16 Personalities and Me

A Closer Look

16 Personalities

by Doc Reo | Digital Media Marketing Basics Associate

Leaders must be able to manage themselves, first.

Take the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) at 16Personalities.com

Emotional Intelligence

16 Personalities

A few months ago, my neighbor and I began discussing emotional intelligence (EQ). We often listen to audiobooks and share them with one another. I also buy several hardback and paperback copies to read offline.

This talk was a little different than usual. I began to tell him about my most recent interview at an HVAC company. I was pleasingly shocked by the process.

He laughed and reminded me of another website that administers a personality test named 16Personalities.com.

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Test

This service allows people to take a “simplified” version of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). "The test taken by an estimated 2 million people each year, has been around since the 1940s" (Zurcher, 2014).

The descriptions define “define personality traits and types” into a “four-letter naming model” (Our Framework, n.d.).

I have two admit that the name made me a bit apprehensive, but I decided to take the test anyway. My first result is the acronym EFNJ (I took the test three or more times), defined as an Extrovert, Feeling, Intuition, and Judgement.

This trait is The Protagonist.

16 Traits

There are sixteen unique character traits in four roles, which are Analysts, Diplomats, Sentinels, and Explorers. The authors also describe personality as, “One of many factors that guide our behavior, however.

Our actions are also influenced by our environment, our experiences, and our individual goals.” The “trait-based model simply studies the degree to which people exhibit certain traits” (Our Framework, n.d.).

Measured in five personality types. My results were pretty accurate. As I said earlier, I took the test three times, and I fell in between two of the Personality Aspects, which group the acronyms for each trait.

These five types are Mind, Energy, Nature, Tactics, and Identity. Within the Aspects are the five groups, “seen as a two-sided continuum” that show “which categories [people] fall under, and how strong [a person’s] preferences are" (Our Framework, n.d.).

The 16 Traits

Analysts

Architect
Logician
Commander
Debater

Diplomats

Advocate
Mediator
Protagonist Test 1 & 2
Campaigner Test 3 & 4

Sentinels

Logistician
Defender
Executive
Consul

Explorers

Virtuoso
Adventurer
Entrepreneur
Entertainer

Here are my results from today's test at 16 Personalities

My Aspects:

What does this all mean? I can only speak for myself and my experience, so let me first say I recommend that everyone take this test, at least once.

It is a great way to gain more insight while understanding how to improve their lifestyle and wellbeing. As for my traits, both are similar sides of myself.

I am The Protagonist, and I am also The Campaigner. However, the result of my second and third test changed slightly. I would assume that I answered a couple of questions differently, consequently switching one of my aspects to the other side.

Things Change

At first, the thought that my personality may have changed bothered me. Then I look at the numbers, which meant I had to learn a little bit more about the ten sides of the Aspects.

Each type is on a sliding scale with two different aspects on either side. Furthermore, depending on each respondent's answers, the metrics will fall within one of two Personality Aspects, or it can also result in a Neutral position on the scale.

Figure 1: Protagonist November 2017

Figure 2: Campaigner February 2018

The Breakdown

My first test results were ENFJ-T, which scored 88 percent (E) Extrovert, 70 percent (N) Intuitive, 53 percent (F) Feelings, 51 percent (J) Judging, and 51 percent (T) Turbulent (See Figure 1).

The first four aspects reminded me that I had taken a Myers-Briggs sometime long ago. I remember the tester telling me I was an ENFJ, but he never really explained it all to me.

Then again that was also before the 1995 dot-com boom. I have always been a positive person, and I identified with the explanations on the 16 Personalities website.

More Change

Then in February, I started going to California State University Northridge (CSUN), majoring in Cinema and Television (CTVA): Electronic Media Management. Big words right?

My Tactics started to change. By February 2018, I stopped judging and began prospecting (See Figures 1 and 2).

All of my results were slightly different except I regularly started to promote positivity, emotional intelligence, self-motivation, and educational growth.

The second time I took the same test at 16Personalities.com, my aspects scored 97 percent (E) Extroverted, 77 percent (N) Intuitive, 54 percent (F) Feeling, 72 percent (P) Prospecting, and 56 percent (T) Turbulent (See Figure 2).

I became the Campaigner in just a few months. I gradually became excited about utilizing my strengths and understand my weaknesses.

Campaigner Strengths

Curious.
Observant.
Energetic and Enthusiastic.
Excellent Communicators.
Know How to Relax.
Very Popular and Friendly.

Campaigner Weaknesses

Poor Practical Skills.
Find it Difficult to Focus.
Overthink Things.
Get Stressed Easily.
Highly Emotional.
Independent to a Fault.

Figure 3: StregthsQuest Strengths Finder 2.0 results.

StrengthsQuest

What I learned this summer quantified my personality traits even more. The CSUN University Student Union introduced me to the Gallup Strengths Center

One of the messages I received from our training is that it is better to focus on your strengths and remember that each one has a "shadow" side (CliftonStrengths, n.d.).

The focus of this test is to determine how we naturally use our strengths and our talents. I recently found a copy of the book by Tom Rath called, "StregthsFinder 2.0."

In the back of the book, there is a free code to the StregthsQuest test at Gallup. It is also the same book sold on their website. I am often ahead of my time, but I will talk more about that later.

"There are 34 talents, and we each use all of them" (Loomis, n.d.).

Top 5 Talents

The initial test focuses on the respondent's Top 5 talents, and we will discuss mine while comparing them to my personality traits.

My Top 5 Talents are WOO, Communication, Positivity, Consistency, and Futuristic (See Figure 3).

Strengths & Personality

In the end, my Strengths and my Personality Traits seem to match. As a Campaigner, it would be natural for me to rely on my ability to Win Others Over (WOO), Communicate and to maintain a Positive attitude.

My independence and high emotions would depend on all three to maintain my emotional intelligence. Probably why I have been able to make it through the challenges I have faced in my life.

My employment and financial issues seem to be from a lack of Consistency, which is due to Poor Practical Skills, inability to Focus and how I tend to Overthink Things. Like this blog post.

Then The Future takes over and my mind races. Like a centaur frolicking through Middle Earth, I am off to the woodline.

Protagonist or Campaigner

My ideas for the future are almost overwhelming to many that I meet, and I have been known to discuss concepts ten years ahead of my time.

Maybe I should have been born ten years later. My Futuristic Strength works well with my Curiosity and how Observant I am.

Even if I don't see it, My Intuitiveness (N) and Feeling (F) will often sense the vibrations, body language, or a small shift in the social climate.

Yet, as I said, in the beginning, I am both the Protagonist and the Campaigner because in my independence I prospect less and judge more. However, when I am amongst the community, I am motivated to make a change and help others grow.

Campaigning inspires me to build a legacy through service, and being a protagonist reminds me that to lead I must serve.

All photos are Screenshots from Gallup Strengths Center and 16Personalities.com

Figure 5: Campaigner September 2018

Works Cited

CliftonStrengths | Gallup. (n.d.). Retrieved September 7, 2018, from

https://www.gallupstrengthscenter.com/

Our Framework. (n.d.). Retrieved September 7, 2018, from

https://www.16personalities.com/articles/our-theory

Loomis, T. (n.d.). An Overview of the StrengthsFinder Movement. (2013, August 21).

Retrieved September 7, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50J8DYo7r44

Zurcher, A. (2014, July 15). Debunking the Myers-Briggs personality test. Retrieved

16 Personalities and Me: A Closer Look

16 Personalities and Me

A Closer Look