Myers-Briggs Blog Articles

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.

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 ...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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?...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 ...

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...

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...

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” ...

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...

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...

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...

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 ...

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. ...

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...

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 ...

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,...

"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. ...

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.

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 ...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 ...

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...

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...

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...

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. ...

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...

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 ...

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...

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...

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...

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 ...

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 ...

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...

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...

The next session of the day was led by Daniel Granchanin. Daniel is a cloud platform sales engineer at Google. He was also in one of the MBTI® Certification Programs I facilitated last year. It was great to see him again and to attend his session at the conference. Daniel’s session provided tips on how Google employees hypothesize different people’s MBTI® type preferences by “reading” their body language, conversation, and communication through text, email, and so on. Daniel works with many en...

We're excited to share news today that we've acquired UK-based OPP, one of Europe’s top business psychology product and services providers. By combining the talents and resources of the two companies, CPP plans to create an internationally recognized brand umbrella for its line of products and services, which includes some of the world’s most widely used psychometric assessments. Through the acquisition, the company aspires to more readily fulfill its aim of helping people be better through a de...

There was a short break in between the keynote and the first breakout session of the day. I planned my day out the night before and knew I wanted to attend Dr. Pete Hammett’s session. Dr. Hammett is the director of HR at Oklahoma Gas & Energy. In his session he asked us to consider how personality type can influence a culture of inclusion. Hammett made the point that culture is a matter of life and death at the organizations he has been a part of (including NASA and many others). He has f...

The perfect way to kick off the conference was Robert Richman’s keynote. Author of The Culture Blueprint: A Guide to Building the High-Performance Workplace, Richman shared that only one-third of organizations feel that their culture is in line with their business strategy. When he asked the audience for a definition of organizational culture, he got about 30 different answers, including traditions, moods, and feelings that are encouraged or discouraged. Richman shared the idea that “experience ...

Like last year, I facilitated a full-day MBTI® Step II™ workshop. I had an engaged group of participants with varying levels of personality type knowledge, which can get tricky to facilitate. I didn’t want to go too fast and lose people just learning about type, nor did I want to go too slow and bore those who already knew a lot. However, the one thing I’ve learned over the past couple of years is that many people could use a basic MBTI type refresher. For anyone needing a ...

If you didn’t get a chance to attend the 2016 MBTI® Users Conference, you missed out on a wonderful event. I will do my best to help you feel like you were there by covering it in my next blog series. Similar to last year, the conference took place in San Francisco. We were at the legendary Sir Francis Drake Hotel for three days of learning, laughing, eating, and connecting. The theme of the conference was the impact the MBTI tool has on organizational culture. Speakers from every business sec...

Designing an effective MBTI® workshop can sometimes feel a bit overwhelming. That’s why CPP created two new workshop facilitation kits—so you can focus your energy on facilitation rather than preparation. The kits come with everything you need to ensure that your training is a success: Workshop ready: Comprehensive, ready-to-deploy presentation slides and training materials with engaging visuals Comes with expert guidance: Includes facilitator notes with work...

This article was written by Moira Lawler and originally published on Forbes.com. To read the article on the original website, click here. There are few of us who can resist a good personality test, whether it’s a silly one that pinpoints your spirit animal or a serious one that helps you find your true calling. That’s because getting more insight into ourselves is, at the very least, fun, and at best, seriously eye-opening. Perhaps the most well-known of the eye-opening variety is...

This article appeared in The Economist on Sept. 10, 2016. To read the article on the original website, click here.  MOST companies worry about discriminating against their employees on the basis of race, gender or sexual preference. But they give little thought to their shabby treatment of introverts. Carl Jung spotted the distinction between introverts and extroverts in 1921. Psychometric tests such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator consistently show that introverts make up between ...

Right on time, Captain Bryan appears. He drives up in a big, black Toyota Tundra, gives us all a warm greeting, and then asks us to follow him across the street through the Kawaihae Harbor security entrance. I can’t tell you how excited I am as we drive up to the edge of the harbor and see our little boat for the day. Okay, it’s not actually “our” boat, but I can pretend. It’s a medium-size catamaran, with shaded seating inside, cushy seats, and netting to lay in ...

I have facilitated many individual and group MBTI® feedback sessions during the 28 years I’ve used this amazing tool. I have also trained many people on how to deliver that feedback, and at times I’ve found that people feel a bit overwhelmed by all the steps involved. That’s why I like the new Exploring Your Myers-Briggs® Type Workbook. It gives you the exact steps you need to walk someone, whether individually or in a group, through MBTI feedback. In the workbook, yo...

After a nice lunch in Kona (Rebel Kitchen…delicious!) we finally reach the turnoff for Waikoloa Beach. Finally. As we drive up to the entrance of the Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, I see Cindy (the first-born sibling in our family) walking out to greet us. Mom, Dad, and Terri visit with Cindy a couple of times a year. Sadly, I haven’t seen Cindy in almost 30 years! Kevin has never met Cindy. Time flies for sure, but I realize I need to do more to see my big sister. We hug and are a...

It's about 6:30 a.m. when we drive through the entrance of Volcano National Park. There are very few cars around, so it feels like we have the place to ourselves. I see no way to pay for entering the park, so I make a mental note to do that on the way out. We first stop at the steam vents. It is incredible to see the terrain all around us seeping steam. Terri's eyes are growing bigger and bigger as she scans everything around her. We take the short trail to one side and come upon Kilauea volcano...

I'm awake early and try several times to fall back to sleep. Finally, I decide to get out of bed after hearing rustling in the room across the hall. I get up and head downstairs to start breakfast. It's 4:30 am. I get to cook! Kevin is sleeping peacefully in bed. I'm a little envious that he is able to sleep. Dad comes down first. He has been awake for a couple of hours and looks relieved that he can finally come downstairs without disturbing the house. Like me, Dad doesn’t like to be an...

To enhance leadership potential and help teams meet the demands of real-world challenges, it is essential that your people understand how their facet results can influence their perceptions, problem solving, and decision making. Here are two exercises that use MBTI® Step II™ results to achieve leadership development goals and build stronger teams: “Improving Leadership Performance Using MBTI® Step II™ Results” “Team Exercise: Engaging S–N Fac...

As you work with individuals to help them improve essential components of their professional development, it is important that they understand how to combine different aspects of their individual MBTI® Step II™ facet results and learn the most appropriate ways for them to flex their preferences. Here are two complimentary ebooks that offer ideas and tips for using Step II results to increase your people’s self-awareness and understanding: "How to Manage Seemingly Contradicto...

Helping people deepen their MBTI® experience by applying Step IITM insights is an important part of what you do. Upgrade your practitioner toolbox with our new workshop facilitation kit, “Introducing MBTI® Step II™ Results.” Designed to align with the refreshed Step II reports and save you prep time, this kit includes everything you need to deliver a high-quality introductory Step II workshop: Workshop-ready: comprehensive, ready-to-deploy presentation slides and ...

By Pam Fox Rollin, MBA, MBTI® Master Practitioner “Please send me an email outlining what I should do to be a good leader of culture,” requested an introverted C-level executive as we launched a major culture initiative across his organization. What would you write? Would you give him a list of generic “good leader” behaviors? Would you describe what you’d do? Or, maybe, would you tell him what you’ve seen your favorite leaders do? Let’s look at how ...

Our state of bliss is then interrupted when Terri tells me that Cindy's flight has been delayed until tonight. Now, I've spent a lot of time planning this trip. In fact, I'm quite the planner. This surprises people when they learn I prefer Perceiving. My MBTI® Step I™ preferences are INFP. However, on the MBTI® Step IITM assessment, I report Expressive, out-of-preference. I also report out-of-preference on Planful, which is about leisure and long-term life events. Leisure is definitely a big p...

Sitting at the departure gate in the Kona-Keahole airport in Hawaii still feels like being on vacation. The cool Hawaiian breeze and the many palm trees close-by can fool you just a little bit into not feeling sad that you are leaving. But I feel sad every time I leave these islands...every single time. I have to convince myself "I'll be back" or I know I will start to cry. Being in Hawaii is such an escape from so many of the stresses of life. While I work to honor who I am, I also spend too m...

To conclude this series on decision making with the MBTI® mental processes and the eight patterns of mental activity, we come to introverted Feeling (Fi), which is about making decisions in line with the inner values that guide and drive us. When deciding where you want to go on vacation this summer, consider these Fi questions: What do I want to do this summer? (This may be different than what everyone else wants to do.) What vacation options connect best with my inner values? ...

We explored the Perceiving patterns of mental activity (Se, Si, Ne, Ni) and half of the Judging patterns (Te, Ti) in our search for that perfect summer vacation. It is now time to finish it off with Feeling, starting with extraverted Feeling (Fe), which is about making decisions taking into account how our decisions will affect others. As you decide where you might go for vacation this summer, consider the following Fe questions: What will I do to include the ideas of others who may join us...

Continuing with the Judging patterns of mental activity in our quest for the perfect summer vacation, we come next to introverted Thinking (Ti), which is about creating internal order and logic to find the “correct” answer to problems. As you continue to think about where you might go for vacation this summer, consider the following Ti questions: What’s right and wrong with the choices I’m considering? (Allow yourself to be critical.) What’s wrong with the ...

I have spent time in the past several posts highlighting the importance of different ways to take in information (Perceiving). Once that has happened, it’s time to evaluate that information. If this doesn’t happen, then usually nothing gets done, no vacation plans will be made. Evaluating information is about using Thinking and Feeling. Extraverted Thinking (Te) helps us evaluate that information in a logical and objective way. As you think about where you might go for vacation thi...

In my previous post I covered extraverted Intuition. It’s now time to address introverted Intuition (Ni). While there is a similar focus on big-picture possibilities, introverted Intuition most often helps us perceive the big picture as it relates to long-term possibilities. As you think about where you might go for vacation this summer, consider the following Ni questions: What is the most unique and unusual vacation experience I can imagine? What would be a vacation that I would...

Once you have spent time considering the facts and details during decision making (more about that in our previous blog post here), it’s important to consider the possibilities beyond the “what is.” Extraverted Intuition (Ne) most often helps us consider the possibilities beyond what is right in front of us and what we have learned from the past. As you think about where you might go for vacation this summer, consider the following Ne questions: How can I keep my options o...

Of course, using Sensing plays a huge role in any decision we make regardless of our preferences. In my previous post I covered extraverted Sensing. It’s now time to address introverted Sensing (Si). While it indicates a similar focus on facts and details, introverted Sensing most often perceives those facts and details as they relate to specifics from the past. As you think about where you might go for vacation this summer, consider the following Si questions: Where have I gone on va...

When I think about the best decisions I have made in my life, it usually comes down to taking a more balanced approach to whatever I’m deciding. That balanced approach often comes easier when we consider using all four of our mental processes (Sensing, Intuition, Thinking, and Feeling) along with the attitudes of each (Extraversion and Introversion). Put that all together and you get the eight MBTI® patterns of mental activity (Se, Si, Ne, Ni, Te, Ti, Fe, Fi). If you want to read more ...

Hello, everyone. I’m back and writing again after my very busy travel schedule has finally slowed down just a little. Thanks so much to Mathew David Pauley for filling in on my blog duties with his very insightful writing. I loved reading his posts as I traveled from city to city. I’m going to continue Mathew’s emphasis on the mental processes in this next blog series. As I sit back and get ready to write once more, I’m a bit startled by how fast the year is going by. It ...