“Regardless of the circumstances of your life, the understanding of sort could make your perceptions clearer, your judgements sounder, and your life nearer to your coronary heart’s want.” — Isabel Briggs Myers, American author
“Having a deeper understanding of your self provides you a bonus,” the host defined.
I used to be sitting on the airport listening to one in every of my favourite enterprise podcasts when the subject of character checks got here up. Chatting with consultants, the host delved into probably the most widespread checks of all of them: The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.
They claimed that studying our character sort didn’t simply supply a brand new lens by which to view ourselves, however may be a useful instrument for serving to us get forward in our skilled lives. “Figuring out your sort can turn out to be useful in day-to-day conditions like with shoppers and colleagues,” they defined.
As CEO of my form-building firm for practically 20 years, understanding entrepreneurial archetypes has lengthy been a subject of fascination for me. I imagine categorizing our personalities helps us discover our strengths and weaknesses in a method that enhances our efficiency as leaders.
In my newly-published e-book, Automate Your Busywork, I communicate to how enhancing productiveness may also help individuals really feel seen, heard, and linked to on totally different ranges. A big a part of this, in my view, entails buying the next degree of self-awareness.
In easy phrases, the Myers-Briggs is a check you’ll be able to take that helps you determine your character sort, strengths, and preferences.
Primarily based on the speculation of personality types described by Carl Jung and expanded on by Isabel Briggs Myers and Katharine Briggs, it’s an evaluation that locations you into one in every of 4 classes primarily based on the way you understand the world and make choices.
In response to the evaluation, every of us has one favored high quality from every class, producing 16 character sorts. These 4 classes embrace: introversion or extraversion, sensing or instinct, considering or feeling, and judging or perceiving.
The Washington Publish reported that roughly 2 million individuals a 12 months take the check, describing it as “the gold normal” of psychological assessments, utilized in companies, authorities businesses, and academic establishments.
You’ve in all probability seen these phrases floating across the Web or have heard your mates drop the acronyms in informal dialog, writes self-made millionaire Gerard Adams for Entrepreneur. “Phrases like ‘INFJ’ and ‘ENFJ’ signify a selected sort of particular person, how they wish to exist on this planet, and the careers they need to observe.”
What’s distinctive about this specific check is that it may possibly aid you perceive which character sort you fall into so that you just’re extra geared up to give you productiveness methods and enhance the best way you talk with others at work.
In a survey of over 25,000 individuals, researchers charted the variations between every of the 16 totally different character sorts on their careers and personalities. Their findings, according to business reporter Kate Taylor, present that extroverts have a tendency to make more cash than introverts. “Whereas imaginative intuitive thinkers usually tend to be entrepreneurs than their life like sensor counterparts.”
Many entrepreneurs like Adams, for example, fall into the ESTP sort and have a tendency to exhibit excessive ranges of “notion,” making them particularly desirous to have an clever dialog with anybody they will. “We’re a lot sharper listeners than different individuals,” he argues. “ESTPs discover delicate modifications as they occur round us. Small issues individuals say in dialog are an enormous a part of this.”
“Entrepreneurs are all the time attentive and all the time studying.”
I’ve discovered that in the long run, anybody may be profitable no matter their character acronym . As Adam Heitzman explains in his story for Inc.com, “The extra you understand about your self and the way you assume, the higher choices you may make about what you are promoting.”
Right here’s how understanding your sort may also help you be extra productive.
NBC News reporter Danielle Web page explains that extroverts shine when tasked with getting up in entrance of individuals, like throughout displays or conferences. Additionally they excel at constructing office relationships. This, nevertheless, could be a double-edged sword as it may be robust to interrupt away from workplace chatter and get work carried out.
In the event you’re an extrovert, realizing that is one in every of your weak spots may also help you strategize by setting clear boundaries round your socializing habits.
Introverts, however, are inclined to favor written communication and are extra occupied with having an opportunity to mirror earlier than offering suggestions throughout conferences. “It’s not that introverts don’t like or worth interactions with individuals,” writes Web page. “It’s simply that their strengths lie within the work that they do solo.”
Figuring out this about your sort means that you can talk extra successfully since you’re extra prone to prioritize opening up and fascinating individuals reasonably than coming off as aloof or timid.
The above are only some examples of how studying your character sort may also help you stay open and versatile when interacting with others and dealing towards your objectives. This data additionally means that you can retain vitality — saving your mind for the massive stuff.
Maybe the check’s co-creator, Isabel Briggs Myers, put it greatest:
“By creating particular person strengths, guarding towards weaknesses, and appreciating the strengths of different sorts, life will likely be extra amusing, extra fascinating, and extra of a each day journey than it might presumably be if everybody have been alike.”
Your work atmosphere consists of many individuals with totally different types, energies, and personalities. Figuring out whether or not you’re extroverted or introverted, sensing or intuitive, considering or feeling, judging or perceiving — can all aid you higher navigate find out how to deal with stress, gratitude, criticism, accomplishments, management roles, and a lot extra.