There is a whole raft of personality profiles available these days. Can engaging with their help our emotional intelligence to grow?
We can be helped to identify our likes and dislikes, strengths & weaknesses. Learning more about why we prefer certain things and dislike others can be so helpful when making important life decisions. More simply, it can also help us discover new ways to approach problems, deal with stress, cope with conflict, and manage our working habits.
When we better understand ourselves and others, it enables us to explore different reactions and perceptions that we all might have to the exact situations. We each have a different way of seeing and interacting with the world, and no personality type is better than another—just different. It’s tempting to think that most other people share the same views, opinions, attitudes, and traits that we do (of course they will, they’re the correct ones!). By better understanding others’ personality traits, we can better respond to their needs and build stronger relationships and more effective teams.
It must be said that knowing your “type” isn’t everything. It doesn’t reveal everything that makes you. It could be easy to put ourselves or others in a ‘box’, say “no” to things or keep people at a distance if we allow it to have too much sway in our lives. It’s important to remember that this is only showing us elements of who we are. God has the final word on who we are and what we’re here for.
So with these encouragements and cautions in mind, we would encourage you to explore a personality profile if you haven’t before. Perhaps you can do it together with other family members, colleagues in ministry or members of your session.
The Enneagram
https://www.enneagraminstitute.com/
https://www.typologypodcast.com/
MBTI
https://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test
An introduction to Strengthsfinder
https://www.leadershipvisionconsulting.com/what-is-the-clifton-strengthsfinder/
The Strengthsfinder Tool
https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/252137/home.aspx
Belbin – team roles
https://www.belbin.com/about/belbin-team-roles
Photo credit – Eniko kis on Unsplash