Another of today’s most respected and well-known personality tests is called the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator assessment. Developed in the 1940s by Isabel Myers and her mother, Katharine Cook Briggs, the test is continually updated, and more than 2 million people take it every year.
The Myers & Briggs Foundation (www.myersbriggs.org) instructs people interested in taking the test to find a certified career or coun seling center so that a certified administrator can give you the test and review the results with you.
In the meantime, however, the following is an overview of what the test will identify, mainly the dominant factors in your personality, your natural tendencies, and how you process information and make decisions. These are all aspects of our personality that emerge on a daily basis in business.
Definitions of Personality
In the four pairings below, you will find descriptions from Wikipedia of two opposing personality traits. Each of us favors one over the other in each pairing, and the test reveals which of the two suits you more. The extrovert’s flow of energy is directed outward toward people and objects, and the introvert’s is directed inward toward concepts and ideas. Extroverts are action-oriented and desire breadth, while introverts are thought-oriented and seek depth.
Sensing and intuition are the information-gathering functions. Individuals who prefer sensing are more likely to trust information that is tangible and concrete. They prefer to look for details and facts. On the other hand, those who prefer intuition tend to trust information that is more abstract—those flashes of insight that seem to bubble up from the unconscious.
Thinking and feeling are the decision-making functions. The thinking and feeling functions are both used to make rational decisions. Those who prefer thinking tend to decide things from a more detached standpoint, measuring the decision by what seems reasonable, logical, consistent, and matches a given set of rules. Those who prefer feeling tend to come to decisions by associating or empathizing with the situation, looking at it from another angle, and weighing the situation to achieve the greatest harmony, considering the needs of the people involved.
Judging (thinking or feeling) or perceiving (sensing or intuition) functions describe how we relate to the outside world. People who are “judging” types prefer to “have matters settled,” and those who are “perceiving” types prefer to “keep decisions open.”
So what does all this mean? Do you have to take any of these tests in order to start a business?
Not necessarily. However, among my goals for this book is helping entrepreneurs increase their chances of success. Risks must be considered when you’re deciding whether to launch a business and what type to launch. While there are numerous considerations to take into account in making these decisions, identifying a business and role for oneself that is compatible with one’s personality can only enhance your chances of success and satisfaction. Further, this awareness can increase the likelihood of your success in the ongoing management of the company. This knowledge is a hidden and powerful opportunity, one that will serve you well both in choosing a business that fits your style and building a business that works for you.
The Myers & Briggs Foundation (www.myersbriggs.org) instructs people interested in taking the test to find a certified career or coun seling center so that a certified administrator can give you the test and review the results with you.
In the meantime, however, the following is an overview of what the test will identify, mainly the dominant factors in your personality, your natural tendencies, and how you process information and make decisions. These are all aspects of our personality that emerge on a daily basis in business.
Definitions of Personality
In the four pairings below, you will find descriptions from Wikipedia of two opposing personality traits. Each of us favors one over the other in each pairing, and the test reveals which of the two suits you more. The extrovert’s flow of energy is directed outward toward people and objects, and the introvert’s is directed inward toward concepts and ideas. Extroverts are action-oriented and desire breadth, while introverts are thought-oriented and seek depth.
Sensing and intuition are the information-gathering functions. Individuals who prefer sensing are more likely to trust information that is tangible and concrete. They prefer to look for details and facts. On the other hand, those who prefer intuition tend to trust information that is more abstract—those flashes of insight that seem to bubble up from the unconscious.
Thinking and feeling are the decision-making functions. The thinking and feeling functions are both used to make rational decisions. Those who prefer thinking tend to decide things from a more detached standpoint, measuring the decision by what seems reasonable, logical, consistent, and matches a given set of rules. Those who prefer feeling tend to come to decisions by associating or empathizing with the situation, looking at it from another angle, and weighing the situation to achieve the greatest harmony, considering the needs of the people involved.
Judging (thinking or feeling) or perceiving (sensing or intuition) functions describe how we relate to the outside world. People who are “judging” types prefer to “have matters settled,” and those who are “perceiving” types prefer to “keep decisions open.”
So what does all this mean? Do you have to take any of these tests in order to start a business?
Not necessarily. However, among my goals for this book is helping entrepreneurs increase their chances of success. Risks must be considered when you’re deciding whether to launch a business and what type to launch. While there are numerous considerations to take into account in making these decisions, identifying a business and role for oneself that is compatible with one’s personality can only enhance your chances of success and satisfaction. Further, this awareness can increase the likelihood of your success in the ongoing management of the company. This knowledge is a hidden and powerful opportunity, one that will serve you well both in choosing a business that fits your style and building a business that works for you.
