Executive (c) KC Saling, 2013 {not my best shot, but I like it}
If you’re heading into a challenging situation, knowing what you’re going into is only half of what you should know, maybe only even a quarter. The rest is knowing what you have to work with. Maybe you’re counting your resources going into a financial negotiation, maybe you’re getting ready to argue with a service provider over a bill, but in any situation, when you’re the one taking action, if you don’t know anything else, know yourself.
How well do you know your own personality?
It never hurts to know what kind of a personality you have to work with. Maybe taking a test or two, like this short personality test, will help you sort it out. Yes, it sticks a label on you. Yes, I think labels are evil {one of these days, I’m going to publish my full post on this, but I have to transform it into a non-rant first}. But it’s a tool to help further your self-knowledge. Even criticizing the hell out of the results {which you should do!} can further your self-knowledge!
I took it recently, and I’m going to share with you what it says about me. When you think about what I do and where I’ve been, the results seem a bit…well…predictable. But since my mother is a professor of psychology, I’ve taken this same test before as a practice for her class…and I got the exact same results. That tells me that 1) my personality must have been pretty solidified early on, and 2) if this thing is right, I’m probably doing just the right things career-wise and goal-wise.
ENTJ {The Executive}
Extravert / iNtuitive / Thinking / Judging
“ENTJs have a natural tendency to marshall and direct. This may be expressed with the charm and finesse of a world leader or with the insensitivity of a cult leader. The ENTJ requires little encouragement to make a plan. One ENTJ put it this way… “I make these little plans that really don’t have any importance to anyone else, and then feel compelled to carry them out.” While “compelled” may not describe ENTJs as a group, nevertheless the bent to plan creatively and to make those plans reality is a common theme for NJ types.”
“ENTJs are often “larger than life” in describing their projects or proposals. This ability may be expressed as salesmanship, story-telling facility or stand-up comedy. In combination with the natural propensity for filibuster, our hero can make it very difficult for the customer to decline.”
“ENTJs are decisive. They see what needs to be done, and frequently assign roles to their fellows. Few other types can equal their ability to remain resolute in conflict, sending the valiant (and often leading the charge) into the mouth of hell. When challenged, the ENTJ may by reflex become argumentative. Alternatively (s)he may unleash an icy gaze that serves notice: the ENTJ is not one to be trifled with.”
When I read this, I couldn’t help but laugh. Requires little encouragement to make a plan? Compelled to carry out these plans? Larger than life when it comes to goals and projects? Charging into the breach? Being pushy and bossy on occasion? Guilty as charged.
But not, I don’t think, to the point of insensitivity. I actually hover right on the line between Thinking and Feeling {I could have easily been an ENFJ if I answered a few questions differently, and ENFJs are much more people-focused}. Which is why I feel a lot of the time like this is happening in my brain:
Right Brain Left Brain (c) KC Saling, 2010
So what does knowing all of this accomplish?
Knowing your personality type is just a part of knowing yourself. Knowing yourself can help you to better plan out how you might react in stressful situations, or when things suddenly go better than expected. Do you have a poker face, or can you let that go in situations where you really need to show some compassion? How can you take your personality attributes and use them as strengths? How might they be weaknesses? How do other people perceive and react to you and how you handle problem solving?
That last piece might be the most important. Not everyone you work with or interact with solves problems the same way. This is true both at work and in social situations, but more especially in social situations: if you have a friend who approaches you with a problem, and that friend is someone who just needs to talk through something, they’re not going to want you jumping in there with itemized lists, directions, and strategies that would work for you for success.
A personality profile isn’t the be-all and end-all of knowing yourself. It’s just a tool you can use to further your self-knowledge. You can even criticize the hell out of it. It’s just a test, and it’s trying to stick a label on you {oh, labels, how I hate you}, but looking at the stuff that fits and the stuff that doesn’t, and trying to figure out why you got stuck with a label full of stuff that may or may not fit, can really teach you a few useful lessons.
Evaluating yourself, especially with a critical eye, is hard to do. It’s also necessary. Because no matter what we do or how much we protect ourselves, we will face moments in life that try us. Maybe push us to our limit. In order to overcome those moments and succeed, the more knowledge we have of what we have to work with, of how we react when tried and pushed, of where our strengths and weaknesses are, the more we will be able to achieve.
“We’ve all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That’s who we really are.” – J.K. Rowling
What do you have inside you? And what will you choose to act on?
Giving a talk on problem-solving at UCF (C) KC Saling, Mar 2013
This Week…
My Focus Points
My goals last week and I’m very pleased to say I pretty much managed all of them! Although I do have to say, I discovered this week that running and a positive attitude are, for me at least, very much linked! I also spent a great deal of time chatting with the husband. We might be 6000 miles apart, but thanks to technology, we’re still connected.
Here are my goals for this week:
- Mindset Goal: keep the positive energy going through what’s shaping up to be a long week, and make sure I’m giving myself the little breaks I need to keep charged up
- Work Goal: I have a busy week coming up and a lot to do, so my main goal is just to manage all my tasks, stay on top of things, and make sure the things I can’t cover get handed off to the right people
- Home Goal: we’ve figured out the kitchen and our colors and I’ve been working on cleaning up the backyard, but this week I want to tackle a design for the one thing that’s bugging the bejeebers out of me: our master closet
- Fitness Goal: it’s hot, hot, hot out here in Hawaii, and I don’t drink nearly enough water to keep hydrated through all this exercise – this week, it’s the old staple: 8 ounces of water, 8 times a day
- Life Goal: I’m keeping in touch with the husband but I’ve been lousy at staying in touch with my family and his – I need to set aside some time to connect with my folks, his folks, my sister, and my sister-in-law, even if it’s just dropping a card, an email, or a quick phone chat
How about you?
Do you have any significant goals to set this week? Anything you’re going to focus on? Comment below or post a link – I’d love to hear what you’re up to and how you’re taking on our challenges!
If you’re looking for more ideas on little things to tackle to improve your life, check out the Weekly Wishes link-up at The Nectar Collective! And if you’re looking for more information on discovering your personality, check out the Blogtember link-up at Jenni’s Story of My Life!
Think about what dark and light you might have inside, and how you will use what you have to be your best you! And have an awesome week!
KCS
