How to work together
Rush recalls growing up as a feeler with logical parents. “I’d come up with this great idea, and I’d be so excited, and I’d share it with them,” she says. “They would rip it apart. … I would be completely deflated and not even want to continue my research or launch this new idea. They would need to know all the facts gathered before they could approve or disapprove.”
Now, imagine that dichotomy in an office. Chances are, you can recall more than imagine.
The truth is people come in all sorts of configurations. Rush and her manager line up the same way on three of the four categories. Where do they differ? Rush is an extrovert, and her manager is an introvert.
“We’re really different, even though it’s just that one variable,” Rush says.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Since organizations rely on the strengths each personality type brings to the office, learning how to optimize your work relationships according to personality can be a rewarding use of time and resources. Rush suggests the following:
- Assess your personalities: There’s no substitute for actually taking the MBTI or one of the many offshoots available online. Rush likes the Jung Typology Test™ on humanmetrics.com, and The Predictive Index is often used at companies for the same purpose.
- Read up: Do What You Are: Discover the Perfect Career for You Through the Secrets of Personality Type by Paul Tieger, Barbara Barron and Kelly Tieger answers that age-old question, “What should I do with my life?”
- Participate in team-building retreats: If you’re already in a career you love, get better acquainted with your co-workers through a dedicated team-building event. Sure, the introverts might dread it, but everyone should walk away better because of it.
- Join: Connect with the Association for Psychological Type International chapter in your state or city.