I have
taken the MBTI test a few times over the years and interestingly enough the
only thing that has changed for the most part was the last letter Judging (J)
or Perceiving (P). It would be interesting for people to take this test when
they first enter college, again when they graduate and then again once they are
in the workforce in order to see how much we change in how we look at people,
ourselves and the way we think about both. My results this time around were
ENFP which is described as:
Ø Extroverted:
enthusiastic, gregarious, sociable, and expressive
Ø Intuitive:
creative, imaginative, unconventional, and forward-thinking
Ø Feeling:
passionate, empathetic, supportive and warm
Ø Perceiving:
open-minded, spontaneous, adaptable and whimsical
This pretty much nailed my
personality! Being an extrovert has really helped me to overcome my shyness as
a teenager to the point where I am not shy to speak to strangers, engage them
in conversation just to learn more about who they are and what makes them tick.
Getting up in front a group of people large or small makes me nervous and
excited not filled with dread like it does to most people.
Over the course of this program I have become more in
tune as I have learned more about whom I am as a person and how I relate to others.
At one time I was more on the thinking end where I would try to suppress my
feelings and stayed focused on be rational and objective. As I have gotten
older I have gone more to the feeling side where I am more focused on finding
cooperation and harmony and I have no fear about following my heart and being
sensitive to others needs. As one who takes pride in trying not to judge others
when I took this test earlier this year I earned a small percentage in Judging
which I didn’t understand. It wasn’t until
I realized that I was on the border of perceiving and judging that I realized
that judging was not about how you view others but in how you like to stay
committed to deadlines and having clear rules and guidelines. As I have gone through the program I have
become more relaxed about deadlines (though I still like to turn things in
within the deadline), and I am more willing to be open to all options
understanding that the most obvious one is not always the right one.
So how does this help me relate to others? There are not
too many people that I don’t get along with and even those that I don’t relate
to every well I find something in common with so that I can engage them in
conversation. One of the biggest things that has helped me being an ENFP is
that I tend to value each person for who they are not what group they belong
to. I have no problems accepting a person’s unique characteristics and I am a
pretty tolerant person. My perceptive nature makes it easy for me to understand
where someone is coming from and I am able to connect with most people in some
way. My friends joke that I have a story for everything meaning I find a way to
relate to what I am hearing from others.
Having this type of personality will help me out in most
situations as I tend to mot be shy and I do my best to make others feel more comfortable.
As a leader I know that I have to be able to adapt to other types of personalities
and knowing how to work with other types will help me understand them better
and for them to understand me better as well. On one website I went on to read
up on the ENFP found this statement to be very true for me. “People with the
ENFP personality type seem to be everywhere, even though they only form around
5 percent of the population – furthermore, they can easily get along with
nearly all other personality types, which makes them ideal co-workers” (16
personalities website). A smart move for me as a leader would be to have
everyone take this test so that we can all understand how to better interact
with each other. Everyone learns differently and responds to their work
environment differently. This doesn’t mean that I have to baby each employee
but if I can figure out how each one ticks I can make sure that I am getting
the best results out of my employees by making them feel more comfortable in
their daily job.
After years of working with the same group of people and
trying to figure out why I had a hard time getting along with one person, we
both realized that we respond completely opposite in situations. She is very
introverted and I am very extroverted so right away we are on different ends of
the spectrum. After learning that I have to change my approach with her and her
with me, we get along much better now.
There is no secret formula to getting along with everyone as I don’t think
it is possible to do all the time but if you can figure out how each person
works you and they can adapt to make for a more pleasant and productive work
place.
Reference:
http://www.16personalities.com/enfps-at-work
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