By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – The Professional Inclusion Council of the River Region Chamber of Commerce will be sponsoring a seminar on Feb. 29 regarding the benefits of personality profiling for those in leadership positions.

The seminar will be presented by Annette Wray and will deal with the advantages that understanding different personality types can yield to those such as small business owners and school teachers and principals, said Inclusion Council chairperson Tanyia Tregre.

“The general idea a lot of people have is that ‘It’s my business, so everyone needs to come in and do what I do.’ But if everyone feels comfortable in your business environment, your bottom line is going to improve,” said Tregre.

“This seminar is something intended to help you as an employer to help them be more productive. An introverted person who isn’t very social isn’t going to respond well to the same things a more outgoing person would. Understanding each person’s individual personality allows you to adapt to them and get the most out of them. Two people can be equally successful but by taking different paths.”

Tregre emphasized how beneficial that knowledge could be not only to businessmen and women attempting to thrive, but also to educators who work with representations of every personality each day within their classrooms; understanding each individual child and his or her motivations can go a long way in helping them reach their maximum potential. She said several local school principals as well as St. John Parish Superintendent Courtney Millet have already signed up for the seminar.

She also said the seminar will help the Professional Inclusion Council further its goal of spreading awareness of the benefits of offering all inclusive environments, as well as the “new definition of diversity,” which not only addresses race but other characteristics like age, gender and personality traits.

“If you own a grocery store, it’s good to have, for example, people of all ages working for you. It can make everyone more comfortable,” she said. “For example, if you have nothing but teenagers working for you, they may tend to not be as patient with an older person who has trouble with a debit card. The more comfortable people are in your place of business, the more your bottom line will grow.”

The seminar will take place from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Chamber office. The cost is $35 for members of the Chamber, $45 for nonmembers.