I’m a huge fan of the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). I was first trained in the MBTI tool back in the early 1990s and it’s been of huge benefits to leaders, teams and individuals ever since. MBTI has been taken by over 2.5 million people!

So in today’s article I wanted to share more about MBTI and 5 different ways it can help you in the workplace. Let’s get started.

What is MBTI?

MBTI is a personality preference tool that helps you understand you. It involves you taking an online questionnaire which asks you a series of questions about the things you do and the way you like to think about things.

MBTI was developed by a mother and daughter: Katharine Briggs and Isabel Myers back in the 1940s. Since then it has captured the world and is used across many diverse sectors and has been translated in over 20 different languages.

As a result of completing the MBTI profile you receive four letters. It’s these four letters that capture the essence of who you are. For example, are you someone who is highly organised or goes with the flow? Do you like to make decisions based upon logic? Are you an intuitive or do you need lots of information?

I’ve heard many times how people dislike being ‘put in a box’. Yet when they complete the MBTI many express their surprise and delight at the description of who they are.

What does the MBTI Reveal?

Okay so let’s look a little more at the content of the MBTI before we review how all of this can help you in the workplace.

There are 16 different Myers Briggs ‘types’. The types come from looking at four different scales and you select which side of the scale you are.

1) The first scale is the Energy scale. Where do you get your energy from?

The labels are ‘Extroversion’ and ‘Introversion’ and in Myers Briggs language this means:

‘E’ – you get your energy from other people: you feel better when you can bounce ideas around and talk things through (my mother in law is off the scale here!).

‘I’ – you get your energy from within: you prefer to reflect on situations; think things through; enjoy having the space to consider and collect your thoughts.

2) The second scale is how you gather information.

Some of us have a preference for gathering facts and data or ‘Sensing’ as it’s known in MBTI language. Others have a preference for using their ‘iNtuiton’, seeing the bigger picture and imagining what could be. This is the ‘S’ or ‘N’ scale.

3) The third scale is how you prefer to make decisions.

Some of us have a clear preference for using our ‘Thinking’ or ‘T’. This means we like to use logic, analysis and rationale. Others prefer ‘Feeling’ or ‘F’. This means we much prefer to look at the impact decisions have on people – preferring harmony and consideration.

4) The fourth scale looks at how we like to live our lives.

Here we have another two broad types: ‘J’ or ‘Judging’ which means we are organised, systematic and like to make decisions quickly. Or there’s the other end of the spectrum ‘P’ or ‘Perceiving’ which means we enjoy going with the flow and reviewing all the options.

As a result we end up with a preference for E or I; S or N; T or F and J or P giving us four out of a possible sixteen different types.

It’s important to remember that we all need both sides of the spectrum. What’s different is that we have a preference for one over the other and that’s our more dominate way of being.

So How Can MBTI Help in the Workplace?

1) Appreciate Difference

This is one of the biggest strengths of completing the MBTI. We get to understand how other people tick. No one type is better than another (although some would like to disagree!). As every type is equal we get to see the world through another person’s eyes. Who would not want that in the workplace?

2) Improved teamwork

Understanding how your colleagues tick is crucial in creating great team performance. If one of your team is a ‘P’ for example and everyone else is a ‘J’ this will be grounds for lots of conflict. There will be frustration at the lack of decisiveness from this one person who in turn will be annoyed that others are pushing them so hard. That’s just one example of how understanding difference can help.

3) Improved Relationship with Your Boss

Imagine knowing what your Boss’s personality type is: Knowing how he / she prefers to make decisions; Knowing if he / she needs lots of data and information or is someone that prefers to be bouncing ideas around. What about if he / she is more task focused than people focused (and you are the opposite to them). Imagine the world of possibilities and new strategies you can deploy when you gain this insight.

4) Stronger Customer Insight

By knowing there are 16 different personality types, this provides enormous value in understanding your customers and the people you serve. More often than not we prefer to think and behave in ways that reflect who we are. We find it difficult to understand other’s perspectives. Having this insight massively broadens your influence, your connectivity and improves your service. When was the last time you reviewed your policies and your systems from all these different perspectives?

5) Are You In the Right Job?

MBTI can absolutely help you recognise why you might be feeling frustrated and unhappy in your role. It could be that your type just isn’t suited to the environment in which you work. Perhaps the culture is at odds with your values and what you care about. Or perhaps your boss is on the opposite side of the spectrum. Again, having this insight will massively help you make the right strategic decisions about your career.

If you are interested in taking the MBTI personality assessment then please get in touch: Sandra@handbagsintheboardroom.com.

Have a look at our forthcoming women leaders online event. It’s free to attend! www.handbagsintheboardroom.com

Enjoyed this article? Then have a read of these:

5 Secrets to Strong Emotional Intelligence

Leadership Styles Men V Women

The Ex Factor – how to Build Executive Presence

Image courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net /stuart miles