Profiling

MBTI is a profiling instrument that enables people to understand four of their preferences. Preferences are your preferred approach to the way you:

focus your attention
perceive things
make decisions
deal with the outer world

Understanding your preferences helps you to understand the way you behave and why and accept that others may behave differently as a response to the same situation.

Work through this exercise.

In each of the questions decide which one of the options is most like you. When you have the four letters, one from each scale, look at the description table and see if this feels like you.

The MBTI reports your preferences on four scales.
Your preferences are unique to you and only you can say what they are. Other people may observe behaviours that are not within your preferences. It is however only you who can say where your preference lies. There is no right or wrong. This is about self awareness and it is your call.

There are two opposite preferences on each scale. The four scales deal with:-

1. Where you like to focus your attention (E or I)

E You prefer to focus on the outer world of people and things

I You prefer to focus on the inner world of ideas and impressions

2. The way you like to look at things (S or N)

S You tend to focus on the present and concrete information gained from your senses

N You tend to focus on the future, with a view toward pattern and possibilities

3. The way you like to make decisions (T or F)

T You tend to base your decisions on logical and on objective analysis of cause and effect

F You tend to base your decisions primarily on values and on subjective evaluation of person-centred concerns

4. How you deal with the outer world (J or P)

J You like as planned and organised approach to life and prefer to have things settled

P You like a flexible and spontaneous approach to life and prefer to keep your options open

Look at each of the scales and think about which of the two preferences is most like you. Put all four of your chosen letters together in order and you will get a four letter acronym e.g. ESTJ or INFP

Then look at the grid below and find the square with the four letters you have chosen. See if it seems to fit you and the way you are both at home and at work. If it doesn’t seem like you, have a look at the other squares until you find one that is the most like you.

You can then go to a website and look up more information about your profile. www.teamtechnology.co.uk/tt/t-articl/mb-simpl.htm

Knowing your own profile helps you to develop your self awareness and begin to understand others. If you find it useful you might want to suggest to your managers that the whole team could look at their profiles and see how much it helps to understand the differences between people and the way you interact.

ISTJ Serious, quiet, earn success by concentration and thoroughness. Practical, orderly, matter-of-fact, logical, realistic and dependable. See to it that everything is well organised. Take responsibility. Make up their own minds about what should be accomplished and work towards it steadily, regardless of protests or distractions.	ISFJ Quiet, friendly, responsible and consciences. Work devotedly to meet their obligations. Lend stability to any project or group. Thorough, painstaking, accurate. Their interests are usually not technical. Can be patient with necessary details. Loyal, considerate, perceptive, concerned with how other people feel.	INFJ Succeed by perseverance, originality and desire to do whatever is needed or wanted. Put their best efforts into their work. Quietly forceful, conscientious, concerned for others. Respected for their firm principles. Likely to be honoured and followed for their clear visions as to how best to serve the common good	INTJ Have original minds and great drive for their own ideas and purposes. Have long - range vision and quickly find meaningful patterns in external events. In fields that appeal to them, they have a fine power to organise a job and carry it through. Sceptical, critical, independent, determined, have high standards of competence and performance
ISTP Cool onlookers - quiet, reserved, observing and analysing life with detached curiosity and unexpected flashes of original humour. Usually interested in cause and effect, how and why mechanical things work and in organising facts using logical principles. Excel at getting to the core of a practical problem and finding the solution.	ISFP Retiring, quietly friendly, sensitive, kind, modest about their abilities. Shun disagreements, do not force their opinions or values on others. Usually do not care to lead but are often loyal followers. Often relaxed about getting things done because they enjoy the present moment and do not want to spoil it by undue haste or exertion	INFP Quiet observers, idealistic, loyal, important that outer life can be congruent with inner values. Curious, quick to see possibilities, often serve as catalysts to implement ideas. Adaptable, flexible and accepting unless a value is threatened. Want to understand people and ways of fulfilling human potential. Little concern for possessions or surroundings.	INTP Quiet and reserved. Especially enjoy theoretical or scientific pursuits. Like solving problems with logic and analysis. Interested mainly in ideas, with little liking for parties or small talk. Tend to have sharply defined interests. Need careers where some strong interest can be used and useful.
ESTP Good at on-the-spot problem solving. Like action, enjoy whatever comes along. Tend to like mechanical things and sports, with friends on the side. Adaptable, tolerant, pragmatic ; focused on getting results. Dislike long explanations. Are best with real things that can be worked, handled, taken apart, or put together.	ESFP Outgoing, accepting, friendly, enjoy everything and make things more fun for others by their enjoyment. Like action and making things happen. Know what’s going on and join in eagerly. Find remembering facts easier than mastering theories. Are best in situations that need sound common sense and practical ability with people.	ENFP Warm enthusiastic, high spirited, ingenious and imaginative. Able to do almost anything that interests them. Quick with a solution for any difficulty and ready to help anyone with a problem. Often rely on their ability to improvise instead of preparing in advance. Can usually find compelling reasons for whatever they want	ENTP Quick, ingenious, good at many thing. Stimulating company , alert, outspoken. May argue for fun on either side of a question. Resourceful in solving new and challenging problems, but may neglect routine assignments. Apt to turn to one new interest after another. Skilful in finding logical reasons for what they want
ESTJ Practical, realistic, matter-of-fact, with a natural head for business or mechanics. Not interested in abstract theories; want learning to have direct and immediate application. Like to organise and run activities. Often make good administrators; are decisive, quickly move to implant decisions; take care of routine details	ESFJ Warm - hearted, talkative, popular, conscientious, born co-operators, active committee members. Need harmony and may be good at creating it. Always doing something nice for someone. Work best with encouragement and praise. Main interest is in things that directly and visibly affect people’s lives	ENFJ Responsive and responsible. Feel real concern for what others think or want, and try to handle things with due regard for others’ feelings. Can present a proposal or lead a group discussion with ease and tact. Sociable, popular, sympathetic. Responsive to praise and criticism. Like to help others and enable people to achieve their potential	ENTJ Frank, decisive, leaders in activities. Develop and implement comprehensive systems designed to solve organisational problems. Good in anything that requires reasoning and intelligent talk, such as public speaking. Are usually well informed and enjoy adding to their fund of knowledge