How to tell if someone is Highly Sensitive (Responsive)

How can you tell whether someone has a Responsive (Highly Sensitive) temperament?

If you'd like to know how to pick out who in your workplace has this temperament, here are some clues - things you might notice in a person.

• They observe before acting
• They are consistently considerate, and disappointed when others are not
• They seem wise
• They are deep thinkers
• They’re concerned with doing their job or task well, no matter what it is
• They are responsive to others’ emotional states and needs – they seem to take stock of that person’s state and situation and respond accordingly, modulating voice and body language, asking questions or remaining quiet and acting, depending on what they’ve perceived.

• They need quiet and time alone more often than others/regularly
• They’re bothered by strong smells – strong to them, at least – and notice things you don’t
• They don't watch violent TV shows or movies that others in the workplace talk about (this alone isn't enough of a clue, but combined with others, is a good indication)
  
• They’re deeply moved by beauty, whether in art, music, how people treat each other, nature, architecture, or stories.
• They like order, and are also creative           
• They’re more interested in/care more about what’s underneath or behind things, than what’s on the surface/appearances – in people, ideas, and situations.
• They might take longer to get things done, but they do them well – comprehensively and skillfully. In fact, you can see that this is probably the reason they take longer – even when no-one else cares about it being done that way, but just that it’s done.

Whether you notice these things depends on your perceptiveness, as well; so you might not be aware of all of them. You need to know a person well enough to pick up on a lot of these indicators.

If you've noticed a few of these factors in colleagues, then it's likely they have a Highly Sensitive temperament. If you've noticed most or all of them in a person - as you're reading, someone comes strongly to mind - then it's highly likely they're HS/Responsive.

What next? It depends why you want to know. Just being aware that they act this way because they have a temperament which influences their experience of the world can help you to interact more effectively with them. You can realise that when they take longer to complete a task than you would have, it's not because they're slow or unskilled or not aware of other factors, but because they're doing a really good job of it. When they don't want to join in the talk about the latest violent show, it's not because they're unsociable or aloof, but because they're disturbed by it, and haven't watched it.

If you're a team leader, manager, or executive, being aware of who in your team is Responsive/HS will help you assign the right work to the right people, to be understanding of different needs, and to use the skills that these HS people demonstrate.

But if you want to go further - if you want to really harness the strengths and potential of those who are Highly Sensitive in your workplace; if you want to use those strengths to transform the effectiveness of your team and the innovation and foresight of your organisation; if you want to make sure that these team members are thriving at work, not just surviving - then here's what you can do:

1. Learn more about High Sensitivity/Responsiveness, and how it affects your workplace - read more blog posts on this site, follow me/Sensitive Thrive on Linked In or Facebook, and/or download the resources I offer.
2. Book a presentation to learn more, and for your team to learn more, or a workshop to learn and then make plans to act on it.
3. Book a consultation with me, where I will come into your workplace and assess it for effectiveness in supporting HS people to thrive, and make tailored recommendations for increasing that effectiveness.
   

What do you have to lose? Knowing this, and acting on it, will only have a positive effect. No harm will come of it, you will not waste resources, and so much good can result if you do act.

Photo credits: 1 - Bruce Mars, Unsplash; 3 - Anete Lusina, Pexels