Personality Matters Blog
Vanessa Bradford, The Myers-Briggs Company
MBTI Facts & Common Criticisms
You may have heard or read things about the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®) assessment that cause you to question its validity. Here, we’ll address some of the most common criticisms and misconceptions, and answer some common questions about the assessment.
By Sherrie Haynie, Director of US Professional Services
We’re All Innovators Pt II: Bringing the Vision to Fruition
In my last post we talked about how different types innovate in different ways, and are at their best during different phases (a la Damian Killen in Type and Innovation) of the innovation process. Those preferring NP tend to be better at the “discover” phase, and are great at generating ideas; Those preferring NJ excel in the “decide” phase, and apply their innovative skills to choosing the right direction and developing a strategy for making it happen; people who prefer ...
Global Marketing
We’re All Innovators...But We Do It According to Type
By Sherrie Haynie, Director of US Professional Services We’d all like to think of ourselves as ‘innovative’, wouldn’t we? At its core, being innovative involves somehow being able to come up with original ideas and apply them in ways that have some benefit, either for ourselves or for someone else. It’s certainly pertinent to your career and livelihood, but it just as equally at play in all aspects of live, whether it be redesigning your house, managing your money r...
Global Marketing
Help Our Research Team & Be First to Receive Study Results
Have you wondered if your Myers-Briggs personality type influences your well-being at work? Or does your type influence how you improve your well-being? To help answer these questions, we've put together an international research project investigating well-being at work and the MBTI assessment. And we're asking for your help. To participate in the survey, you need to 1) know your verified MBTI personality type, 2) be currently employed, and 3) have 15 minutes to spend answering a few...
Global Marketing
Leveraging Your Personality Type for Stress Management During the Job Interview Process
As I sit down to write this story on how the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) tool can help us deal with stress during the interview process, I can’t help but feel a bit stressed myself. I need to get ready for a workshop later this week. Each time I’ve attempted to sit down and prepare this morning, my brain has filled up with a litany of other things to which I need to attend. My plate is plenty full, and yet I keep adding more portions to it. Then, I realize that so much of h...
Global Marketing
For an Authentic, Effective Job Interview, You Must First Understand Your Own Personality Type (Part II)
In my previous blog, I discussed how you can leverage your preferences for either introversion or extraversion – preferences based on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) – to present an authentic version of yourself during a job interview. Today, I’ll dive a little deeper and talk about how to leverage the other aspects of your personality type to improve your odds of getting a job that is an excellent fit for you. Before I begin, it’s important to remember the conc...
Global Marketing
For an Authentic, Effective Job Interview, You Must First Understand Your Own Personality Type
I remember my first job interview. It was a long time ago. I was very young and had yet to learn how to be true to myself. I was trying to get a job for the summer in between undergraduate and graduate school, and remember thinking to myself: “Answer how they [my interviewers] want you to answer, no matter what.” I got that job, and at first I was thrilled. Once I began to do the work, however, I hated it. I couldn’t wait for the summer to end! What could I have done better?...
Global Marketing
Confidence, Extraversion & Understanding – What Helps You The Most?
Written in collaboration with John Hackston, Head of Thought Leadership at OPP Politicians are known for their confidence, but sometimes this can get them into hot water (I’m sure that you can think of some recent examples). You can probably think of a time where you saw someone who seemed to use confidence to cover up a lack of ability. But confidence isn’t just important for politicians, as this article by Laura Barton points out. Women tend to be less confident in their abiliti...
Global Marketing
10 Books About the MBTI Tool and Type That You Should Read in 2018
Which books about the MBTI assessment and type have had the biggest impact on practitioners? We posted this question on the LinkedIn group of MBTI certified professionals a while ago to discover the titles that had most impressed and inspired practitioners or been a key support in their work with the MBTI assessment. Twenty books rose to the top of the piles. Here are the second set of ten (in no particular order - you can find the first ten in our April post) with comments from the individua...
Global Marketing
MBTI Step II Facets: Traditional or Original and the Holiday Season
The holidays are just around the corner. The music, decorations, food, smiles on people’s faces, and gifts (giving and receiving!), all make this season special. I love this time of year. Of course how people prefer to celebrate this season can differ quite a bit, and one way it differs depends on where they find themselves on the Traditional-Original MBTI® Step II™ facet. This facet is about the approach to traditions in the social context. People who have the preference for traditional tend th...
Global Marketing
MBTI Step II Facets: New Experiences for the Experiential or the Theoretical
Second to last for the Sensing-Intuition preference pair facets are Experiential and Theoretical. These facets "emphasize the process by which we derive knowledge or meaning from our perceptions." (MBTI Step II Manual, page 24. As a reminder, the order of these Sensing-Intuition facets goes Concrete—Abstract, Realistic—Imaginative, Practical—Conceptual, Experiential—Theoretical, and Traditional—Original. Whenever I travel, I usually like to experience something new and different…something I w...
Global Marketing
MBTI Step II Facets: Practical–Conceptual & the Importance of Ideas
While delivering a training program recently, I was getting excited about the “miracle” of the theory behind personality type. I felt like I was in my wheelhouse expounding on the power of type and the implications of these ideas. As explained in the MBTI® Step II™ Manual, “[Conceptual people (like me)] are not content…just to make inferences. Inferences give birth to ideas, and ideas are what excite them” (p. 30). I was brought back to reality when a pa...
Global Marketing
Navigating the Labyrinth of Stress: Interpersonal Needs and Personality Preferences
This article was originally written for Training Magazine and appeared on their website October 4th, 2017. To read the article on the original website, click here. In managing stress, the big first step is recognizing how you tend to act under stress. Once you recognize what it looks like for you—and consequently for those you work with—you’re empowered to manage it. Stress isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but when it’s sustained, it can be debilitating. It affects our ability to regulate our...
Global Marketing
MBTI Step II Facets: Realistic–Imaginative
A colleague came into my office one day and asked me, “Why would someone send another person flowers?” I was a bit surprised by the question. She continued, “They seem like such a waste. I mean, they are really expensive and they are going to die.” I thought about it for a minute, not sure at first how to respond. I love to send and receive flowers, so I tried to explain that the cost and short life span of such a gift are not the point. Clearly not getting my message across very well, I deci...
Global Marketing
MBTI Type, Age, and Occupation Play a Significant Role in Workplace Happiness [Whitepaper]
New research lead by the CPP Asia Pacific office in Australia reveals personality type plays a role in workplace well-being. The study—Well-being and MBTI® Personality Type in the Workplace—investigates how differences in well-being are influenced by personality type, gender, age, geography, occupation, and activities. “Research shows that higher well-being of workers adds to a company’s bottom line,” said Martin Boult, Sr. Director of Professional Services and International Training at CPP A...
Global Marketing
The Importance of the Order of the Sensing–Intuition Facets
When interpreting MBTI® Step II™ facet results, practitioners sometimes forget about the significance of the order of the facets. When it comes to paying attention to things, Sensing–Intuition (taking in information) people start by using a Concrete, Midzone, or Abstract approach first. They then go down the list of the remaining facets, in order: Realistic-Imaginative, Practical-Conceptual, Experiential-Theoretical, and Traditional-Original. (If you want a great team exercise i...
Global Marketing
MBTI Step II Facets: Tough–Tender
A couple of months ago, a participant in a training program told me she thinks of his Tough behavior in terms of removing a small bandage. She said Tough behavior is like removing that bandage in one quick pull. For her, pulling the bandage off slowly only prolongs the pain. This firm approach can be effective as long as it doesn’t cross over the line and become stern. Tender behavior certainly does not intentionally prolong pain. Instead, people who report Tender believe that a kinder an...
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MBTI Step II Facets: Critical–Accepting
Be prepared for some push-back from clients who report Thinking in-preference Critical on the MBTI® Step II™ assessment. The bullet-point descriptors on the MBTI® Step II™ Interpretive Report can be more direct (some say harsh) for this result than for any other. I’ve had a client get a bit argumentative about the descriptor “are argumentative.” And a participant in an MBTI® Certification Program this week sprinted across the room to the Accepting side ...
Global Marketing
MBTI Step II Thinking-Feeling Facets: The Importance of Facet Order
If you want to start this series from the beginning, take a look at the first few blogs here, here and here. When interpreting MBTI® Step II™ Interpretive Report results, practitioners tend to forget about the importance of the order of the facets (see MBTI® Step II™ Manual, pp. 22–23). We know that the first T–F facet, Logical–Empathetic, is the starting point for decision making, with the remaining facets (Reasonable–Compassionate, Questioning&n...
Global Marketing
Team Building with the MBTI Step II Thinking-Feeling Facets
There is just so much depth with the Thinking–Feeling facets that many people only begin to explore. During the MBTI® Certification Program, I take participants through several decision-making stages—T–F facet by T–F facet. A participant asked me this week how I keep things from getting out of hand when I go through this process with working teams. She realized that it can be a powerful experience for teams and things can get a bit heated. While I don’t feel esp...
Global Marketing
MBTI Step II Facets: Can We Be Too Accommodating?
If you missed it, you can see the first blog post in this series here and the post on the other side of this facet, Questioning, here. I often ask people who report Accommodating on the MBTI® Step II™ Interpretive Report if they are too accommodating. Usually, the reply is a straightforward and accommodating “yes!” Accommodating people tend to pick their battles when faced with differences of opinion. As a result, they are sometimes seen as “wishy-washy” ...
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MBTI Step II Questioning Facet: In-Preference and Out-of-Preference
If you missed the first blog in this series, check out the overview here. Or you can watch this video that covers all 20 MBTI Step II facets. As I mentioned previously, we're going to cover the Thinking-Feeling facets first starting with Questioning and Accommodating. This facet in particular deals with how a person responds to differences in a point of view. Questioning in-preference can come off as a bit harsh at times. I tell a story in my MBTI® Certification Program about a participant w...
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MBTI Step II Facets: An Overview
In the next few blog entries I will give you my take on the MBTI® Step II™ facets. Those of you who have been through CPP’s MBTI Certification Program know what an interesting day exploring the facets in more detail can be. While the facets don’t cover every characteristic of each dichotomy, they are “important and significant subsets,” as one participant expressed it. We have to remember that the facet results don’t add up to the dichotomies, and theref...
Global Marketing
Leadership and the Intuition–Thinking (NT) Process Pair
People with NT preferences (INTJs, INTPs, ENTPs, ENTJs) typically take a “what else can we do” approach to leadership. They tend to consider new ways to address tasks and projects, and often have an innovative mind-set that is about changing things up to make a situation better. If NT informs your leadership style, you may want to consider how this approach is affecting members of your team. Some of them may appreciate your open approach to new ideas and possibilities, but others may find wha...
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Leadership and the Intuition–Feeling (NF) Process Pair
People with NF preferences (INFJs, INFPs, ENFPs, ENFJs) typically take a “let’s make a difference” approach to leadership. They consider how others can be positively affected over the long term instead of just in the present moment. In leading they tend to focus on big-picture, future-oriented ideas that can empower people to “be better.” If NF informs your leadership style, you may want to consider how this approach is affecting members of your team. Some of them may appreciate your support ...
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Leadership and the Sensing–Feeling (SF) Process Pair
People with SF preferences (ISFJs, ISFPs, ESFPs, ESFJs) typically take a “thoughtful helping of others” approach to leadership. They consider how the factual information they provide (who, what when, why, where) might help others in a here-and-now way. They tend to have a supportive and practical leadership style, offering information that can be useful today instead of someday. If SF informs your leadership style, you may want to consider how this approach is affecting members of your team. ...
Global Marketing
Leadership and the Sensing–Thinking (ST) Process Pair
People with ST preferences (ISTJs, ISTPs, ESTPs, ESTJs) typically take a “let’s get it done” approach to leadership. They want to tackle the task at hand and prefer to jump right in to get things right the first time. In fact, they are likely to be annoyed by discussion of matters that don’t directly relate to the task. They prefer to move on from anything they consider superfluous and get to what “needs” to get done. If ST informs your leadership style, you may want to consider how this appr...
Global Marketing
Myers-Briggs Personality Types and Leadership
A couple of years back I wrote a blog series on type and leadership, and I’m now following that up with a few additional ideas focusing on the MBTI® process pairs: ST, SF, NF, and NT. While the T–F and J–P preference pairs are the ones most often explored in relation to leadership (maybe I’ll write about the TJ, TP, FJ, and FP pairs next), I still like looking at the middle letters of people’s four-letter type the most. As you consider the content of this next ...
Global Marketing
Combining Coaching Tools: Myers-Briggs & FIRO Assessments
Originally written by Betsy Kendall and Alice King at OPP Often considered a winning combination in coaching, what is it specifically about the FIRO and MBTI assessments that adds depth and complexity to coaching? The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator looks at four aspects of our personality that combine together dynamically to capture the fundamental elements of who we are and how we are motivated. This in itself is a powerful coaching tool as it indicates our preferred ways of taking in information,...
By Dr. Penny Moyle
Responding to Criticism of the MBTI Assessment
"As an MBTI practitioner, I encounter a lot of individual opinions and viewpoints about the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, sometimes incredibly positive and sometimes vehemently critical. When our work and methods are criticized, it is natural to want to defend oneself, but in doing so it can be difficult not to come across as rather defensive. Understanding where critics of the MBTI assessment are coming from, and how to respond to the individual points that they raise, has an important place. ...
Vanessa Bradford, The Myers-Briggs Company
Neuroscience, psychology, and your MBTI® personality type
What’s the link between neuroscience and MBTI® personality type? We look at how neuroscience (or its successor), along with your MBTI personality type, could help achieve an even greater understanding of what it means to be human.
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What if your date is just not your type? Myers-Briggs Types and Dating
What can the MBTI® tool tell us about dating? Do birds of a feather stick together, or do opposites attract? And what makes a great date for different types? We hosted a webinar a while back about MBTI Type and Relationships, but wanted to touch specifically on type and dating, especially with the rise and popularity of online dating sites. In fact, of the 54M single individuals in the US, 49M of them have tried online dating, with 16M on eHarmony and 23M Match.com members. Ironically though, a ...
Global Marketing
Ten Recommended Books about MBTI Personality
Which books about MBTI® personality theory and type have had the biggest impact on practitioners? We posted this question on one of our LinkedIn groups a while back to discover the titles that had most impressed and inspired practitioners or been a key support in their work with the MBTI assessment. Twenty books rose to the top of the pile. Here are the first ten – in no particular order – with comments from the individual reviewers. We'll be publishing the second batch lat...
Global Marketing
The Importance of Good Judgement - Values, Leaders & the MBTI Assessment
So many things in life rely on good judgment. We often find ourselves in situations where there are no right or wrong answers. Our final decision comes down to a matter of judgment. There are lots of examples of good judgement (and bad judgement) in current affairs right now, and it’s more complicated than just asking if someone has broken a law. We need confidence that the people we choose to represent us are going to exhibit good judgment across a whole range of important decisions. So...
Global Marketing
Aligning Values and Culture—the Undersung Secret to Success
This article originally appeared in HRO Today's blog. To read the article on the original website, click here. Written by Catherine Rains A successful career entails not only identifying a career that gets you excited, but also finding an organizational culture that meshes with your values. The culture of a particular company might be a product of its wider industry, or it might be unique to that organization. Either way, your “cultural fit” will have a deep impact on your success. If the fit...
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What I'm Thankful For...
The cold, winter season is upon us. I absolutely love this time of year. The fog comes in a bit more often in San Jose, the leaves start falling (and falling… big thanks to our gardener Arturo for taking care of that!), and the air gets cool and crisp. California winters tend to be mild, and I’m thankful for that. With the holidays passing, it reminded me of being thankful for the little and big things that are part of our lives. I hope you all can find many things to appreciate in...
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MBTI® Users Conference—Type, Interpersonal Needs, and Stress: A FIRO-B® and MBTI® Workplace Culture Connection
My breakout session took place on the second day of the conference. I was glad to see so many familiar faces in the room, although it also makes me a bit more nervous to see so many people I know when I’m presenting. However, remembering that I’m presenting for the attendees and not for myself, helps temper my nervousness. In my session I addressed the stress we all face when our interpersonal needs are not being met. What we need, combined with what we fear, can have a huge impact ...
Rachel Ritlop
How Your Life's Mission Statement Will Guide You To Greater Work-Life Balance
This article was written by Rachel Ritlop and originally appeared on Forbes.com. To read the article in its original format, click here. A personal mission statement can act as your “north star” throughout the twists and turns of life . Too often, people focus on responding to the responsibilities and demands placed on them by others, such as a boss, teacher, or family member; that they ultimately forget to focus on what they are seeking in life. Often times people ignore th...
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MBTI® Users Conference—“Culture Matters” Panel: Macro and Micro Perspectives
For the second year in a row, I was asked to serve as moderator for the conference-wide panel session. Now that I have a little experience with panels under my belt, I was a bit more open to the idea of being a moderator. It helps to remind myself that the moderator’s key task is to encourage the audience to pay attention to the panelists and not himself. I just had to introduce the topic and the panelists and then keep things moving along. In the end of course, that is all easier said than done...
Global Marketing
These Bosses Want to Know Your Type
This article was written by Christine Lagorio-Chafkin and originally appeared on Inc.com. To read the article on the original site, click here. Get yourself hired at Clever, a seven-year-old marketing company, and as one of the first orders of business you'll be flown out to San Francisco. You'll meet the company's founders, as well as a few colleagues. You'll start in on fairly typical on-boarding activities -- like plowing through all that HR paperwork. Then things start getting a lit...
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MBTI® Users Conference—Networking and the Step II™ Receiving Facet Challenge
The conference is in full swing. Walking from session to session, I’ve come across people I have worked with in past trainings over the years. I always worry at these events that someone will come up to me and call out my name, but I won’t remember theirs. I work with so many people each year, it is hard to commit everyone’s name to memory. Just yesterday, as I waited in the hotel lobby for my room to be ready, I noticed someone looking at me. Her face was very familiar, but I wasn’t sure why. ...
Global Marketing
MBTI® Users Conference—Creating a Culture of Clarity / It’s Not Meant to Be Predictive
And finally, Patrick Kerwin shared the criticism that the MBTI® tool is not predictive of behavior. Guess, what? It’s not meant to predict behavior. Instead, the MBTI tool is about giving us some understanding around how we take in information (Perceiving processes of S-N) and make decisions (Judging processes of T-F). Isabel Briggs Myers called this “clearer perceptions” and “sounder judgments.” If you try to apply the MBTI tool beyond that, you are oversteppin...
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MBTI® Users Conference—Creating a Culture of Clarity / It Is Reliable
Patrick addressed that the criticism that the MBTI tool isn’t reliable all tracks back to one article published in 1993, before the current form was even published. Data show that test-retest reliability for the MBTI tool is actually very good. When people get a different result on the assessment from one time to the next, it is usually because they reported “slight” the first time. With a result of “slight,” you could have answered just a few questions differently ...
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MBTI® Users Conference—Creating a Culture of Clarity / It Doesn’t Just Flatter You
Continuing my overview of Patrick Kerwin’s session at the MBTI® Users Conference, Patrick noted that the criticism that the MBTI® tool just flatters people was somewhat odd. Those of us who know what the MBTI tool is really about know that it’s not a diagnostic tool. It’s not even a test. “Test” implies results of good and bad, pass or fail. The MBTI descriptions may indeed seem flattering at times. All of us bring something to every situation we are in. All of us have gifts. That may seem flatt...
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MBTI® Users Conference—Creating a Culture of Clarity / There is Plenty of Research
Continuing with Patrick Kerwin’s session at the MBTI® Users Conference, Patrick addressed the criticism that the MBTI assessment is not in clinical psychology journals. He noted it's not in clinical journals because it’s not a clinical tool. It doesn’t belong in clinical journals. A CPP board member didn’t use it in his published research for that very reason. His research, by the way, was on coronary disease and other health conditions. Why would he use the MBTI tool for this? There is plenty...
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MBTI® Users Conference—Creating a Culture of Clarity / Some Clinical Psychology Criticism
Patrick Kerwin then addressed a criticism about the MBTI® assessment he’s heard that “clinical psychologists don’t believe in the MBTI® tool.” I didn’t get training on the MBTI tool in my clinical program. Clinical psychologists are typically trained to administer “tests” that address psychological problems. As Patrick stated, the argument that clinicians don’t use the MBTI tool is like saying “it’s hard to find an engineer who uses a plunger.” The MBTI tool is not a test, and it doesn’t ident...
Global Marketing
MBTI® Users Conference—Creating a Culture of Clarity / Ambiverts?
Patrick also addressed the idea many have that “People are really ambiverts.” He reminded us to keep in mind that just because we use both hands to type doesn’t mean we are ambidextrous. This reminded me that when I was younger and played volleyball, I used to brag a little that I could spike with both my right and left hands. In my mind I was as lethal with either a left- or right-side attack. However, when I really thought about it and when my teammates were truthful with me, I realized I was ...
Global Marketing
MBTI® Users Conference—Creating a Culture of Clarity / Type Dynamics
Another criticism Patrick Kerwin addressed is that “Jung even said there is no such thing as a pure Introvert.” Patrick (and I) actually agree! We all live in both the extraverted and introverted worlds. And, if you understand type dynamics, we all use a mental process in the extraverted world and a mental process in the introverted world. For example, I have preferences for INFP. I am not an Introvert. Instead, I introvert (I use this word as a verb since I don’t believe in ...
Global Marketing
MBTI® Users Conference—Creating a Culture of Clarity / Proper Type Language
Continuing Patrick Kerwin’s session at the MBTI® Users Conference on addressing criticisms of the MBTI® tool, he noted that we sometimes hear, “The MBTI tool uses artificial binaries.” Patrick reminded us that while the MBTI tool sorts, we stress that all of us use both sides of a preference pair. We just prefer one or the other. That is why when we are using the MBTI tool, proper language is so crucial. Strictly speaking, we are not “Extraverts” or “Introverts.” Instead, we have a preference fo...
Global Marketing
MBTI® Users Conference—Creating a Culture of Clarity
Just after lunch I attended a conference-wide session by Patrick Kerwin in which he addressed some misconceptions about the MBTI® tool. Patrick started by saying, “Doing what we do often leads to talking to strangers we meet to clarify what the MBTI tool really is. So much of this misunderstanding is misinformed.” So Patrick shared with his audience several topics related to these misunderstandings. Patrick said he sometimes hears people criticize Briggs and Myers because “They weren’t psycho...