Results tagged “MBTI” from VANTAN.ORG

I’ve been reading the book ‘YOU - Being More Effective In Your MBTI Type’. The book indicates the percentage of the population with each MBTI type, as well as the percentage of managers represented by each MBTI type.

So I put two and two together, and came up with a ratio (% managers to % population).

From the list, you may notice:

8 of the 16 MBTI types have a higher ‘likelihood’ of being managers (which I’ve coloured in green):

1. 6 out of these 8 are Intuitive (N)
2. 6 out of these 8 are Thinking (T)
3. 6 out of these 8 are Judging (J)
4. It doesn’t seem to matter if you are Introvert (I) or Extrovert (E) as they are equally represented
5. The ‘best’ categories are the NTJs followed by the NTPs, the STJs and finally the NFJs.
6. Extroverts tend to do better than their Introvert equivalents, but the difference isn’t significant - they’re always paired together according to the ratio I’ve calculated

So I deduce that managers - at least according to the authors’ definition - tend to be big picture, thinking rather than feeling, and decisive - taking the lead. However I believe one must strike a balance. Even if we’re big picture, we shouldn’t be sloppy about important details. Even if we’re analytical about things, we shouldn’t forget about people. And even if we like structure, we have to accept the fact that nothing in life is 100% assured so we have to be open to changes too.

Of course, my analysis comes with a disclaimer:

1. I am not a certified MBTI professional
2. This data is based on US figures, 1998
3. Not everyone wants to become a manager and just because your MBTI type is less likely destined for managerial roles, doesn’t make you less worthy as a human being
4. It’s unclear whether these people are actually ‘good’ managers or not, as that would be a subjective assessment
5. Your own MBTI type can change over time, so nothing is cast in stone

As someone who took the official MBTI test and scored EN(FT)J (50%F, 50%T), I welcome constructive comments on my analysis.

How interesting that I have already explored some of the career options typical for ENFJs, which is my personality type.

See the excerpt I’ve lifted from this resource, and my comments (in brackets).

ENFJ careers to consider

The following career areas are good places to look for a suitable occupation if you are an ENFJ. When thinking about these, remember that your perfect job might not be here, and that there are other professions that can meet these criteria in general.

Social Worker:

Day care coordinator.

Child welfare worker.

Care facility worker.

Counselor / Psychologist:

Private counselor. (I’ve received some church training, and have counselled people before)

Educational psychologist.

Career counselor.

Coach.

Health and wellness:

Public health educator. (By Jove! That’s what I was doing!)

Occupational therapist.

Chiropractor. (I would need training for that, unless you’re a masochist)

Dietitian / Nutritionist. (ditto)

Holistic health practitioner. (no New Age stuff for me though)

Optometrist. (I can’t see myself doing that)

Charity worker:

Non-profit organization director. (Mmm that sounds good)

Fundraiser. (Not in this economy)

Teacher / Lecturer:

College lecturer. (I have spoken at SMU and NUS but not on a regular basis)

Special education teacher.

Clergy (I have given testimony to the masses but haven’t gone further than that)

Creative:

Composer. (yes)

Writer. (yes)

Graphic designer. (done that too)

Editor. (yes)

Set designer. (not really, but I used to design computer game layouts and maps… does that count?)

Music/entertainment. (yes!)

Human Resources:

HR development trainer.

HR recruiter. (I have recruited colleagues before)

Administrator / Manager:

College or University administrator.

Small business executive. (why small only??)

Sales and Marketing:

Marketing manager. (possible)

Customer relations manager. (I’ve handled public complaints before)

Communications director. (ooh that sounds good)

Advertising account executive.

Events coordinator. (please no)

Sales representative.

Website content writer. (done that)

Copywriter. (done that)

Consultant:

Management consultant. (yes please… then again, aren’t I kind of doing that already, in-house?)

Project manager. (done that)

Corporate team trainer. (we take turns to train our team mates)

Politicians / Diplomats (possible)

Media and Journalism:

Producer. (I nearly became one, but my company closed down)

Reporter. (nearly)

Journalist. (yes - i was a columnist)

Music / entertainment director. (yeah!)

Catering:

Hotel and restaurant manager. (I don’t think I catered to that)