Personality Basics

What is a more fitting 2nd entry than to write about you! Well, that is you… me… everybody. After all, do we know why we are the way we are? I’m not going into real deep aspects of the human psyche, character or our spiritual being. I’m only going to scratch the surface by exploring our personalities. That is, how we learn, approach situations and process information. Knowing the roots of our behavior is key to allow us to understand each others’ behaviors – especially those you intend to lead.

I personally LOVE the movie: The Matrix. Not only is it SciFi, but it carries a few simple, yet practical messages we can all take away and apply to our lives. One of the best is the “Know thyself” theme. I will bring this one up in future Blogs along with other themes on “walking the path”. Anyone who remembers the Kitchen encounter with the Oracle knows of the sign hanging over the entrance with “Temet Nosce” written on it. In essence, it is Latin for “Thine own self thou must know” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Know_thyself) . If you look at yourselves in a mirror, you know our physical aspects. However, do you really know who you are? What gives you your “way of being”… your personality?

Needless to say, no two people are alike.
However, the way your mind learns, how you understand the world around you and even the choices made are rooted in your personality type. So, what is personality? There has been research, books and self-tests developed to help us figure out which personality type we fit best and help us understand our behaviors. As you will see, there are plenty of personality theories: http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/perscontents.html. The most popular include Carl Jung’s personality types (http://clinical-psychology.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_personality_theory_of_carl_jung) and Myers-Briggs type indicator (MBTI) (http://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/) . Both of these are a great place to start. Furthermore, here’s one self test for you to try: (http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/jtypes1.htm) So, which personality type are you? Do you agree?

I am an ISTP – this stands for Introverted, Sensing, Thinking and Perceiving. Also known as the “Artisan/Crafter”, it definitely suits me (go to my profile later and see why). More on ISTP personalities here: http://www.davenevins.com/personalities/types/istp.htm. To the left of that same page you will see the other 15 types. Regardless of whichever one you are, you are capable of leadership. Sure, some may be more predisposed and “natural” at leading – it all depends on the situation and circumstance.
In addition to researching the test results, I would recommend you to search for what personality types former presidents were, current celebrities are and try to figure out some of your friends and family are. You will be pleasantly surprised to find out there were other successful Leaders with your personality type. This should encourage you to explore further how you can improve your current behavioral patterns and habits to ones that are already inline with who you are.