The Make A Difference
Personality Profile
The Make A Difference personality profile has been taken by over a million people all over the world. The goal of this assessment is to help you understand your own tendencies a bit better, and also to help you understand and communicate with those around you more effectively.
Take the 20-question personality profile.
Want to learn more about how different personality types can communicate and work together effectively? Interested in becoming an expert communicator?
Check out our online Make A Difference course.
Learn a little more about each of the Make A Difference animal’s personality types.
Remember, this is not a label- it is a tool to help you invest in your own leadership and in your relationships, both professionally and personally.
Your score is meant to give you a better understanding of your tendencies, so that you can increase your self-awareness. People can and will change personalities and move to a different quadrant depending upon the environment and the situation that is at hand. A Monkey at home may be a Lion at work, and a Turtle on vacation may slide into Camel mode in a time of crisis.
Our hope is that you will use this tool to gain a better understanding of yourself, and of others. If you use it, your understanding of the Make A Difference personality types will equip you to better communicate with those that you love, live with, and lead.
Leading Lion
The Leading Lion is the classic, type A person who loves to“task”- they are a do-er. The Lion has the ability to tackle large and difficult projects with fearless confidence. The Lion is driven by the accomplishment of the task and is generally more concerned with reaching the goal, even if costs relationship collateral. Since Lions are driven by accomplishing tasks, that is what they generally do; they task. You will often find Lions tackling one project after another, without taking a break or stopping for input from others. They are the preeminent taskmasters.
Much-Loved Monkey
The Much Loved Monkey is a personality that loves people. They love to laugh, they love to tell stories and they are very verbal. This personality is generally extroverted and is comfortable in groups. They love social settings and love to connect with others. Monkeys have a wonderful skill of truly caring about and understanding people. They have the natural ability to read others’ feelings with accuracy. They are natural connectors and thus can be powerful influencers. However, monkeys can wear their feelings on their sleeves. They are sensitive creatures and they can be hurt with insensitive words or behavior. They can react with emotion instead of with a thought through.
Competent Camel
The Competent Camel tends to focus on the details, and on how a project is completed. They prefer to focus on the smaller tasks and on creating and working within processes and systems, and they generally have a logical, processing, analytical mindset. They want to follow the steps and the rules that have been laid out, and they will ensure that every “I” is dotted and every “t” is crossed. These are the people that read the entire instruction manual for the new microwave in the break room cover to cover, and then file it away in an alphabetized, color-coded filing cabinet for future reference. The Camel is generally a linear thinker, and they need to know that they have received all of the information that is required before engaging in a new venture or project. Above all else, the Camel is motivated by the details and wants to ensure the quality of the work.
Tranquil Turtle
The Tranquil Turtle is person-oriented (not people-oriented). Turtles tend to be driven by a few significant relationships. Turtles flourish when they are in purposeful and meaningful one-on-one conversations; they like to go deep. Trust is vital to the success of any relationship developed with Turtles. Consequently, the Turtle can teach us much about that important trait of trust. They need time to process and think before making a major decision, or for that matter, any decision at all. The Turtle possesses wisdom and is an intuitive thinker. While the Turtle may not use very many words, when they do speak, you should listen. The Turtle has a keen insight and the ability to make strong effective decisions, especially during a crisis. Generally, they do not panic.
Learn More
Check out this two-part audio-interview with Dr. Larry Little.
Part 1: Larry’s story, and how he came to create the Make A Difference framework
Part 2: a deep-dive into each of the personality types- their strengths, weaknesses, greatest fear, and how to lead them well.