What is your personality type?

In the course of my working career, I've had the opportunity to take the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) test several times with several different groups. MBTI is described fully on the MBTI Web page:

http://www.myersbriggs.org/my_mbti_personality_type/mbti_basics/

MBTI® Basics

The purpose of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI) personality inventory is to make the theory of psychological types described by C. G. Jung understandable and useful in people’s lives. The essence of the theory is that much seemingly random variation in the behavior is actually quite orderly and consistent, being due to basic difference in the way individual prefer to use their perception and judgment.

Favorite world: Do you prefer to focus on the outer world or on your own inner world? This is called Extraversion (E) or Introversion (I).

Information: Do you prefer to focus on the basic information you take in or do you prefer to interpret and add meaning? This is called Sensing (S) or Intuition (N).

Decisions: When making decisions, do you prefer to first look at logic and consistency or first look at the people and special circumstances? This is called Thinking (T) or Feeling (F).

Structure: In dealing with the outside world, do you prefer to get things decided or do you prefer to stay open to new information and options? This is called Judging (J) or Perceiving (P).

Your Personality Type: When you decide on your preference in each category, you have your own personality type, which can be expressed as a code with four letters.

So you all can better understand me, here is my type

ESTP -- Extraverted Sensing with Thinking.
ESTPs are action-oriented, pragmatic, resourceful, and realistic individuals who prefer to take the most effective route. They enjoy making things happen now and typically find a way through difficult situations.

Order Preferences

1. Sensing
2. Thinking
3. Feeling
4. Intuition

Contributions to the Organization

• Negotiate and seek compromise to move things along
• Keep things lively; make things happen
• Take a realistic and direct approach
• Embrace risk in a calculated way
• Notice and remember factual information

Leadership Style

• Take charge readily in crises
• Persuade others to their point of view
• Have a direct and assertive style
• move along the most expedient route
• Seek action and immediate results

Preferred Learning Style

• Active, hands-on, trial and error in determining what works
• Practical and focused on something they can apply now

Problem-Solving Approach

• Want to make a realistic and concrete assessment of the situation (S) and logically analyze the next steps (T)
• May need to consider the impact on people (F) and search for alternate possible views (N) for optimal results

Preferred Work Environments

• Contain lively, results-oriented people who value firsthand experience
• Have rules, but space is given for deviations
• Allow time for fun
• Provide for flexibility in doing the job
• Have a technical orientation with all the latest equipment
• Are physically comfortable
• Respond to the needs of the moment

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Potential Pitfalls

• May appear demanding, blunt, and insensitive when acting quickly
• May focus too much on the immediate and miss the wider implications of their actions
• May sacrifice follow-through by moving on to the next problem
• May get caught up in off-work activities, such as sports and other hobbies

Suggestions for Development (as if perfection can be improved)

• May need to curb their task focus and factor in the feelings of others
• May need to look beyond the quick fix, plan ahead, and consider the wider ramifications
• May need to complete the tasks at hand
• May need to keep work and play in the proper perspective

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That pretty much sums me up. Funny thing is I married an I and a J. She tells her friends that the thing that bothers her most about me is the size of my "P"-ness. The Introverts reading this will laugh about this in an hour or so...the Extroverts just called somebody into the room to show it to and they laughed together.

If you've never taken the indicator, it is one of those good team building exercises where you can learn a lot about yourself as well as your co-workers.

BTW, I am in no way associated with MBTI -- just somebody who constantly looks for ways to control the world and convince them to my way of thinking. This is one of the tools that keeps me under control and in line. One of those things that reminds me, much to my surprise, that there are people in the world who actuallly think and act differently than I do. And all this time I just thought they were idiots.

Somehow in the world of work, I tend to end up inheriting teams of Introverts with strong F tendencies. The F's reading this want to give me a hug, the T's are cringing and feeling pity on me.

Take care, Gio

It was the Knuckleheads, not Katrina

As we're driving along in our luxury vehicles on crowded freeways listening to our fancy sound systems it can be easy to forget those less fortunate than ourselves. It is moments like the last couple of weeks in one of our biggest and well known cities that causes me to take a pause in my life, to take inventory of all I have and be thankful for the many blessings I've had in life. I by no means am a rich and wealthy man, but I live comfortably. This has come through years of hard work, late nights, weekends and being fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time. In the end though, this matters not.

I've watched a lot of footage of the surreal events in New Orleans and the surrounding areas over the past couple of weeks. I've watched the local news as the many refugees have fled to Austin and been proud of my city in the outpouring of support for the recently afflicted. I've also been proud of my city for recognizing that our local supplies will be low for the upcoming months, and how citizens of all walks of life have reacted to help.

Where am I going with all of this you're probably asking? Well, what amazes me is the number of "knuckleheads" who can control in a time of chaos. Some of you are sitting there pointing fingers at the Mayor of New Orleans, the Governor of Louisiana, or even the President, but that's not who I'm talking about. In a city that large it is near impossible to get everybody out. Yes, there were days of notice and a few thousand eldery, indigent, or handicapped people that could've been moved out of the city, but that's not what I'm referring to. I'm talking about the few low life a$$#0le$ who pretty much took over the convention center and turned it into a nightmare similar to escape from new york. That's where the real breakdown in our society is, and you can't blame the mayor, the governor or the president for the scum of the earth purposely staying behind to rape, pillage, murder, and terrorize their fellow city members. I concede that water, food, and other sundries could've been delivered earlier by one of the many helicopters with a camera much earlier than the days it took, but this is not the cause for the terrible scenes I saw at the convention center and Coon Asstrodome (only a few coon asses will get that reference). I don't blame the people trapped inside these buildings of death and despair for being upset, traumatized, and scarred for life for being hurt, angry, and frightened. A hurricane blowing through your town, a broken levee, and millions upon millions of gallons of water is bad enough, but no human being should have to be held captive inside of a building w/out power for days against their will. I know, you're saying, "Gio, what in the hell are you talking about?" Hear me out. I watched with a pit in my stomach as the police tried to get into the convention center last week and were pushed back and forced out by the same people who were expecting their help. Pushed back then fired upon by snipers trying to restore order to organize help to the people who chose to stay behind to ride out a Category 5 hurricane.

If I didn't hit a nerve with that statement, good. I purposely wrote the word 'chose'. Yes, some of these people are from economically disadvantaged areas or unable to care for themselves. That is just SOME...the guy(s) on the roof with the rifle, that sick twisted "knucklehead" chose to stay behind to capitalize on the lack of control. When the officials catch up to that person or group of people, I'm thinking that stuffing them into a 15,000 sand bag and dropping them from a helicopter to help stop the levee would be fitting.

Watching this all last week from my air contioned home, sitting on my leather couch, getting upset at my kids for playing too loud with their toys, made me sick to my stomach, but it did spur me into action. I hope it does the same for you. I donated money to the Red Cross, water and peanut butter and other sundries to one of the local shelters, and about 3/4 of the clothes out of my closet to help the people fortunate enough to live through the aftermath.

Katrina will go down in history as the hurricane that caused the most financial damage in the history of the U.S. To me it will go down in my memory as the worst side of human beings I have ever witnessed in the U.S. We sent our troops to fight terrorism, I hope we act in the same swift manner to help deal with the New Orleans Terrorists.

While we're doing that, please do not forget that this is just the beginning of the Hurricane season. Plenty of more storms are brewing in the gulf. It was New Orleans today, could be a city with one of your relatives, friends, or enemies tomorrow. Get off your comfortable ass and make a donation to the Red Cross, clean out those "someday" clothes you're holding on to in your closet and help make the world a better place for those who have been put in harms way merely by choosing to live in a city near the Gulf of Mexico. Keep in mind that we are 2-3 months away from cold times and the holidays, supplies used today to help the hurricane victims needs to be replenished for those families local to you who need your help.

Gio

Please Help the Red Cross: http://www.redcross.org/