It Takes Personality

Wouldn't the world be boring if we were all the same? This is something I've thought about many times. Today, we had staff development at work, and something I found enjoyable, informative, and enlightening is that it truly takes ALL kinds of personalities to create a healthy balance in a workplace environment. In other words, it's not only important to take time to not only identify and understand different personalities and what they mean, but to appreciate one's differences. In a workplace, it's especially valuable to understand that people can see things differently from others, and it's not necessarily a bad thing. The yin to the yang, the jelly to the peanut butter, the B to A, etc. When true talent and abilities are used, as well as celebrated on a regular basis, the possibilities are endless, as to what a dream team can accomplish!

With that being said, something that was introduced to me during one of our sessions was the "Briggs-Myers" personality test. It is based on the personality theories of Carl Jung and developed by mother-daughter team Katherine Briggs and Isabel Briggs-Myers.

There are four categories to this test that are analyzed:

1. Extraversion vs. Intraversion- The way you direct and receive energy

2. Sensing vs. Intuition- The way you take in information

3. Thinking vs. Feeling- The way you decide and come to conclusions

4. Judging vs. Perceiving- The way you approach the outside world

Usually, people are either one or the other. For example, my results show that I am Extraversion, Intuition, Feeling, and Judging (or personality type ENFJ). There are 16 different personalities, but it is possible that you can be a combination of both of the same categories (i.e. a mix of thinking and feeling, judging and perceiving, etc.). The presenter also explained that overtime, especially as we age, these personalities can change.

If you enjoy learning about others as much as I do, or if you need insight into enhancing your workplace/team, I encourage you to look up the "Briggs-Myers" personality test. I thoroughly enjoyed the training, and I keep researching it to see what more I can learn.

The main takeaway: it takes all kinds to work together, whether it's a work relationship, personal relationship, etc. You're not always right, and your way is not the only way. Listen to others and see what they have to offer. You might wind up surprising yourself as to what you can learn along the game of life.

Have a great weekend and happy Valentine's Day! Love to all of you, -Amy