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Each of us makes hundreds of decisions each day—from mundane ones like what to have for breakfast to high-stakes decisions like how to approach a major business negotiation. Different people not only make different decisions, but also approach those decisions in different ways. Some people “trust their gut” and jump in with both feet, while others deliberate for days or weeks. Some people like talking through their ideas with friends, family, or coworkers, while others prefer to think through things on their own. Sometimes, these differences can cause tension, especially in fast-paced corporate settings where mistakes cost time and money.
Regardless of your context, understanding why and how you and others approach decision making can be incredibly valuable. Mutual understanding not only builds mutual respect, but it can also prevent potential conflicts between coworkers before they escalate. Understanding your own tendencies can help you evaluate them more objectively and even become aware of perspectives or opportunities that you may not have otherwise considered.
Believe it or not, The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®) is a great place to start gaining these insights into decision-making habits. In fact, The MBTI Test has even been conceptualized as a lens that can help focus patterns of behavior, just like optical lenses help focus vision. Decades of research on TheMBTI® in the workplace have identified decision-making trends for each personality type, including the kinds of decisions each type is generally drawn toward as well as their process for reaching those decisions.
The MBTI® framework has four scales (extroverted-introverted, sensing-intuition, thinking-feeling, judging-perceiving). Where a person falls on each scale has different implications for how they tend to approach the decision-making process. For example, extroverted people tend to think through decisions and their implications collaboratively, while introverted people generally prefer to conduct their own research and brainstorm possibilities independently. Sensing individuals think linearly in terms of cause and effect and focus on empirical, concrete data or experiences they can process with their senses, while intuitive individuals often focus on the big picture and make decisions based on abstract concepts rather than concrete information. With respect to the third scale, thinking people focus on quantitative variables while feeling people are more empathetic and consider how decisions might affect individuals and communities from a social or empathetic standpoint. Finally, judging individuals tend to work quickly and decisively, in an organized manner without changing their minds or renegotiating agreements, while perceiving individuals often remain flexible, especially if new information comes to light.
When combined, these four scales produce a total of 16 MBTI® personality types, each of which has unique characteristics. While The MBTI® by no means dictates or determines what a person might do in various situations, it can help that person understand their tendencies, strengths, and potential strategies for becoming even better decision-makers. As an example, let’s take a closer look at one personality type: ESTPs.
What are ESTPs’ tendencies and strengths?
Extraverted-Sensing-Thinking-Perceiving (ESTP) individuals move fast. They value efficiency and prefer to gather information, make decisions, and execute their plan as quickly as possible, even if there are still some unknowns. If they need a proof of concept, they prefer to conduct a small-scale pilot rather than limit themselves to theoretical models. For ESTPs, doing something is almost always better than doing nothing, even if their plan is only half baked.
How can ESTPs become even better decision-makers?
Because they move so quickly, ESTPs risk ignoring some of their colleagues’ concerns and even losing sight of the long-term implications of their actions. Before implementing a plan of action, ESTPs may want to take a step back, check-in with each team member to confirm that they are onboard, and consider any unintended consequences their decisions may have. At times, this may even mean that the best option is to temporarily wait until more information becomes available, especially if a wrong decision could have major consequences.
Having a better understanding of MBTI®personality types can also help teams function more efficiently. If team members understand each other’s tendencies in advance, then they are more likely to be aware of them in the moment so they can work through differences calmly and ensure that everyone’s opinion is considered. Team leaders and project managers might even deliberately create heterogeneous project teams to ensure that problems will be examined from multiple perspectives.
The MBTI® has also been widely used as an accurate and helpful Career Test especially when combined with the Strong Interest Inventory, which assesses interest patterns for best fit careers. The combination of The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and The Strong Interest Inventory make for the most complete and most accurate Career Assessment available today as The MBTI assesses best-fit careers via personality preferences, while The Strong Interest Inventory uses “Likes” and “Dislikes” to improve the accuracy of career matches that best suit an individual in a career search.
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This content is brought to you by Shafiq Ch.
Photo: Shutterstock
