In Part I, we discussed about how the first two factors in PEAKS - Purpose and Energy - play their roles in determining your career growth and direction. Purpose denotes your tendency to be rigid and organize or flexible and spontaneous. Energy, on the other hand, signifies your preference to either working in groups or in solitude.

The objective of this article is to explore further into the PEAKS factors in the Career Profile and help you to have a better grasp of what the PEAKS really have to offer. The PEAKS factors are shown in the first five pages of the Mirror report.

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Affirmation
Are you someone who would prefer to avoid conflict or take it by the horns? It is easier to say that you are a neutral but there is always that tendency to tilt more towards one side. People who have high scores in Affirmation are those who other people enjoy working with because they tend to be compliant and non-conflictive as work becomes less complicated with fewer disagreements and differences.

High Affirmation-scoring people make good employees, at least from an employers’ point of view. Not only do they not challenge authority, they willingly accept it with trust and confidence. However, the disadvantage of being too agreeable is that, more often than not, others might exploit such faith. Agreeable people have the tendency not to voice out their opinions and keep their thoughts to themselves although the situation prevailing is unfair to them. Few can disagree that there is only so much that one can take in before the bubble bursts.

Low Affirmation-scoring people are challengers who will not hesitate to voice out their concerns and opinions. They never allow themselves to be at a disadvantage and will happily confront structures and systems that they think should be changed or improved. These people are valued for their competitiveness and aggressiveness. But being too honest with your thoughts might get you into hot water, especially when you are challenging authorities and systems. If done wrongly, it could cause disunity in the company/department. That is why we are always advised to keep our cool and have a proper consideration of the available facts and what we should do next before making false accusations.

Knowledge
Creativity is a very sought-after quality in every company and big pays are often handed out to those who can show exceptional ability in churning out high levels of creativity. Creativity is the reason why consumers fork out money to buy the things they want, amidst all the variety of options available. If you score high in Knowledge, it means you are a naturally creative person. You are more adventurous and more willing to try new things – may it be food, experience, clothing, holidays, etc.

So how do you know whether you are creative or not? Most of the time, you just know you are. Creativity is not a structured process; rather, it is born from the unconscious mind.

Insider tip: Creativity cannot be thought out. It just happens. One of the miracles of our brain

Being a creative person, you would naturally shy away from structure and routine. What you need to do is to nurture your creativity by doing things differently, think from outside the box – even the impossible! – and try not to the same, old, tried-and-tested things.

Having mentioned that, if you score low for Knowledge, it does not mean the end of the world for you. You have the ability to think in a structured and systematic manner (ring a bell? Yes, the Purpose factor). Your mind rarely wanders away and is always focused on every task that is presented to you. Imagine your brain working like a flow chart, moving from one part to the following part and you already have all the steps figured out. All that is left is execution. Part of the reason for this is that you have the tendency to stick to tried-and-tested methods, systems or any aspect of life. Being adventurous is not your cup of tea.

Sustainability
Handling stress is part of our daily tasks, be it work stress, family, peer or financial. A sufficient amount of stress is good as it pushes us to work harder or put in more effort in the things we do. Scoring high in Sustainability means you can handle stress without being unnerved and over-worried. You often feel that you have control over matters at hand and solutions to issues/problems would eventually be worked out.

At times, you may even view stress as a challenge and you are usually more than up for it. Nevertheless, overconfidence can overshadow your judgment and moments of weakness may appear. The potential impact of an issue may be underestimated and thus would lead to unexpected disappointment and frustration.

Being at the other end of Sustainability, it shows that you tend to be more concerned and alert when under stress. Emotions run high when you are completing tasks but it is also your passion that drives you ahead and strive harder. You are like a magnifying glass - a small win can be a big victory and a minor failure feels like a major defeat – that is how sensitive you may get.

Insider tip: Life is a journey. Along the way mistakes are made. What is more important is not what we lose but what we have learned.

One of the ways to managing stress is to clearly define the border lines between work and personal issues. It should not be blurred or crossed, unless you are willing to go through some really tough times. Having a cool head helps in every situation, whether you are being provoked or in a frustrating state of affairs. Remember that stress is normally caused by the things that we think cannot be solved or is difficult to. If you put your mind to it, everything is possible.

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