logic | Usman Sheikh

Putting it all together

“If we don’t see a failure as a challenge to modify our approach, but rather as a problem with ourselves, as a personality defect, we will immediately feel overwhelmed.” Anthony Robbins

We have now completed the 4 basic scales to help us gather the answer to the “who are you?” question. The four scales were:

You need to select one preference on each scale which you feel best suits who you are. Doing so will yield one of 16 combinations for example ESTJ or ISFP. So after you select your preferred type go over to E-MBTi and read up a little more about yourself. If the description doesn’t really correlate to who you think are, explore some more options. This should at least get you started on the right path. Ideally you should take an MBTi or JTi assessment. These indicators have had a lot of success in helping individuals find out where they really are on the scale. This again is just an indicator of your personality preference. It is not set in stone that if you are a INFJ then you cannot have some of the characteristics of a ESTP. Using this will help give you some direction as to what sort of companies, teams or groups you want to be part of. It will allow you to create or be part of situations where you will be most productive and efficient.

To check whether you have the correct type there are 4 basic temperaments which are unique to certain personality types. Going through the list below should get you thinking a little more about whether your selection was in the right direction or not.

Traditionalist (Sensing Judging) ESFJ, ESTJ, ISTJ, ISFJ: This group of individuals are the ones who enjoy structure, rules, discipline and conformity. They pay special attention to details, facts and work to further their teams or company’s goals. They are those dependable team mates who always deliver on what they were supposed to and make sure that they do a great job as well. Due to their preference for facts and details they don’t pay too much attention to the bigger picture. This hinders their ability to be good future planners. For them change is very difficult to adopt to.

Experiencing (Sensing Perceiving) ESFP, ESTP, ISTP, ISFP: This group of individuals are the ones who enjoy autonomy and freedom in the work they do. They learn quickly from first hand experiences and are very agile in adapting to change along the way. They are very good at focusing on the present and are pro-active in getting the job done. Being avid risk takers they are not afraid of taking the plunge into the unknown and learning from there. They don’t like too many abstract theories as they like to remain grounded and use their 5 senses to evaluate situations. Keeping options open is critical and commitments tend to be neglected till the very last minute.

Idealist (iNtuitive Feeling) ENFP, INFP, INFJ, ENFJ: This group of individuals are the ones who are most interested in connections with people, understanding the meaning of life and continuously looking for possibilities. They have innate capabilities to understanding people well and connecting with them at their level. They are good motivators and are a source of inspiration to the rest of the group or team. Working together and finding creative solutions to problems is their forte. They however get very involved with the emotional aspect of life and find it difficult to separate it from their day to day life. This in turn invariably effects their decision making capabilities.

Conceptualizers (iNtuitive Thinking) ENTP, INTP, INTJ, ENTJ: This group of individuals are the ones who are most interested in looking for meaning and focusing on its implications and outcomes. Their strong logical decision making capabilities provide them with the ability to become great leaders, strategizers and change agents. They are continuously focused on the bigger picture and are very imaginative. They however sometimes get lost in the bigger picture and have difficulty seeing the actual picture. Being fiercely competitive, harmony within the group is not their top priority. They value power and move towards people or organizations that can provide them with it.

In essence these are 4 basic temperaments to help guide you along the way to understanding yourself a little better. They should always be used as guides to help you define your preferences. To verify your choices you can email enquire@innovogs.com to find out about taking our JTi test online.

How do you decide?

“Every decision you make—every decision—is not a decision about what to do. It’s a decision about Who You Are. When you see this, when you understand it, everything changes. You begin to see life in a new way. All events, occurrences, and situations turn into opportunities to do what you came here to do.” Neale Donald Walsch

We now know how we energize ourselves and how we process information. Today we will focus on how you come to your conclusions. What are the circumstances that you find easier to make a decision in as compared to others? Here is a an example to get you thinking….

You are 2 years into your startup venture. Things have been bumpy along the way but the 4 original partners have pulled through. Three of the partners in the firm get along really well with each other. The fourth member lets call him Tom, has not been pulling his weight for the last 6-8 months and is actually pulling the team down. Here is the interesting part, Tom and you have been friends since you were kids. Tom is also going through a very tough time with his mother being terminally ill. This has made it very difficult for you or any of the other team members to say anything. Your companies first hire, Peter, has been picking up all of Tom’s work and has been doing an incredible job. He draws a much lower salary than Tom. Now here is the deal, things are a bit tight at the company and you need to let someone go. You are the final decision maker and the choice is between Tom or Peter. Who do you let go?

(Think of a similar situation you may have been. Did you make the same choice at that time as well?)

If you chose Tom you fall in the “thinker” category if you chose Peter you are in the “Feeler” category. It sounds incredibly simple but helps us reach a very important conclusion about ourselves. On one hand of the scale you have the thinker. They like to take information and use it in a very logical manner. They tend to make practical decisions which may lead people to perceive them to be cold or heartless. However using the above example it makes sense if you want to take your company further it would definitely seem to be the logical choice. This impersonal analysis of the situation is something the thinkers do very well.

The feelers on the other end of the scale have a totally different perception. When making a decision they first see all the likely repercussions. It is inherent of a feeler to not ruffle too many feather and to maintain a sense of harmony in a given situation. To a thinker this sort of an approach may seem to be weak or illogical given the evidence. They make decisions based heavily on their value systems. Going against that is not very simple to do.

Like both the other scales we have talked about this one also doesn’t need you to be in an either/or situation. Use the example above and go with the choice which is the most natural to you and one you are comfortable in making. In doing so you will reach another very important conclusion about yourself as an entrepreneur, where decision making is critical in your rise to the top. Knowing which situations you can reach conclusions easily and decisively in will boost your overall productivity. You must always keep a balance in your team of thinkers and feelers. Both are necessary to reach an objective resolution.