The results of my Myers Brigg Type Indicator (MBTI) assessment are entailed in the chart below which indicates which type I prefer in each of the four categories. Figure 1: MBTI results with clarity indication The results from the MBTI study identified my personality type as an ESTJ. This personality type tends to be logical, analytical, decisive, and tough minded. I know that these descriptions match my own personality as I have always been a stubborn person and my educational preferences which led me to become an engineer have always heavily focused on analysis.
From the MBTI results I was able to take a hard look at my own strengths and realize that my ability to make quick decisive decisions which I had always felt was a drawback is actually a strength when applied to the correct situation like in an emergency when needed. That does still leave me with the weakness of being too quick to jump to conclusions which I plan to work by practicing taking time at the end of each day to meditate on the decisions I made and process the emotions related to these decisions.
One area that I disagree with the ESTJ results is the J or judging attribute, this is typically attributed to individuals who prefer order and structure and in my work and personal life I typically have very little of both. I tend to thrive more on the chaos of a situation which requires quick action but it may be that since I have been working more lately to become more organized that my thoughts led me to choose more ordered responses as it is a weakness I would like to work on. Emotional Intelligence:
The results of my Emotional Intelligence (EQ) assessment are entailed below the graph on the left represents my overall EQ score and on the right is a breakdown of my scores in the five major areas of emotional intelligence. Figure 2: Emotional Intelligence Assessment Results I will say that I was slightly surprised by my results from the emotional intelligence report which showed that I was lacking quite a bit of emotional perception and management. First my strengths from the report showed that I am aware of my own strengths and weaknesses and able to perceive others emotions well.
While this result isn’t overall that surprising I then noticed I scored low in the areas of Emotional Identification, Perception, and Expression and Emotional Management. After studying the results further I discovered that although I can interpret my own and others emotions well I struggle at dealing with emotional situations overall which is a very accurate statement of my personality as I have always shied away from approaching emotional situations both in my personal and work life.
I think that this assessment has shown me that I need to be more assertive, also one of my weaknesses, and not be timid about using my gut instincts which typically are correct about emotions and become more vocal in emotional situations. Both the emotional intelligence and MBTI reports have shown that my weakness lies in not using my emotional understanding to solve problems and that I rely on my analysis and details too much. TKI results: Below is the chart of my Thomas Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI) profile which shows how I ranked in the five different categories of conflict handling modes.
Figure 3: Results from TKI Assessment From the TKI results I noticed quickly that my two highest categories were competing and avoiding while my lowest category was accommodating which to me makes perfect sense. I had already seen some strengths and weaknesses from the other reports that aligned with the results from the TKI. A competitive conflict resolution style leads to making quick and decisive decisions which is a strength when used to make progress in situations where the discussion has come to a stalemate.
Using avoidance for conflict resolution also has its strength in that I understand how to rank the importance of issues and know when I can lean on other individuals with more expertise to make decisions. The weaknesses associated with both these conflict resolution methods is that others can find a competitive resolution style stand-offish and even offensive while the avoiding style can be interpreted as myself not even caring about issues. I think that accommodating being my lowest score aligns with my lack of emotional perception from the emotional intelligence assessment.
A large weakness in myself I have come to recognize is that I do not trust my instincts when it comes to others emotions and I am intimidated to approach situations in which emotional responses will occur. FIRO B Results: Below is the chart that shows the layout for the results from my FIRO B assessment which shows my Overall Interpersonal Needs score as 26. Figure 4: FIRO B Assessment Results The largest take away from the FIRO B assessment was that I tend to set high goals for myself and others.
This derived from my need fulfillment for control and likely is due to my competitive nature which is definitely true of my own desires to typically want to “win” in any conflict. This also contradicts one of my weaknesses from the difference in my total expressed behavior being greater than my total wanted behavior which can create the impression to others that I am asking more of them then I actually desire and that I actually am more selective then I appear.
Another weakness I noticed that I know I want to work on was in my team effectiveness in which I both may wait too long to see how others will behave before showing interest in their contributions and also being too selective about involvement which may show disinterest or undermining. I have typically been intimidated to openly discuss topics I don’t understand well before doing my own research and developing a better understanding but from these results I think I should get involved in topics that interest me more quickly to show the group I am committed to the idea.
Action Plan: For my leadership development portfolio I have chosen to work on my ability to approach and process emotional situations and to be more assertive with my ideas. For each area I have developed a three step action plan of guidelines to follow this semester. Approach and process emotional situations:
1. To open myself up to more emotional discussions in nature and not be intimidated. 2. Consider situations and if they are more emotional in nature and then set aside my analytical mind for a moment to weigh the emotional consequences. . At the end of the day take 5 to 10 minutes to reflect on my emotional responses to decisions and actions from that day. Be more assertive and collaborative with others:
1. Speak up with my opinion in meetings that include topics that I am interested in. 2. When listening to other’s opinions don’t consider their discussion as conflict but consider the merits of their discussion and why they may be suggesting their idea. 3. Work less alone on projects that are of concern to the whole group in my work place and allow for others to contribute while setting clear standards.
By following these three steps for development in each area I know that I will be able to develop a better attitude that is less intimidated by emotional situations and also allows me to present my ideas when I feel a topic is important. This will help round out my weaknesses of not trusting my instincts when it comes to emotions and being too autonomous in my work and personal life.
