16 Personalities
I started writing in a Gratitude diary around 6 months ago. At first, when someone told me about gratitude diaries, I shrugged the idea off and dismissed it. How could I find 3 things to be grateful for every day? Surely I would say the same things over and over.
Whilst that is sometimes the case (I must write everyday that i’m grateful for my 2 dogs!) it has forced me to think about the little things, the moments that I would have generally overlooked. When you’re having a bad day, it’s sometimes extremely difficult to see any positives. It has allowed me to take note of these, so that I can go to sleep feeling just that little bit more fulfilled. Even just writing that you’re still alive, is something to be grateful for!
Anyway, digressing. The book that i’m using has little prompts every few weeks. It offered that I explored 16 personalities, take a 10 minute free test, and learn more about who I am. I was intrigued. It was 11:30pm, I was tired, but I went onto the website: https://www.16personalities.com/ and started answering questions…
Fast forward to 1am and i’m researching my personality type. My results were spot.on. Scarily so. As an example, I get extremely angry when I see someone parked on the double yellows. For me, that person is selfish, lazy and inconsiderate - it’s a hazard, and an accident waiting to happen. I have always been bothered by how much actions like this affect my mood, turning me irritable, argumentative and angry. My personality type indicated that I am an idealist, and ‘unfairness’, whether that be animal cruelty, law-breakers and double yellow offenders, annoy me more than they would most. Suddenly, everything made sense and as I continued learning, the more I felt more comfortable with myself.
16 personalities has evolved from the Myers-Brigg Type Indicator, and is often used as a tool for recruiting. Hiring Managers want to know more about the personality type of an individual, as the results typically say a lot about how they work, how they make decisions, how they perceive the world and how they gain energy. It is so widely used for recruitment that there is now a “Teams” offering, which allows a team to identify strengths and weaknesses, how they can work together harmoniously and are invited to look at the results further and complete workshops so that you can capitialise on the team’s full potential.
Whilst I think that taking a test like this would, if followed, improve a teams efficiency, I would be hesitant to recommend the tests as a means to determine whether someone is suitable for a role or not. This is because of inaccuracies the test can produce; someone may be one personality type one day, then 6 months later have a completely different result.
I believe that internal culture plays a huge part in shaping a person’s outlook, energy, perceptions and decision making abilities. For example, hybrid working allows extroverted types to be in the office as many times as they like, gaining energy from social settings, whereas introverts have the option of working from home, gaining energy from solo tasks. Allowing equal and fair opportunities promotes harmony, great benefits promote a positive outlook and a calmer environment (in some cases) promotes a person’s ability to make better decisions.
I highly recommend taking the test, from a personal perspective but also encourage your team to take the tests too. It does go some way in us all understanding each other, how we work and how we live our lives. I have had friends and family tell me how much they have benefitted from taking the test, and therefore if you aren’t already aware of it, would recommend you do it, too.
Lastly, if you’re looking at a Gratitude Diary, I would recommend this one: https://urbestself.co/