It just so happens that I have taken this test recently and my results were very interesting. As stated above my four subscales include extraversion, sensing, thinking and judging. So, let us begin our discussion with the first subscale of extraversion. This describes me to a tee, I personally like to “talk things out” with my co-workers and people in general. The following characteristics are also quite evident in my personality:
• Are active, energetic, and enthusiastic
• Think on your feet
• Establish networks of contacts
• Have breadth of interests
• Provide extensive information and feedback
As an example that supports the above characteristics, to be able to think on your feet in administration is imperative to being a successful administrator because of the different issues that can brought forth in a regular day of work. For instance, student and teacher issues arise regularly in the office and being able to take each situation separately is no easy task. Being an extravert allows me to be open to what can be called “fires” and analyzing each situation with a fresh view. I have found that this is definitely a characteristic that I possess since I’ve moved into administration.
The second subscale revolves around “sensing” in my case. I’m very practical and realistic in my leadership role at my school. This specific characteristic is often seen in the form of making decisions that affect the school in the present and adapting to situations that occur. The following characteristics identify the sensing nature that I think that possess:
• Are anchored in current realities and common sense
• Are practical and realistic
• Are observant and attend to details
• Retain and learn well from experiences
• Immediately apply what is communicated
The sensing characteristics presented here are hallmarks of my personality as I do observe and attend to details. In my opinion, this is necessary as the operation of a school is achieved by looking at what is happening and making decisions that will affect how teachers and students feel about how their school is being managed. For example, when a student is suspended the decision that is made impacts the behaviour patterns of the students. One would hope that it would be a positive behaviour change where the consequence has filtered to those who would intend to cause problems. For the most part this occurs and from my experience students and teachers appreciate when decisions that are practical and have an attention to detail are made.
The next subscale deals with the aspect of personality where thinking and feeling are paramount in the discussion of the MBTI. The results that I received from my test results fell within the “thinking” component of this portion of the test. In a nutshell, if I were to look at the list below the third item jumps out at me; analyze, evaluate, and critique.
• Are calm, reasonable, and under control
• Provide honest and frank feedback
• Analyze, evaluate, and critique
• Are objective and principled
• Have a clear thinking process using defined criteria
I am a firm believer that to lead one must also be able to first analyze a situation and develop an appropriate course of action that helps all that are involved. The next step is to evaluate the choices and choose a course of action that will be most productive. Both of these initial steps are important but the critique after the decision is made is much more important, as it is this part of the process where one can pass judgment on whether or not the appropriate course of action was taken. As we learned in university, this is where reflection is important and thus the “thinking” portion of the MBTI emerges in this part of the discussion. Logic takes hold in this section of the MBTI and further strengthens the “thinking” subscale. Moreover, I constantly review the decisions that I make during the school day whether it be a suspension or a lesson plan to hopefully make better decisions in the future.
Our last subscale of the MBTI that I most represent is the judging aspect. This portion of the Myers-Briggs Test is where I feel I shine the most. The list below highlights the characteristics of an administrator as sometimes we must act like the judge and jury in the decisions that are made at the school level.
• Are decisive
• Share decisions, then move ahead
• Are organized and efficient in your communication
• Are task and goal focused
• Provide clear expectations and timelines
As was stated, this subscale seems to describe me the best. I’m very decisive when it comes to making decisions as I know that I have made sound judgements. I feel that I’m organized and efficient with my communication when it comes to dealing with students and staff. For instance, when approached by students or staff I tackle issues head on and make quick and calculated decisions. In our school, we have a binder where our staff members report truancies. This is an effective practice as I deal with student truancy daily to assist my staff to create the most ideal teaching environment. This has helped me to become a more decisive and effective administrator that has clear expectations for both students and staff.
To conclude, the Myers-Briggs Test is an interesting tool used by educational institutions and having taken the test itself has given me insight into the personality that I bring to the proverbial educational table. Further to this, this analysis has allowed me to look at the bigger picture when it comes to my extraversion, sensing, thinking and judging personality. I hope to take what I’ve learned in the brief write up to my daily practice at work.
References Cited:
Moore, Timothy (2001) "Myers-Briggs Type Indicator". Encyclopedia of Psychology. Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology, 2nd ed. Gale Group, 2001.
Owens, Robert G and Valesky, Thomas C. (2007). Organizational Behavior in Education: Adaptive Leadership and School Reform, 9th Edition. Publisher: Pearson Education Inc.
