Understanding Yourself And Others In The Workplace

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Understanding Yourself And Others In The Workplace

• A Seminar provided by
• REACH
• Employee Assistance Program

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How The Myers-Briggs Came To Be

• MBTI began with studies of Carl Jung on the
  different ways that human beings perceive reality
  and make judgments and decisions.
• As a result of his studies, Jung developed the
  theory of temperaments. He identified four
  different psychological functions by which we
  perceive and judge reality sensing and intuition
  as a perceiving function and thinking and feeling
  as a judging function. He believed that with
  everyone, one of each of these pairs of functions
  is dominant and the other is auxiliary. The
  dominant functions become second nature/habitual
  ways of acting.
• Carl Jung also coined the terms introvert and
  extrovert to explain our dominant orientation to
  the world of internal and external influences.
  Whereas the introvert looks more toward the inner
  world of ideas and concepts, the extrovert is
  more influenced by the outer world of people and
  things.

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How The Myers-Briggs Came To Be

• Jung was influenced by the Chinese theory of
  opposites--the yin and the yang. He believed that
  there are opposing forces in our personality. In
  this, we need to have some sense of balance
  between these opposing forces in order to attain
  maturity and wholeness. He believed that
  developing our non-dominant personality
  characteristics is akin to learning to use our
  non-dominant hand--it takes strenuous effort,
  self-discipline, suffering and practice. Jung
  wrote a book entitled psychological types which
  explained his theory.
• Katherine Briggs and her daughter Isabel Myers
  took the eight different personality
  characteristics identified by Jung and developed
  16 different personality variations and an
  instrument for identifying these. They called
  this instrument the Myers-Briggs type indicator
  (MBTI).

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Purpose

• Know more about your own personalities
• Know more about the personalities of others who
  are significant in your life
• Learn how to be more effective in interpersonal
  relationships
• Learn how to maximize the effectiveness of teams
  by understanding the personality types of
  yourself and others

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Comparing Extroverts And Introverts

• Extroverts Introverts
• Energy
• directed outward toward people, directed
  inward toward
• things and ideas concepts and ideas
• Focus
• wants to change the world
  wants to understand the world
• Attitude
• relaxed and confident, accessible
  reserved and questioning,
• and understandable subtle and impenetrable
• Work environment
• varied and action-oriented, prefers
  quiet and concentrated,
• to be around others prefers to be alone

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Comparing Sensing And Intuition

• Sensing Intuition
• Mode of perception
• five senses (experience) sixth sense
  (possibilities)
• Focus
• details, practicality, reality, patterns,
  innovation, expectation,
• present enjoyment and future achievement
  
• Orientation
• live life as it is change, rearrange life
• Work environment
• prefers using learned skills, prefers adding
  new skills, looks at
• pays attention to details, and the big
  picture, and is patient
• makes few factual errors with
  complexity

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Comparing Thinkers And Feelers

• Thinking Feeling
• Focus
• logic of a situation, things, human values and
  needs, people,
• truth and principles tact and harmony
• Work environment
• brief and business-like, naturally friendly,
  personal,
• impersonal and treats others treats others as
  they need
• fairly to be treated
• Contribution to society
• intellectual, critical of loyal, supportive,
  shows care
• exposure of wrongs and and concern for others,
  
• solutions to problems enthusiastic

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Comparing Judging And Perception

• Judgment perception
• Attitude
• decisive, playful, likes to curious,
  spontaneous,
• be right, self-regimented misses nothing,
  flexible,
• and purposeful adaptable and tolerant
• Work environment
• focus on completing tasks, focus on starting a
  task,
• making decisions quickly, postpones
  decisions,
• and wants only the essentials and wants to
  find out all
• of the job about the job

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The Staff Vacation

• Determine
• 1.What you are going to do
• 2. Where you are going to go
• 3. Whos in charge of what
• 4. When you are going and how

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Appreciation

• Extroverts need introverts to know
• I feel more comfortable talking than listening,
  so when I am listening, appreciate it
• I have a wide variety of interests which I enjoy
  pursing actively, sitting is not one of them
• To me, talking is sharing-I'm giving of myself
  when I talk
• I draft ideas, process, and think out loud
• Because I think out loud, what I say could change
  quickly once I have heard what I think
• I do my decision making verbally
• I get energized by people
• I love distractions and interruptions

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Appreciation

• Introverts need extroverts to know
• I need you to give me space and time to respond
• Dont ask me if I am okay
• Dont arrange to spend time alone with me and
  then show up with three friends
• Quiet is okay, constant conversation distracts me
  and is draining
• If you want to talk about something serious to
  me, I need to cut down on the distractions
  (i.e.--T.V.)
• Dont tell me I need more stuff on my walls
• Dont assume I want to be introduced to someone
• Ask me before you come into my space or change
  things that belong to me
• I want to go deeper in conversations, I get bored
  with shallow subjects

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Appreciation

• Intuitives need sensors to know
• I dont like doing routine tasks over and over
• I would like praise from you when I do the hard
  work of paying attention to details
• When you give me all the instructions for doing
  something it makes me think you think I am stupid
• Provide me with only the minimum conclusions I
  need to reach a conclusion
• Please dont bore me with details
• We N's often have a hard time understanding
  each other too

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Appreciation

• Sensors need intuitives to know
• We need facts, give us details
• If you dont give me the facts that fit into the
  leaps in your thoughts, I will probably make up
  some of my own explanations
• Your leaps lose me, please slow down if you want
  me to stay with you and what you are telling me
• I need a step by step process
• I need directions, models, and examples
• I can become very uncomfortable around you
  because your leaps feel threatening, risky, and
  lacking in logic

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Appreciation

• Feelers need thinkers to know
• I would like more sensitivity from you -- I
  sometimes feel blasted or criticized by you
• Dont give me praise just because you think I
  want it
• I easily get shut down by T remarks
• I take in all that comes at me, when its all
  negative it has a negative effect
• Dealing with a T can be more of an emotional
  hassle than its worth
• Ts make me angry, but I appreciate the balance
  that you offer
• I need to know from T's that I am valued as a
  person
• Genuine praise does not feel phony to me

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Appreciation

• Thinkers need feelers to know
• I wish you would be objective, not subjective
• You dont hear from me when things are going well
  because I assume thats how it should be
• I have a hard time taking positive feedback -- it
  feels best when I get positive feedback on my
  competence from someone I consider competent
• I tend to not give positive feedback
• I do have strong emotions and feelings
• If you want to know whether I value something,
  watch what I do with it (i.e.-Use a gift)
• I need recognition for giving positive personal
  feedback

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Appreciation

• Judgers need perceivers to know
• We would prefer that you not interrupt us, if you
  must, tell us by when you will need us to respond
• We need your possibilities, but please give them
  to us at the beginning of a project and dont
  overload us
• We need to know what is expected ahead of time
• You need to make it clear that you are
  considering something versus having already
  decided it -- your musing sometimes sound like
  decisions
• Our sense of time is very strong and very
  concrete
• We need closure and will work very hard for it
• We desire control over jobs and organizations
• Our work ethic is very strong -- we will get the
  job done
• We structure our fun -- we have to earn it

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Appreciation

• Perceivers need judgers to know
• We need you to put order into our lives
• My decision making process includes giving time a
  chance
• To some of us making schedules is noxious -- it
  violates the creative process
• I get the feeling you are not very open minded
• I am not good with lists
• The fact that things are in chaos around me does
  not mean that I am disorganized
• We are the maybe people, snap decisions are very
  difficult and frustrating to us
• We enjoy being flexible
• My need for more information is not
  procrastination
• I admit to sometimes making decisions by default

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SP 38 of population

• SPs must be free, not tied or bound or confined
  or obligated. Strongest sense of realism. Today
  must be enjoyed. Impulsive, restless. Achieve
  fewer goals goals are more tentatively held.
  Hunger for action without constraint. Tools are
  SPs master- must fly the plane, wield the
  scalpelthey almost becomes an extension of the
  self. SPs are some of the worlds best performing
  artists and endurance athletes. Not saddled with
  rules everything is negotiable. Good in a
  crisis.

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Appreciating the SP

• SPs appreciate recognition of the clever, facile
  ways they work. Commendation for the grace and
  flair of their actions is more important than
  note of how much work was done. If the work
  entails risks and taking chances, this should be
  noticed. Boldness, bravery, endurance,
  cleverness, adaptation and timing are what SPs
  pride themselves on.

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SJ 38 of population

• SJs exist to be useful to their social units.
  Must belong, and belonging must be earned. Often
  caretakers, givers, almost parental. Compelled to
  be bound obligated. Belief in hierachy, rules
  and that status must be earned. To an SP, each
  member is equal within a social unit. Sps show
  pessimism, and preparedness. Stabilizers of
  social economic worlds Activity oriented.
  Must keep busy.

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Appreciating the SJ

• Caution, carefulness, thoroughness and accuracy
  of work are valued by the SJ, who is product
  oriented. Appreciates being recognized as a
  responsible, loyal and industrious person. Need
  an abundance of appreciation, though have
  difficulty showing pleasure when recognized.

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NT 12 of population

• NTs are often scientists. Human power over
  nature fascinates, and NTs strive to be able to
  understand, control, predict, explain
  realities. They come across as almost addicted
  to acquiring intelligence. Self critical-- must
  be competent, with a compulsion to improve.
  Badger themselves about errors ruthlessly
  monitor progress. Keep a list of should
  knows. Perfectionists. Individualist
  sometimes arrogant.

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Appreciating the NT

• Want to be appreciated for their ideas. Want an
  intelligent listener who will take the trouble to
  follow the complexities of the NTs ideas. Do
  not want recognition for routine tasks well
  done-this makes them suspicious.

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NF 12 of population

• NFs are difficult for the other types to
  understand. For them, the purpose of life is to
  have a purpose in life. Hunger for uniqueness.
  NFs are often writers, teachers novelists they
  choose careers where they might influence the
  world. Extraordinary capability to appear to
  his beholder to be whatever the beholder wants to
  see (very adaptable). Difficulty placing limits
  on amount of time energy devoted to work. Need
  to feel their work has significance as well as
  provides a service.

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Appreciating the NF

• NFs want to be recognized as unique persons
  making unique contributions. They have more
  difficulty accepting negative criticism than
  others, can easily become immobilized and
  discouraged. NFs want constant feedback that
  their ideas and feelings are understood.

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Conclusion

• These are just preferences
• Not good or bad
• We can all work on balance
• With stress we get entrenched in our ways and may
  not see how we may irritate others
• Info taken from Please Understand Me by David
  Keirsey Marilyn Bates Introduction to Type, by
  Isabel Briggs Myers MBTI Teambuilding Program
  leaders Resource Guide by Sandra Krebs Hirsh