On the 16 personalities I got the same results as Christopher (ENFJ-T), but I fall heavily on the extroversion side of the scale. Depending on when I take assessments (and if they are full versions or shortened versions), I sometimes get ESFJ. For example, we took the full MBTI freshman and senior year of college. I got ESFJ on those, but my balances shifted some over the 5 years.
Based on these descriptions below from meyersbriggs,org , I think I do tend to fall slightly more into ESFJ most of the time. I am near the middle on S and N, though, given the descriptions of each.
ESFJWarmhearted, conscientious, and cooperative. Want harmony in their environment, work with determination to establish it. Like to work with others to complete tasks accurately and on time. Loyal, follow through even in small matters. Notice what others need in their day-by-day lives and try to provide it. Want to be appreciated for who they are and for what they contribute.ENFJWarm, empathetic, responsive, and responsible. Highly attuned to the emotions, needs, and motivations of others. Find potential in everyone, want to help others fulfill their potential. May act as catalysts for individual and group growth. Loyal, responsive to praise and criticism. Sociable, facilitate others in a group, and provide inspiring leadership.
I think personality tests are useful tools for recognizing areas in which you are strong or weak, and they can also be useful in group dynamics. For example, when you realize that your friend is naturally more direct and logic driven, it can help you not get your feelings hurt when she gives you direct feedback. For people like me, giving direct negative feedback usually means it is something that has been bothering me for a while and it is finally bad enough to directly say how it is impacting me. I have to understand that when she says things, her motivation or frustration level aren't what mine would be before speaking up. Coming to that understanding makes friendships stronger.
I also think it is important not to get "attached" to being a certain personality type. Circumstances and life experiences can change the way we interact with our environment. Our personalities can grow and change throughout a lifetime. Personality tests should not be used as excuses for continuing in your weaknesses. Instead, they should show us areas in which we maybe need to be more aware of the potential negative impacts of our default tendencies.
One thing I love in a work environment is leveraging personality differences to strengthen the results of the group. For example, I am a details person but my coworker is a big-picture guy. When I get bogged down in the detail and am hitting a wall of frustration, he pulls me back and helps me see the problem from a different perspective. When he is working on a project, I help check it before it goes to the project manager since he is more prone to miss some of the details. Both of us working together makes our project deliverables better for our clients than if we were working with someone else with our same personality.
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Heidi Wallace EI, P.E., M.ASCE
P.E.
Tulsa OK
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Original Message:
Sent: 03-12-2021 11:15 AM
From: Christopher Seigel
Subject: Personality tests?
I took the 16 personalities test a year ago, and re-took it today to see if anything changed. I am still an ENFJ-T, which I find humorous for a number of reasons since this doesn't appear to usually be the scientist/engineer personality type at all, and I always tend to joke that I am an imposter engineer.
A lot of people believe I am an introvert, including myself on occasion. However, I usually believe that I am more of an ambivert (yes, its a word). My personality test barely puts me on the extroverted side, so this makes sense to me. I enjoy time with people, but I also do enjoy a large amount of time spent completely by myself.
The test also noted that people with this personality aren't great with spreadsheets and prefer working with people. I do enjoy working with people, but I don't think I hate spreadsheets either!
Fortunately for me, the summary of the ENFJ-T is someone who picks a field where they believe they can help society. In that, at least, I can say I certainly understand how I ended up here.
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Christopher Seigel P.E., M.ASCE
Civil Engineer
Original Message:
Sent: 03-09-2021 05:15 PM
From: Danielle Schroeder
Subject: Personality tests?
Today I want to start a discussion on personality tests! From using the free test through 16personalities (Myers Briggs based), I have found out that my personality type is ISTJ or the Logistician. This makes a lot of sense to me, but I know folks are surprised when they find that I am an introvert.
Being an introvert doesn't mean that I am unable to connect with others effectively, it means that I need quiet and solitude time to recharge to function optimally. I saw this clearly when I attended YMLS in 2019 and after a full day of presentation and roundtables discussions, we went back to our hotel and had about an hour between the networking events. While some of my colleagues chose this time to continue to meet in small groups, I used this time to go back to my hotel room and recharge as socializing personally tires me out.
A quick note, personality tests and such should not be about putting yourself in a specific box or defining you as a person - it is about understanding and leveraging your strengths and own unique skills to be successful in your way! If you ARE looking to discuss stereotypes in Engineering, I recommend the following thread started by @Christopher Seigel : https://collaborate.asce.org/careerbydesign/communities/community-home/digestviewer/viewthread?MessageKey=48f78a2a-5562-434c-8154-6da1a8c94c45&CommunityKey=78ae5b12-b515-4f9b-803f-739cb4239b86&tab=digestviewer#bm48f78a2a-5562-434c-8154-6da1a8c94c45
What personality or other similar tests have you taken? What was your outcome? Did you find it accurate? How have these tests helped (or not helped) you?
Resources to further explore this topic:
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Danielle Schroeder EIT, A.M.ASCE (She/her)
Associate Engineer
Pennoni
Philadelphia PA
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