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- The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® and Communicating with ESFPs
- About the Strong Interest Inventory®: Flat Profiles
- About the FIRO-B™: Team Development – Role Preferences, Part III
- The 16PF®– The 16 Personality Factors: Factor L – Vigilance
- Group Testing
- Have Brian Speak to Your Group About Myers-Briggs
This month we'll continue with the series on how to best communicate with each type.
Like many Extraverts, ESFPs usually prefer people who are enthusiastic and positive. Like other Feelers, they like people who are supportive, affirming, and encouraging. Like other Sensors, they like immediate and practical applications. Small talk is a good way to start communicating with ESFPs, as they like to establish personal relationships with colleagues. However, they also like people who get to the point and hold short meetings. A good way to hold a meeting with an ESFP is while doing something else, such as eating lunch, walking, or doing another task such as filing. Fun and laughter are often important components for communicating with ESFPs. Many of them enjoy negotiations, particularly when the focus is on cooperation instead of competition. Action is more important to them than theories or long, drawn-out discussions.
In contrast, things that ESFPs do not like include people who are too serious or so focused on responsibilities that they forget the fun. Strategic, long-range planning is not an area they usually enjoy. Being alone, or dealing with critical or overly logical people can cause them stress. Few ESFPs respond well to highly structured, inflexible organizations, goals, or timelines. Attending lectures is likewise rarely going to excite them. Most ESFPs will not enjoy abstract, theoretical, or ambiguous conversations. They like to concentrate on immediate problem solving that helps people.
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A flat profile is one where none of the themes has a score above average. This can happen with the General Occupational, the Basic Interest, or Occupational scales. If a person rarely answers "Like" on the Strong, he or she will receive a flat profile. This can happen if the "Like" rate is below 15%. Several reasons might explain such results on the Strong.
First is someone who has clearly defined or narrow career interests. If you are very interested in only a few things, it's possible you will not have enough "Like" answers to raise the entire scale. A second possibility involves those who have little knowledge of the workplace, so they have no basis upon which to decide. This can happen with young people or those who have not worked outside the home for many years. Language or cultural differences can make it hard for some to decide if they would enjoy a career or not. Similarly, family or peer pressure to select one career over others can lead some respondents to answer "Dislike" to most questions. This might also be the case for people who are chronically indecisive. They will struggle to answer the test questions as well.
Mood can affect how we see ourselves. Major life events, such as marriage, death, divorce, having a baby, graduating from college, moving to a new country, etc. can cause people to question their previously held beliefs. Others are unwilling to commit to any profession, and will tend to answer "Dislike" to almost any option. Test takers with low self-esteem, or those who do not want to work at all will often have a flat profile. Finally, some people will experience role conflict. They might believe it's inappropriate to show interest in certain careers, such as boys who want to be nurses. In such instances, flat profiles are possible.
When working with others, most of us tend to behave consistently. As other team members get used to our style, it starts to become a role they expect from us. This role is determined partly by our own desires and from the group's desires and experiences. The role you are most likely to take in a group can be determined by your highest Expressed Need. This month we'll look those with Affection as the highest score.
Most people with this highest Need take the role of Encourager. They will promote close personal relationships, mediate conflicts, work towards interpersonal harmony, and help keep the team focused.
Some positives aspects of this style include supporting the group, making sure everyone gives and receives feedback, supporting open and frank discussions, and helping the group push past difficult times.
Potential negative aspects include wasting time on gaining team consensus when it's not needed or possible, becoming too loyal or committed to the group to the detriment of others, and spending too much time resolving internal conflicts instead of accomplishing goals and completing team tasks.
The next 16PF scale for discussion is the Factor "L" scale, which is Vigilance (Vigilant vs. Trusting). What exactly does this scale measure?
High scorers are described as vigilant, meaning they mistrust others' intentions, expect other people to try to take advantage of them, and expect to be misunderstood. High scorers often report difficulty in relaxing their vigilance, even when it might be wise to do so. Very high scores can be related to animosity towards others. A high score can be the result of life circumstances, as might be found among members of an oppressed minority group. High scorers often report there is a big difference between what people say they're going to do and what they actually do. Further, they report that more than half the people they meet cannot be trusted and that it's important to pay attention to the motives of others. Finally, many high scorers believe if they are open and frank, others will use that information against them.
Low scorers are described as trusting. They expect to get treated fairly. They believe in loyalty, and the good intentions of others. Trust appears to be related to a sense of well-being and satisfactory relationships. As with other scales, low scorers tend to disagree with the statements made by the high scorers. Those with very low scores can be taken advantage of, as they might fail to consider the motives of others.
Factor L is correlated with the Impression Management scale, as Trust is the socially desirable pole. Vigilance contributes to the Anxiety and
As with all the 16PF scales, major insights come from the interactions among the 16 scales, and not from each scale in isolation.
It's easy to test your group online. There is a discount for groups over 10 people. We can set you up and have your people take their tests in a short while. Their results will come via e-mail, as for regular clients. If you'd like to find out more, just send an e-mail with the number of people and which test(s) you'd like. Write to or call (858) 571-3931. Past clients have included U.S. Post Office, Bank of America, Dow Chemical, Kaiser Permanente, and others.
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