After reading about the different kinds of leadership styles so far through the semester. It has made me look at how I am as a leader and reflect on what tools I use to get the best out of people. I decided to do a Myers Briggs test, for those that have not done one, a link will be below for people that are interested. The Myers Briggs test according to the website “is an assessment that is believed to measure psychological preferences in how people perceive the world and make decisions. According to the Myers-Briggs test, there are 16 different types of personalities. The test consists of a series of questions, and your answers determine what type of personality you have and provide general assumptions about how your personality type is best suited for success in terms of careers, communication, etc.” (Alyssa Gregory, 2011). I was previously told about it to by my mother who said it would be smart for me to take it to help me in my business career as just a tool to better understand myself. So this post is about what I found out from the test and if it came back as an accurate depiction of me and if you should do it.
I chose to use https://www.16personalities.com to take the test it was free and got the best reviews I could find on the internet. It took me around 15 minutes and asked me questions from “You find it difficult to introduce yourself to other people” to “Being organized is more important to you than being adaptable” and I had to answer from a 7 point scale whether I agreed or disagree to the particular question about myself.
I was very surprised to have the results I got back; I tested into the ESTP personality type. Notable ESTP’s are Samuel L. Jackson, Ernest Hemingway, Jack Nicholson.
ESTP stands for (Extroversion, Sensing, Thinking, Perception) and the strength’s and weaknesses include:
Strengths
- Bold – People with the ESTP personality type are full of life and energy. There is no greater joy for ESTPs than pushing boundaries and discovering and using new things and ideas.
- Rational and Practical – ESTPs love knowledge and philosophy, but not for their own sake. What’s fun for ESTP personalities is finding ideas that are actionable and drilling into the details so they can put them to use. If a discussion is completely arbitrary, there are better uses for ESTPs’ time.
- Original – Combining their boldness and practicality, ESTPs love to experiment with new ideas and solutions. They put things together in ways no one else would think to.
- Perceptive – This originality is helped by ESTPs’ ability to notice when things change – and when they need to change! Small shifts in habits and appearances stick out to ESTPs, and they use these observations to help create connections with others.
- Direct – This perceptive skill isn’t used for mind games – ESTPs prefer to communicate clearly, with direct and factual questions and answers. Things are what they are.
- Sociable – All these qualities pull together to make a natural group leader in ESTPs. This isn’t something that they actively seek – people with this personality type just have a knack for making excellent use of social interactions and networking opportunities.
Weaknesses
- Insensitive – Feelings and emotions come second to facts and “reality” for ESTPs. Emotionally charged situations are awkward, uncomfortable affairs, and ESTPs’ blunt honesty doesn’t help here. These personalities often have a lot of trouble acknowledging and expressing their own feelings as well.
- Impatient – ESTPs move at their own pace to keep themselves excited. Slowing down because someone else “doesn’t get it” or having to stay focused on a single detail for too long is extremely challenging for ESTPs.
- Risk-prone – This impatience can lead ESTPs to push into uncharted territory without thinking of the long-term consequences. ESTP personalities sometimes intentionally combat boredom with extra risk.
- Unstructured – ESTPs see an opportunity – to fix a problem, to advance, to have fun – and seize the moment, often ignoring rules and social expectations in the process. This may get things done, but it can create unexpected social fallout.
- May Miss the Bigger Picture – Living in the moment can cause ESTPs to miss the forest for the trees. People with this personality type love to solve problems here and now, perhaps too much. All parts of a project can be perfect, but the project will still fail if those parts do not fit together.
- Defiant – ESTPs won’t be boxed in. Repetition, hardline rules, sitting quietly while they are lectured at – this isn’t how ESTPs live their lives. They are action-oriented and hands-on. Environments like school and much entry-level work can be so tedious that they’re intolerable, requiring extraordinary effort from ESTPs to stay focused long enough to get to freer positions.
After reading through the eight different pages describing the different idiosyncrasy’s that come with having a ESTP personailty type I have to say I agreed with a lot of how it descirbed me. Of course, a test isn’t going to nail you down completely. I thought it did a great job and helped me reflect on how minimizing my weaknesses could make me a better leader in the future.
All in all, I think you should take the time whether you’re bored on your lunch break or in the corporate business world and just take the test!
Austin Knapp
References:
Site Point: What the Myers-Briggs Personality Test Can and Can’t Tell You by Alyssa Gregory used (2/12/18) from https://www.sitepoint.com/what-the-myers-briggs-personality-test-can-and-cant-tell-you/
https://www.16personalities.com/estp-strengths-and-weaknesses
Natalie Kopes says
Hi Austin!
You chose such a fun topic for this post! I enjoy the Myers-Briggs personality test, and I’ll take them every chance I can. For the one you linked to, I found that I’m an INFJ, or rather your total opposite 🙂 The quiz said that I am creative, insightful, and passionate. However, I am also sensitive, private, and a perfectionist. I can understand why you would chose to look into the Myers-Briggs personality test when looking at the trait approach of leadership.
I have seen research done on the Myers-Briggs personality tests in which they say the quizzes are not 100% accurate (Essig, 2014). In fact, I know that I have gotten different personality types before, for example with the quiz you linked to, I retook it and got ENTJ. I wondered if you had any thoughts about this, or if your results changed over time.
Regarding leadership, I think it’s smart to have an assessment to see whether or not individuals would make good leaders. Do you have an idea of which Myers-Briggs personality type would make a good leader? ENFJs are considered to be tolerant and reliable (16Personalities, 2018). ISFJs are loyal, practical, and hardworking (16Personalities, 2018).
I feel that with the Myers-Briggs personality test, it connects well with the Five Factor Model of personality. Research suggests that people who are more extroverted, agreeable, and conscientious are equipped to be better leaders (PSU, 2018). This fits in with your analysis, when you said the quiz helped you see what types of qualities you have in order to see which traits you should work on to become a better leader.
References
Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice. London: SAGE Publications.
Pennsylvania State University. (2018) PSYCH 485: Leadership in Work Settings. Lesson 1: Introduction to Leadership. Retrieved from
https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1925331/modules/items/23786482
16Personalities. (2018). Free personality test, type descriptions, relationship and career advice. Retrieved from https://www.16personalities.com.
Essig, T. (Sept 2014). Forbes. The Mysterious Popularity Of The Meaningless Myers-Briggs (MBTI). Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/toddessig/2014/09/29/the-mysterious-popularity-of-the-meaningless-myers-briggs-mbti/#6feff51e1c79
Jessica Marie Boulton says
Hello Austin,
Great way to incorporate an interactive part to our blog posts! i went ahead and took the test, this is my second time taking it. I don’t recall my initial results, and figured it wouldn’t hurt. It turns out my results are Protagonist and include letters ENFJ and stands for – Extraverted, Intuitive, Feeling and Judgement. Similarly, to how you felt about your results, my results are very accurate to who i am as a person. It is a pretty decent description of who i am and what i aspire to be. I included my personality types strengths and weakenesses below! Your mother was smart in telling you to take this personality test. Because I too believe that it is a good idea to know your personal strengths and weaknesses so people can either learn how to work with other people, or partner with people who share opposite strengths. Just an overall understanding of your own personality can help people adapt their environments so that they can produce the most work.
STRENGTHS
Tolerant – Protagonists are true team players, and they recognize that that means listening to other peoples’ opinions, even when they contradict their own. They admit they don’t have all the answers, and are often receptive to dissent, so long as it remains constructive.
Reliable – The one thing that galls Protagonists the most is the idea of letting down a person or cause they believe in. If it’s possible, Protagonists can always be counted on to see it through.
Charismatic – Charm and popularity are qualities Protagonists have in spades. They instinctively know how to capture an audience, and pick up on mood and motivation in ways that allow them to communicate with reason, emotion, passion, restraint – whatever the situation calls for. Talented imitators, Protagonists are able to shift their tone and manner to reflect the needs of the audience, while still maintaining their own voice.
Altruistic – Uniting these qualities is Protagonists’ unyielding desire to do good in and for their communities, be it in their own home or the global stage. Warm and selfless, Protagonists genuinely believe that if they can just bring people together, they can do a world of good.
Natural Leaders – More than seeking authority themselves, Protagonists often end up in leadership roles at the request of others, cheered on by the many admirers of their strong personality and positive vision.
WEAKNESSES
Overly Idealistic – People with the Protagonist personality type can be caught off guard as they find that, through circumstance or nature, or simple misunderstanding, people fight against them and defy the principles they’ve adopted, however well-intentioned they may be. They are more likely to feel pity for this opposition than anger, and can earn a reputation of naïveté.
Too Selfless – Protagonists can bury themselves in their hopeful promises, feeling others’ problems as their own and striving hard to meet their word. If they aren’t careful, they can spread themselves too thin, and be left unable to help anyone.
Too Sensitive – While receptive to criticism, seeing it as a tool for leading a better team, it’s easy for Protagonists to take it a little too much to heart. Their sensitivity to others means that Protagonists sometimes feel problems that aren’t their own and try to fix things they can’t fix, worrying if they are doing enough.
Fluctuating Self-Esteem – Protagonists define their self-esteem by whether they are able to live up to their ideals, and sometimes ask for criticism more out of insecurity than out of confidence, always wondering what they could do better. If they fail to meet a goal or to help someone they said they’d help, their self-confidence will undoubtedly plummet.
Struggle to Make Tough Decisions – If caught between a rock and a hard place, Protagonists can be stricken with paralysis, imagining all the consequences of their actions, especially if those consequences are humanitarian.
References
What the Myers-Briggs Personality Test Can and Can’t Tell You by Alyssa Gregory used (2/12/18) from https://www.sitepoint.com/what-the-myers-briggs-personality-test-can-and-cant-tell-you/
https://www.16personalities.com/estp-strengths-and-weaknesses
Hannah J Mcmanis says
Austin,
Great job, and really great idea about the Myers Briggs test, I had taken one before in a previous course with Penn State, and completely forgotten about it! I agree completely with your statement when you say the test shouldn’t nail you down completely, rather you’re taking the right approach being open to constructive criticism about what your weaknesses may be. By having them potentially highlighted to you, it offers you an opportunity to sort of look in the mirror and address those weaknesses and improve upon them, ultimately becoming a better leader. Just because the test claims you have an issue with insensitivity does not mean you are necessarily a rude, and abrasive person when it comes to situations that require some sort of sensitivity toward others and their issues, or whatever the situation may be. Overall, I believe things like this test can help us all learn about ourselves, and develop more as people and as leaders. Again, great job!