When I work with supervisors and their staff, I often see clashes that can be traced back to a difference in Myers Briggs Type Indicators (MBTI). The differences in personality types can cause misunderstandings as people tend to want their boss or subordinates to be like themselves. Learning to appreciate the difference by understanding the personality traits of your opposites can make a world of difference in corporate climates.
Problems often arise when T or Thinking and F or Feeling types work together. If you have a feeler for a boss, and you are a T or Thinker, you’ll be frustrated by their lack of concern for results in the form of concrete stats. They’ll be too busy giving you the warm and fuzzy appreciation that you feel is a waste of time and energy. You’d much rather they got down to work and made some practical changes. You also wish they’d fire the under performers and stop letting their feelings get in the way of the job getting done. You may argue with your boss or at least find yourself in long debates.
If you have a thinker for a boss and you are a feeler, you’ll feel upset by their cold approach to things and lack of words of appreciation and encouragement. You believe that they don’t care how you feel and your job satisfaction is unimportant to them. You take their words personally and their candid approach can be hard to take. They seem to focus on all the flaws in your work or in a process.
Learning to understand that your feeling boss is great at motivating and encouraging team work and generally making the climate peaceful and calm may help you appreciate them more. Understanding that your thinking boss is stat conscious and can bring resources your way by supplying positive stats to the powers that be, may make you see them in a different light.
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If you liked this blog entry, try:
Sensors and Intuitives at Work
Extroverts and Introverts at Work
Myers Briggs and Career Training
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