3 Ways MBTI® (Myers-Briggs) Adds Value to YOU

Co-Authored By Emily Tevault, MBA and Neale Edwards, BA(Hons), MCIPD

Are there some people you connect with easier than others? Have you ever been on a team project and felt frustrated by some of your colleagues? When you have a disagreement, does your friend want to talk right away when you need time? Each of us has innate preferences of how we obtain our energy, communicate, make decisions, lead, work in a team and how we approach conflict, stress and change. Knowing your preferences allows you to better understand yourself and to make intentional decisions about how you interact with others.

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®) is a personality assessment instrument that has been around for over 70 years and was built using Carl Jung’s theory and psychological types. Have you ever completed a MBTI® Assessment? If you haven’t, what has held you back from taking the assessment? Are you familiar with what MBTI® is and is not? Do you feel it will not be valuable? We have identified the top three (3) ways MBTI® can add value to you and how you work with others.

Value #1: How do I work best? How can I connect with others?

When you plan a vacation, would you rather schedule your day and stick to your plans or keep them flexible? Do you wonder why you choose to plan one way and a colleague prefers the other? Can you connect and work well with others? Once you complete your MBTI® questionnaire, you receive a comprehensive report specific to your preferences that will help you understand the how and the why. You will learn where you make the best contributions, and then you can intentionally include others in situations that are not in your strength zone. Discover what factors create your optimal work environment to implement in your current position or identify with your next job opportunity.

 Value #2: Why do I react this way? Why do my colleagues react differently than me?

Have you ever wondered why you are reacting passionately in a situation and your friend or colleague is not? Having an awareness of how you prefer to react in certain situations prepares you to choose how you will react. If you know your tendency for approaching conflict, you can communicate to others what helps you work through conflict. If you understand that one of your key stressors is having your integrity questioned or you know that one of your signs of stress is losing confidence, you can be aware and apply stress management techniques before misunderstandings or miscommunications occur.

Value #3: What are my intentional growth opportunities?

The magic of growth happens outside of your comfort zone. You cannot say you are the way you are and remain in your comfort zone if you want to grow. Understanding your preferences helps you identify your strengths, appropriate times to use them, and when to complement them by expanding your options of how you work and how you react to situations. Learn how to take positive approaches from each preference type to provide additional value to your decisions. For example, in addition to considering the facts when resolving a problem, ask for options of how to manage the problem and if the decision will support your values rather than solely relying on the facts collected. If your preference is to make decisions quickly, grow in your approach by providing time to listen to input from others and reflecting on your options to be intentional.

Participating in a MBTI® Assessment allows you to have an awareness of your preferences, identify where your strengths offer value, and opportunities to grow in how you approach situations so you can build stronger relationships and connections.

Have you taken a MBTI® Assessment? If so, what did you find most valuable about the assessment? If not, what is holding you back? Share your thoughts and experiences, join the conversation below.

For more information about Strengths-Based MBTI® Coaching services, reach out to us at Info@bscorbettconsulting.com, follow us on Twitter, and read our Move to Action blogs.