What sort of business personality are you?

[Faith28]

I am curious here...please humour me.

But I have been struggling with various hair brain ideas and could potentially do well with them but find that each time I start something I may finish the actual product but my personality is such that it jumps to the next opportunity without crossing ts and dotting the i's from the previous work.

My mind, and I guess personality, is very spontaneous, sometimes I really don't know what I will do on the day. This may be great for creativity and family but then areas in teh business it doesn't work so well. Also I may be a little risky sometime but not with debt, I am happy to risk my own money but will not take a loan out and risk that on a business expansion, say unless it's a 'soft loan'. This could hinder the expansion process.

So what sort of personality are you..and what kind of business do you have...is it where you want it to be and what would you have to do to take it to the next exciting level. does it conflict with how you are as a person or are you able to be detached and work logically 100% of the time, whatever it takes to take that business forward.

[Cornish Steve]

You might find value in taking the Myers-Briggs test (http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes1.htm) and reading the description of your personality type. I've always been an INTJ ('mastermind'), with strong NT and weak J, although my Introvert component has weakened through the years.

Here's a description of the INTJ personality type: The Mastermind (INTJ) is very focused, but more on an internal vision. They are good at solving problems and like to work on tough intellectual puzzles. They are often led into technical positions such as scientific researcher, design engineer, environmental planner. The developing field of genetics benefits from their intensity as does the field of medicine. In education they are most often found at the college and university level. In the professions, they may be a lawyer, a business analyst, or strategic planner. Some have a strong artistic/creative bent and may become an artist, inventor, or designer. Whatever they do, they do it with intensity.

Honestly, this describes me to a T. I'm at ease working in an academic environment, I can't resist puzzles, the job I most enjoyed in industry was business strategy, I work in a technology industry, I do everything with intensity, I've always been an inventor, and the artistic part comes out in music. This description helps me to understand when I need to call on others to help - and my business partner fills some of those gaps.

Your turn, Eiman: What does the M-B test say about you? Does it explain any of the issues you mentioned in your post?

[Faith28]

I'll check that out. I half expect a scatter brain personality. Though I have changed over time.

[Subbynet]

That an interesting test Steve - although I dislike the idea of marking my own results in these types of tests.

Anyways, I came out as apparently INTP
Architects are rare - maybe one percent of the population - and show the greatest precision in thought and speech of all the types. They tend to see distinctions and inconsistencies instantaneously, and can detect contradictions no matter when or where they were made. It is difficult for an Architect to listen to nonsense, even in a casual conversation, without pointing out the speaker's error. And in any serious discussion or debate Architects are devastating, their skill in framing arguments giving them an enormous advantage. Architects regard all discussions as a search for understanding, and believe their function is to eliminate inconsistencies, which can make communication with them an uncomfortable experience for many.

Anyways, I'm not too disappointed, other "architects" are Albert Einstein and Charles Darwin, so I'm in good company.

[Faith28]

ooohhhh...I like what I am reading, it seems I have tended towards being an extrovert over the years, quite somthing since 1999 I was a comfortable introvert.:

I am a ENFP

You are:
slightly expressed extravert

slightly expressed intuitive personality

moderately expressed feeling personality

moderately expressed perceiving personality

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Idealist Portrait of the Champion (ENFP)
Like the other Idealists, Champions are rather rare, say two or three percent of the population, but even more than the others they consider intense emotional experiences as being vital to a full life. Champions have a wide range and variety of emotions, and a great passion for novelty. They see life as an exciting drama, pregnant with possibilities for both good and evil, and they want to experience all the meaningful events and fascinating people in the world. The most outgoing of the Idealists, Champions often can't wait to tell others of their extraordinary experiences. Champions can be tireless in talking with others, like fountains that bubble and splash, spilling over their own words to get it all out. And usually this is not simple storytelling; Champions often speak (or write) in the hope of revealing some truth about human experience, or of motivating others with their powerful convictions. Their strong drive to speak out on issues and events, along with their boundless enthusiasm and natural talent with language, makes them the most vivacious and inspiring of all the types.

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Naturally in keeping with a champion! I wanted to share that with you all!

[Faith28]

The study environment section seems relevant for business environment for me too:

Champions (ENFP) need a study environment that is stimulating. They have a very difficult time working alone and quietly. They work best when their ideas bounce off someone else. Paul studied and studied for his psychology mid-term. It didn’t seem to help. Then he went to a study session. As he started talking and getting feedback, he was amazed at how much he actually knew. He aced the exam.
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This is certainly a bit of a revelation although most entrepreneurs like to bounce ideas off each other for me this is the sort of environment that makes my business or breaks it. It sounds extreme but I think this whole exercise has shown me that I may have to look at getting a partner or someone to bounce ideas and work with, maybe a team of motivated people.

Interesting exercise steve, it has made me think about the best avenue for me as a business owner.

[Cornish Steve]

If you're serious about wanting to understand how your personality affects business decisions, one of the better systems is known as DISC (http://changingminds.org/explanations/preferences/disc.htm). I took this once before, and it's revealing. It really helps you to understand your pros and cons, especially when working as part of a team. You can't take that one for free, though; there are companies that sell the tests. Given your observations in the original post and your results in the Myers-Briggs test, I'm guessing you rate highly on the Influential category.

[YODspica]

Introvert at heart, extrovert at business networking.

[Stephen Berry]

Introvert at heart, extrovert at business networking.

and therein lies the key issue with all Jungian based evaluations - whether it is Myers-Briggs, DISC, SDI, LIFO, Insights etc etc etc (last time I counted, there were 20 of them).
They are situationally dependent, culturally dependent and an instant snapshot which, if you change the circumstances, changes the result. For example, most people have a different behavioural profile in stress (unfamiliar, challenging, threatening) scenarios than in comfort scenarios. At work we disagree on the extent to which home and work profiles are different - and our debates on this one get quite heated - all of us are qualified in several of the above evaluations.

However - I value these tools greatly - they provide a huge benefit to learning to communicate with others in THEIR behavioural language rather than in mine. I would go as far as saying that some form of Jungian behavioural psychology (in a practical format) would be a useful addition to everyone, and maybe should even be on a school syllabus.

on Steve's MBTI one I came out as INFJ - but that would probably change by this afternoon! So I am apparently Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King and Mel Gibson (????)

[Officebird]

I'm a Guardian Inspector! Superdependable by all accounts which is reassuring in my line of work :) ISTJ

[Kazzy]

Idealist Portrait of the Healer (INFP)Healers present a calm and serene face to the world, and can seem shy, even distant around others. But inside they're anything but serene, having a capacity for personal caring rarely found in the other types. Healers care deeply about the inner life of a few special persons, or about a favorite cause in the world at large. And their great passion is to heal the conflicts that trouble individuals, or that divide groups, and thus to bring wholeness, or health, to themselves, their loved ones, and their community.
Healers have a profound sense of idealism that comes from a strong personal sense of right and wrong. They conceive of the world as an ethical, honorable place, full of wondrous possibilities and potential goods. In fact, to understand Healers, we must understand that their deep commitment to the positive and the good is almost boundless and selfless, inspiring them to make extraordinary sacrifices for someone or something they believe in. Set off from the rest of humanity by their privacy and scarcity (around one percent of the population), Healers can feel even more isolated in the purity of their idealism.


********



And one of the ideal jobs for INFP? A counsellor! At least I am doing something right! *lol*

[HSLS]

That's very interesting.
I'm ESFJ Guardian Provider.
Just read the description and it's very me, although I'm not sure how this relates to the sort of business person I am.

"Providers take it upon themselves to insure the health and welfare of those in their care, but they are also the most sociable of all the Guardians, and thus are the great nurturers of social institutions such as schools, churches, social clubs, and civic groups. Providers are very likely more than ten percent of the population, and this is fortunate for the rest of us, because friendly social service is a key to their nature. Wherever they go, Providers happily give their time and energy to make sure that the needs of others are met, and that social functions are a success."

Career options - management and education. Not bad!

[thebigIAM]

Thanks for telling us about the Myers-Briggs test. I was INFJ. It said we tend to be good writers. I've been writing for years. Now all I have to do is become good at it.

[JGOffshore]

This is a bit much for this time of night, and with the best part of a bottle of red wine inside me.

At a quick guess I'd say that I'm a control freak. But I'm going to sleep on your question and reply more fully tomorrow.