Everything that irritates us about others,
can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.
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In the grip of emotions.

When you unleash your inner Joe, you primarily choose to be aware of your own emotions. By being curious about your feelings and trying to understand what triggers you, you avoid constantly riding the waves of emotions—both the ones you create yourself and those set in motion by others. The ultimate liberation does not lie in becoming emotionally cold or in feeling the need to understand and absorb everyone else's emotions to be a good colleague or friend. True freedom is found in a balance of compassion, kindness (including self-love), conscious awareness of your own emotions, and understanding what they truly stem from and why they affect you so deeply. It is often about the ability to see things from a helicopter perspective—stepping back to maintain focus and avoid being caught in the grip of emotions.

When you have found your primary Joe – below, you can read about your characteristics and what happens when you go into "The Crocodile Brain"

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We all have a Joe inside of us

Perfectionistic Joe, Performance Joe, Dutiful Joe, and Doesn’t matter Joe are all characters created by Rikke Østergaard
based on Jung's 4 archetypes, which define our personality traits – and how we work together.

Performance
Joe

"Isn't it more important to get things done than to waste a lot of time talking about feelings and mood? Let's just move on."

Doesn't matter
Joe

"People who only see the glass as half empty and always find the holes in the cheese have not understood the meaning of life."

Perfectionist
Joe

"If everyone understood how important it is that we follow the rules and guidelines, everything would run much better."

Dutiful
Joe

"Collaboration and reliability are the keys to success. I believe in doing things well and with respect for everyone, even when no one is watching, because that's what creates true value."

We all have four personality types within us, some will be more dominant than others. Let's take a closer look at the four personality types, the Joes:

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Performance

"Isn't it more important to get something done than to
waste a lot of time talking about feelings and
mood? Let's just move on in the text.
– Performance-Preben"

Performance Joe

Performance Joe is extroverted, and his workdays are typically busy, filled with client meetings and calls. He is quick to grasp ideas and put them into action. Performance Joe is known for his decisiveness and thrives on being where decisions are made.

As a middle manager, he understands what happens on the floor, and he can become stressed if the top management makes decisions over his head without considering his perspective. See what happens on the slider when Performance Joe "goes into the crocodile brain“.

He values efficiency and can sometimes become impatient if there is too much small talk. He doesn't go to work to be social. If he understands that small gestures like remembering birthdays benefit efficiency because the greetings mean a lot to his colleagues, he will gladly mark it in the calendar. But he prefers to avoid spending energy on it.

In Performance Joe's world, taking control of projects is a natural part of his personality. He loves having control and responsibility, not to dominate, but to ensure that things are done correctly. He believes that if he doesn't take charge, everything will fall apart. So, if a colleague doesn't follow up on time on the project they are working on together, he gets easily irritated and takes over himself.

Have you found yourself – who you are most alike. See here how you can work together with the other Joes.

Performance Joe is extroverted, and his workdays are typically busy, filled with client meetings and calls. He is quick to grasp ideas and put them into action. Performance Joe is known for his decisiveness and thrives on being where decisions are made.

As a middle manager, he understands what happens on the floor, and he can become stressed if the top management makes decisions over his head without considering his perspective. See what happens on the slider when Performance Joe "goes into the crocodile brain“.

He values efficiency and can sometimes become impatient if there is too much small talk. He doesn't go to work to be social. If he understands that small gestures like remembering birthdays benefit efficiency because the greetings mean a lot to his colleagues, he will gladly mark it in the calendar. But he prefers to avoid spending energy on it.

In Performance Joe's world, taking control of projects is a natural part of his personality. He loves having control and responsibility, not to dominate, but to ensure that things are done correctly. He believes that if he doesn't take charge, everything will fall apart. So, if a colleague doesn't follow up on time on the project they are working on together, he gets easily irritated and takes over himself.

Have you found yourself – who you are most alike. See here how you can work together with the other Joes.

Performance

Whatever

"People who only see the glass as half empty
and always find the holes in the cheese, have not understood
the meaning of life.
– Whatever-Preben"

Doesn't matter Joe

As Doesn't matter Joe, you are creative, cheerful, love freedom, and being spontaneous. As Doesn't matter Joe, you are creative, happy, love freedom, and enjoy being spontaneous. If you have to fit into a box and do the same thing every day from 8:30 AM to 4 PM, routine upon routine, you feel that your freedom is being taken away, and it stresses and irritates you greatly. Flextime and the opportunity to work from different workstations are gold for you, so you can control your own time. To perform your best, there needs to be flexibility. You need to be allowed to come up with new ideas, otherwise, you also feel pressured, just like a bad mood stresses you out. If someone speaks harshly or sourly to you, however, you easily let it go and do not hold grudges. You are extremely good at coming up with ideas, but they don’t always lead to something. This doesn't worry you, because it's also about having fun along the way. If many Doesn't matter Joes gather, it can become a bit too much fun and mischief.

Doesn't matter Joe thrives best at work when it is filled with joy and laughter, and while he chats away, he feels liked and comfortable. If not, see what happens on the slider when Doesn't matter Joe "goes into the crocodile brain“.

Who are you most like? If you're not Doesn't matter Joe, try to find yourself in the following:

As Doesn't matter Joe, you are creative, cheerful, love freedom, and being spontaneous. As Doesn't matter Joe, you are creative, happy, love freedom, and enjoy being spontaneous. If you have to fit into a box and do the same thing every day from 8:30 AM to 4 PM, routine upon routine, you feel that your freedom is being taken away, and it stresses and irritates you greatly. Flextime and the opportunity to work from different workstations are gold for you, so you can control your own time. To perform your best, there needs to be flexibility. You need to be allowed to come up with new ideas, otherwise, you also feel pressured, just like a bad mood stresses you out. If someone speaks harshly or sourly to you, however, you easily let it go and do not hold grudges. You are extremely good at coming up with ideas, but they don’t always lead to something. This doesn't worry you, because it's also about having fun along the way. If many Doesn't matter Joes gather, it can become a bit too much fun and mischief.

Doesn't matter Joe thrives best at work when it is filled with joy and laughter, and while he chats away, he feels liked and comfortable. If not, see what happens on the slider when Doesn't matter Joe "goes into the crocodile brain“.

If you're not Whatever-Preben, try to find yourself in the following:

Whatever

perfectionist

"If everyone understood how important it is that we
follow the rules and guidelines, it would
all run much better.
– Perfectionist-Preben"

Perfectionist Joe

Order and method, focus on the small details, and discipline are what Perfectionist Joe loves the most. He thrives in a universe characterized by systems and methodical approaches.
When he has a meeting, he prepares thoroughly and, of course, arrives on time, both out of respect for his own time and for his colleagues'. He becomes endlessly irritated when others do not show the same respect and disrupt the agenda with chatter about this and that. See what happens on the slider when Perfectionist Joe "goes into the crocodile brain“.

Perhaps you envision scientists, IT nerds, accountants, lab technicians, or engineers. That's not far off, as Perfectionist Joes love specialized jobs where focusing on immersion and details is required to excel in the hard skills aspect of the job.
Perfectionist Joe is often in the background compared to the rest of the team because it's the Performance Joes who take charge, the Doesn't matter Joes who are celebrated as happy optimists, and the Dutiful Joes who are well-liked and keep things running smoothly. Perfectionist Joe is fine with not having to be at the forefront and visibly stand out all the time. He prefers peace and quiet and is content working in the background, but he would still like to be recognized for his professional expertise.

Perfectionist Joe works hard to make everything appear as perfect as possible, and he stands by his work, but not for the sake of being praised and highlighted. On the contrary, for Perfectionist Joe, it's primarily about the matter or task at hand. This is also true in social settings.

Who are you most like? If you're not Perfectionist Joe, try to find yourself in the following:

Order and method, focus on the small details, and discipline are what Perfectionist Joe loves the most. He thrives in a universe characterized by systems and methodical approaches.
When he has a meeting, he prepares thoroughly and, of course, arrives on time, both out of respect for his own time and for his colleagues'. He becomes endlessly irritated when others do not show the same respect and disrupt the agenda with chatter about this and that. See what happens on the slider when Perfectionist Joe "goes into the crocodile brain“.

Perhaps you envision scientists, IT nerds, accountants, lab technicians, or engineers. That's not far off, as Perfectionist Joes love specialized jobs where focusing on immersion and details is required to excel in the hard skills aspect of the job.
Perfectionist Joe is often in the background compared to the rest of the team because it's the Performance Joes who take charge, the Doesn't matter Joes who are celebrated as happy optimists, and the Dutiful Joes who are well-liked and keep things running smoothly. Perfectionist Joe is fine with not having to be at the forefront and visibly stand out all the time. He prefers peace and quiet and is content working in the background, but he would still like to be recognized for his professional expertise.

Perfectionist Joe works hard to make everything appear as perfect as possible, and he stands by his work, but not for the sake of being praised and highlighted. On the contrary, for Perfectionist Joe, it's primarily about the matter or task at hand. This is also true in social settings.

Who are you most like? If you're not Perfectionist Joe, try to find yourself in the following:

perfectionist

duty

"Collaboration and reliability are the keys to success.
I believe that things should be done well and with
respect for everyone, even when no one is watching, because that's what
creates real value.
– Duty-Preben"

Dutiful Joe

Dutiful Joe is gentle, well-liked, and somewhat of an institution at the workplace—many of his colleagues feel that he is the one who keeps everything together. Dutiful Joe is the quiet everyday hero who manages to tie many loose ends and prevents conflicts from escalating.

He is sensitive, notices moods and his colleagues' demeanor, and is considerate. If an otherwise talkative colleague is quiet during a meeting, Dutiful Joe is the first to notice and the first to ask the colleague after the meeting if everything is okay and if there’s anything he can do. And if someone is inconsiderate, arrogant, or if conflicts arise—if you push him and he goes into the crocodile brain. Try pulling the slider over Dutiful Joe and see what happens.

One of the remarkable traits of Dutiful Joe is his humility. Even though he performs countless tasks and keeps many threads together behind the scenes, he rarely seeks attention or recognition. He moves quietly and steadily through the workday like a reliable steamroller, keeping the road smooth but without demanding the spotlight. His satisfaction comes from knowing that he has contributed to a successful workday. And he often does. Dutiful Joe is known as the person to go to when you need good advice. This means he often ends up spending a lot of time helping others and gets stressed about not having completed his own tasks.

If you are Dutiful Joe, you can see here how you can work together with the other Joes.

Duty-Preben is gentle, well-liked, and somewhat of an institution at the workplace – many of his colleagues feel that he is the one who keeps everything together. Duty-Preben is the quiet everyday hero who manages to tie many loose ends and prevent conflicts from escalating.

He is sensitive, notices moods and his colleagues' demeanor, and is considerate. If an otherwise talkative colleague is quiet during a meeting, Dutiful Joe is the first to notice and the first to ask the colleague after the meeting if everything is okay and if there’s anything he can do. And if someone is inconsiderate, arrogant, or if conflicts arise—if you push him and he goes into the crocodile brain. Try pulling the slider over Dutiful Joe and see what happens.

One of the remarkable traits of Dutiful Joe is his humility. Even though he performs countless tasks and keeps many threads together behind the scenes, he rarely seeks attention or recognition. He moves quietly and steadily through the workday like a reliable steamroller, keeping the road smooth but without demanding the spotlight. His satisfaction comes from knowing that he has contributed to a successful workday. And he often does. Dutiful Joe is known as the person to go to when you need good advice. This means he often ends up spending a lot of time helping others and gets stressed about not having completed his own tasks.

See here how you can work together with the other Joes.

duty

In the grip of emotions.

We all have a Joe inside of us

Performance
Joe

Doesn't matter
Joe

Perfectionist
Joe

Dutiful
Joe

Performance Joe

Doesn't matter Joe

Perfectionist Joe

Dutiful Joe

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The House of Joe

Do you also want to free your inner Joe?

Rikke Østergaard

CALL: 123-456-789