The secret to your executive career success lies in your personality type and preferred behavioral style…
What comes to mind when someone mentions the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)? Do you roll your eyes and dismiss it? Well, you are not alone, many professionals see the MBTI as a strange test or useless assessment and some people even put it in the same category as horoscope and palm reading.
I challenge you today to give the MBTI a second chance…I will admit that I am biased because I absolutely love MBTI and consider it a highly effective tool in personal and professional development.
Yes, it can help with your relationships – family, significant other, work, siblings and even your devoted husband or wife:)
So let me tell you why I am such a huge fan of the MBTI… first of all, it rests on the concept that we are all born with unique personality traits and preferences that influence how we draw our energy, how we take in information, how we make decisions and how we orient to the outside world.
When you know your type, you understand yourself better, know what makes you tick and self-knowledge is always great power in your career planning.
Consider These Scenarios
- Think back to the last time you were in brainstorming meeting. Mentally picture employees who were actively engaged and enthusiastic about coming up with new ideas and the others who kept trying to keep the group focused on how to implement those ideas.
- Consider the person in the office who loves coming around to everyone’s desk and chatting first thing in the morning and frequently throughout the day.
- Remember how frustrated you get with the “quiet” woman in your team who prefers to share her ideas by email and does not say much in verbal discussions.
- Think about how irritated you get when others want you to stick to a schedule when you know something always come up at the last minute, so flexibility make more sense
Now you may not relate to all these points I mentioned, but in each scenario, individuals are/were operating according to his/her personality preference. Hmmm….yes, all the “quirks” or habits that drive you up a wall (smile) are a natural reaction to someone who is behavior opposite to your personality preference.
Here are a few examples, if you have a preference for:
Introversion – your ideal work situation will require independence, autonomy and plenty of time to reflect and analyze before taking action
Extroversion – your ideal work situation will allow you to interact with others regularly, encourage verbal discussions and presentations and maximize your varied interests
Of course, none of this will make sense unless you know your personality type – it can be very instrumental in helping you to better understand yourself and more importantly to appreciate others.
Are you curious about…
— why you feel out of sorts in your current job even though you love the work; why you get the sense that some people try to avoid communicating with you or why you have a hard time getting re-focused when someone disrupts you on a project?
That’s where the MBTI assessment comes in and make a world of difference in your life…why don’t you give it a try?
