the gift something that is meaningful for them. We tend to choose gifts that we think may be meaningful to others – hence the new tradition of ‘re-gifting’. Each of the four Personality Dimensions® have preferences. Check out the FUN tips below for giving the right gift.
Our very knowledgeable Inquiring Greens will love any gift that furthers their knowledge and competence. Inquiring Greens are not into possessions or ‘things’. Avoid fluffy slippers, kitschy Christmas sweaters and gaudy jewelry. Knick-knacks will find themselves in the next garage sale. Inquiring Greens have a unique sense of humour, so tickets to a comedy show would work, as would a trip to an interesting place with lots of history. A magazine subscription to something that interests them is also a great option. Avoid packaging; it’s likely that our Inquiring Greens are totally serious about going ‘Green’. They love ideas and concepts, a trip to the museum, or other place they have been talking about all year would be most welcome.
The core need for our Organized Golds is belonging, tradition and responsibility. Think about practicality and how the gift will help Organized Golds carry out their responsibilities or honour a family tradition. Do not be extravagant and ensure that the gift is of high quality they love trusted brand names. Some gift ideas – a planner for the New Year, a new briefcase to replace the old worn one, a label maker – Organized Golds love their label makers, or an alarm clock to ensure that they are always on time. Organized Golds will appreciate that you put some thought behind the gift. As long as you are happy they are happy.
Woo Hoo! Resourceful Oranges are motivated by freedom and impact… Don’t fence me in! Just like Tigger – Resourceful Oranges bounce; they are all about the senses. Think about gifts that relate to the senses, perfume, music, art work, fine wine or chocolate, a soft sweater. Resourceful Oranges also like variety and fun, so look for something they can use in their leisure time. Plan a spa day and go with them – make sure there is lots of variety and choice. How about an adventure weekend like white water rafting or horseback riding? Even if you get it wrong, Resourceful Oranges won’t care, they get over it easily – they’ll just bounce back.
Meaning and Significance – that’s the key to an Authentic Blue’s heart. Authentic Blues have a core need for unique identity, meaning and significance. Their talents are as caregivers, facilitators and mentors. They value harmony and cooperation. Authentic Blues will not really care about material things. You will really impress Authentic Blues if you wrote a poem about them, or knit something special for them (even if it does look a bit wonky). They are often found in the Self Help section of the book store – careful though – they may already have all of them! Try a wall plaque that has a motivational saying, or a day out that pampers them, Authentic Blues so often are caring for others. No matter what you give an Authentic Blue, it will be treasured and appreciated. They are relationship centred; any gift that treasures your relationship with them will be welcomed.
Irene Anderson – CTACC, has brought Personality Dimensions® programs to many teams and individuals. Irene has shared her expertise through consulting, training, speaking and in print. With her combination of coaching and results-driven facilitating, she has helped executives, managers and entrepreneurs to better success in business and career. Irene has also shared her unique talents with not-for-profit groups, as a volunteer, facilitator and speaker. Irene’s style of facilitation is results oriented, with a focus directly on the client, using a unique Self Discovery process, and a commitment to ensure that all personalities are honoured. Irene is truly dedicated to the success of her clients, and as a career coach has a unique knack for uncovering the talents and strengths of the client, and moving them toward that ‘AHA’ moment when they really begin to embrace who they are meant to be. http://ireneandersoncoaching.com/
Just as Santa Claus has to make his list and check it twice every year, Career/LifeSkills Resources Inc. has to do its annual inventory count… and there are a lot of Personality Dimensions® resources to list, and check twice; every Picture Card, every Dimensions card, and every Participant Pack needs to be accounted for. The staff will be working tirelessly over the next two days to make this happen. I suggested to management that we just count up the number of Inquiring Greens, Resourceful Oranges, Authentic Blues, and Organized Golds since there are always four. Needless to say I was told to get back to counting!
During this time you may not be able to get us on the phone right away, but don’t worry, just leave us a detailed message, or send us an email and we will get back to you as soon as we can. We are also unable to ship any orders during this time. If you are really in a bind, please let us know and we will do our best to accommodate you. If all goes smoothly… and it usually does, we will start shipping orders again this Friday.
Personality Dimensions In Action 