My interest in personality types stated in the University of Florida College of Nursing when my class took the Myers Briggs personality test. Like most when learning their type, I thought I was the wrong type or chose the wrong profession. Because my type was completely different than my nursing classmates. Most of my classmates were female and most were feeling types, I was a thinking type. The thinking preference combined with my intuition preference rather than the sensing is very rare, I am an INTJ. Only 2% to 4% of the population has this type. And less than 1% of females are INTJs. So it didn't matter what profession I was in, I would be a minority. I mention this because we look for certain types in college majors and organizations. And although I've seen predominant types in different academic majors and organizations, there are always type variations. And that's the good news, don't feel as if you're the wrong type. Personality tests and learning about the types is a tool, it's not an exact science yet. As I'm matured in my understanding of INTJ's strengths and weaknesses, I was better able to steer my nursing duties and career to match. The INTJ combination points to a highly developed imagination and the ability to apply detail to visualization, that's bringing into being original and practical solutions. So, I'm not able to not only see the vision, I can build it. I've operationalized my INTJ abilities building visions to become a reality into my job interviews, building teams and working with entire organizations. During my job interview for the position that I have now, I knew what type I was, but I didn't know who'd be across the table from me interviewing me. So I spent time on the website of the organization trying to figure out the type of the person who would be my boss. I also looked at the written words and mission and vision of the organization. I went into the interview with a theory and after hearing him talk, I was pretty sure he was an ENFP. I needed to steer my answers, concepts and how I would add value if he hired me accordingly. This is how I operationalize personality types at the interview and beyond. He talked a lot more than he thought. I could see him thinking as he heard himself talk, so probably an extrovert NE. He talked about over arching goals and purpose, very future oriented, not focusing on the here and now or maintaining a current state. I thought he would be in an intuitive type as I am, since we are both very future oriented. He cared a lot about the people and how they felt about work. He used feeling words frequently. So it was easy for me to think he was an F, a feeling preference. He presented a vision of service but he had no thoughts on how to get there. He left things very open-ended. He didn't list specifics such as, I want this position to do one, two, three. From this information I decided he was probably a P, perceiving preference. In fact he made the comment, I have no idea how to get there, I only know I want to get there. That anthem tipped me off that he was a P, perceiving and that he was a visionary. I thought to myself, he is probably an ENFP and I am an INTJ. He asked me if I had any questions. I asked, what top three things over the next year to three years do you want this job to accomplish? He named them. I asked what his passion was, he said customer service. I said mine too. Then I took the ball and repeated the top three things he wanted me to accomplish. I let him know that my gifts and personality would make a great team with his gifts and personality by saying, you're a visionary, I'm a builder, I will build your vision. That's what I do. I told him it would be an honor to build it together, especially with our shared vision of customer service. I was hired and we built a very progressive, innovative, and effective and efficient organization. We were the first US health care organization, for example, that went totally electronic before it was mandated by the government by ten years. These are the strengths of an ENFP and an INTJ working together, the vision gets built. After being hired, I started building teams. I not only looked at the department someone worked in, but I looked at what they would bring to the table to make the team magic happen. For example, many are not title leaders but have an ability to work well with others. They may have great current knowledge sensing, and data analysis skills, thinking needed for a project. Some are feeling types that can help the team better understand the toll a process change may take on everyone. Each preference adds value. Knowing team dynamics, personality types, and how to take a team from various work areas to work well together is worth the work. Encouraging the introverts to share their ideas, and for extroverts to let the introverts share their ideas. And pointing out the value of adding a devil's advocate type to the team to irritate them and the new ideas instead tried and true ones is a powerful role you have when you build teams. From leading team, to several departments, to leading an entire team I use the same personality type preference that I help team leaders grow this skills. As one grows higher in the organization the leadership bench needs developing. One person can't nor should they do it all. Expanding ones knowledge of personality types by passing the info to others, is a necessary and smart thing to do. Sometimes, like people, organizations can become stale or complacent. We can mix things up by shifting types with other types. We can help individuals to better understand themselves, then others and then an entire organization. When meeting others, I listen to the words they use, and I watch their behaviors. Not to put them in a box, but to better understand how I can communicate in according to how they frame the world, instead of how I do. My message has a better chance of being understood. So take the personality test, look into who you are, who others are, have fun with it, and learn to put knowledge of personality types into action.
