Introduction
I have dominant traits of an ENFJ (-A), ISC with a "Total-Involvment" Leadership style!
You must be wondering what I have just said if you are not aware of such personality tests before.
In this reflection, I will be sharing a recent musing on how being aware of the unique personalities that God has created us all can enable us to relate better to one another. I will not call myself an expert in this, but I have been reading and assessing the various theories in many recent discussions with people that I interacted with, such as my close friends, my small group members and TTC Exco so that we can better understand one another as we serve together in God’s Kingdom!
I hope this will provide a basic awareness for us in knowing why we do what we do, how we respond in different situations, what motivate us, how we deal with conflicts, how we lead, how we relate to one another in relationships and work as well as a tool for one to refer to as we minister and understand others. However, I also hope to share this necessary disclaimer that such awareness should not limit one into a rigid box as the nuances of each personality types has a spectrum within each type too. For example, the result of our personality traits does not mean an introvert is not sociable or an extrovert cannot enjoy times alone in contemplation.
Personality/Profiling tests
The DISC, Myer-briggs Types Indicator (MBTI)/Humanmetrics Jung Typology Test/16 personalities), Big five Personality trait (A combined test with MBTI), PEAKS, Strengths finder, Enneagram of Personality test, Johari Window (self-awareness) are just some of the many personality/profiling tests that I have taken before. Some of these tests are situational/environmental based like the DISC test in our working style. And there are those that focus more of our dominant personality traits like the more commonly known Myer-briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) which categorises it into 16 personality types.
Below is a summary of the BIG Five Personality trait which is a combination of a MBTI and an added trait of “Identity” to complement the MBTI test that I will use as a primary reference for this reflection.
Five Personality AspectsThis section will describe five personality aspects that, when combined, define the personality type: Mind, Energy, Nature, Tactics and Identity. Each of these aspects should be seen as a two-sided continuum, with the “neutral” option placed in the middle. The percentages you would have seen after completing the test are meant to show which categories you fall under, and how strong your preferences are.
Let us now go through the personality aspects one by one:
Mind
This aspect shows how we interact with other people:
- Introverted individuals prefer solitary activities, think before speaking, get exhausted by social interaction.
- Extraverted individuals prefer group activities, think while speaking, get energized by social interaction.
Energy
The second aspect determines how we see the world and process information:
- Intuitive individuals are imaginative, rely on their intuition, absorbed in ideas, focus on what might happen.
- Observant individuals are down-to-earth, rely on their senses, absorbed in practical matters, focus on what has happened.
Nature
This aspect determines how we make decisions and cope with emotions:
- Thinking individuals are tough, follow their minds, focus on objectivity and rationality.
- Feeling individuals are sensitive, follow their hearts, focus on harmony and cooperation.
Tactics
This aspect reflects our approach to work, planning and decision-making:
- Judging individuals are decisive, prefer clear rules and guidelines, see deadlines as sacred, seek closure.
- Prospecting individuals very good at improvising, prefer keeping their options open, relaxed about their work, seek freedom.
Identity
Finally, the Identity aspect underpins all others, showing how confident we are in our abilities and decisions:
- Assertive (-A) individuals are emotionally stable, calm, relaxed, refuse to worry too much.
- Turbulent (-T) individuals are self-conscious, care about their image, success-driven, perfectionists.
Dominance
Person places emphasis on accomplishing results, the bottom line, confidence- Sees the big picture
- Can be blunt
- Accepts challenges
- Gets straight to the point
Influence
Person places emphasis on influencing or persuading others, openness, relationships- Shows enthusiasm
- Is optimistic
- Likes to collaborate
- Dislikes being ignored
Steadiness
Person places emphasis on cooperation, sincerity, dependability- Doesn't like to be rushed
- Calm manner
- Calm approach
- Supportive actions
- Humility
Conscientiousness
Person places emphasis on quality and accuracy, expertise, competency- Enjoys independence
- Objective reasoning
- Wants the details
- Fears being wrong
Leadership Styles
And there is this leadership test that I did a few months back in one of our Field Education Seminar classes. This test assess our Leadership style explaining how "Leadership= Leader + Members + Situation". The test evaluates us on 12 situations and the different approaches we take in responding. The leadership styles are classified under "Task-Oriented (TO), Total-Involvement (TI), Person-Oriented (PO), Passive Involvement (PI), “Slave” (S) and The Matyr (M)".
This is my result based on 12 situations, (Total Involvement - 10/12, People Oriented - 2/12) , This shows that I am a "High People-High Structure” leadership style.
A Total involvement (TI) leadership style gets everyone fully involve in all phases of the group’s planning and programming activities and to give necessary supervision. Such a style puts equal emphasis maintaining relationship and on task-oriented effectiveness. Active flexibility. We can all contribute suggestions to assist in the decision making process in what to do and how to do.
Personal Response
If you have tried one of these test before and read the description of your specific personality you will probably be in full agreement at how scarily detailed and accurate they are. Most of them are usually positively stated and we have this deep sense of resonation on how accurate these tests has described us, in fact flatter us more and we forget that each personality is a weakness to another in certain working relationship. However, as stated earlier we need to need to know that we should not allow the knowledge of our personality type to define us legalistically or label others into a box. As within each category there is a huge spectrum and one may even have a balance of both types which they call Ambivert.
"Ambiversion means that someone is more or less directly in the middle of the Introversion-Extraversion scale, being neither too social or outgoing, nor too withdrawn – which flies in the face of Jungian models described above. Every type-based theory is likely to have difficulties categorizing people whose scores end up right on the dividing line, regardless of how many dividing lines you have.”
I believe we need to begin by knowing that we are all uniquely created by God. He made us all different, with a unique personality of our own with different talents and spiritual gifts, so that we can advance His Kingdom purposes together.
However, if we are not aware about how we are wired differently, misunderstandings and conflicts can arise easily when you put humans together over a period of time. We need to be aware that what may appear to be a strength to you is a weakness to others, and this is where conflicts usually occurs when two people of opposite personality traits do not see from each other perspective. I believe God made us all uniquely different so that we get to see the world from a different perspective. We learn to complement one another strengths and weakness when we serve together with one of different dominant traits. Such awareness also manage our expectations on how we work with others, knowing that we cannot demand or expect others to work or communicate in the same way with one another.
As Romans 12:4-8 says, “4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness."
God made us all different with different spiritual gifts to serve together in God’s kingdom!
I once heard this statement shared by Dr Tan Soo Inn, that resonates deeply in me, he said “A church succeeds when they help our people fulfil their calling either in the church or in the world"
Christian writer Glen beautifully postulate this further,
"Now we cluster together in different groups of sinners because there are natural contours to our make-up and unique events shaping our development. And it’s important to say that those internal and external differences are not in themselves sinful. The new creation will not be monochrome! And different gifted-ness is not at all something to be ironed out in the name of Christian maturity. Our goal is not the absence of difference but the harmony of God-given distinctives."
This writer also made a good point that, when we do such personality test, there may be situations where you respond differently due to the persona that we like to hide in. It is an outward image that we desire to portray in front of people but perhaps that is not who we really are. However, I will like to challenge this notion that perhaps instead of trying to hide under a persona that we like to be and feel affirm reading such results of our personality traits. We should also be aware of the weakness of our traits in relation to different people and how we should work on those when we communicate or work with people of opposite traits. (This statement in itself is an ENFJ way of reasoning, where we are very diplomatic in how we desire to maintain peace among people and play to the strengths of one another)
For example, using the DISC test, if I am weak in C- Conscientious, and you know that is an important trait if one need to do administrative work, that is an area that one can intentionally work on even though that may not be one’s strength. Or perhaps if you are not a people person, but because in your role as a pastor you need to go out of your comfort zone to engage with your congregation at a personal basis. Being aware of them, allows one to work on what they are weaker on and able to serve God in a more holistic level.
Having said that, in ministry, I believe ideally we should all serve according to the spiritual giftings that we have, but there maybe times when the situation challenges us to get out of our comfort zone and perhaps could be areas where God may enable us with a spiritual gifting that may not be our dominant trait for His Kingdom purposes.
At the end of the day, we may not be able to change our personality totally, we may mellow over time or certain traits but what is most important is being aware that we are uniquely created by God and should display a Christ like attitude with how God has made us. As described in Romans 12:1-2, K.B. Napier wrote this article in Biblical Theology Ministry supporting this opinion asserting coining the term “Christian personality". He said as follows,
"We must change our personalities in such a way as to be living sacrifices, more like Christ. Yes, there is such a thing as a Christian personality! Never again let your flaws and sins be called your 'personality'. Instead, be living sacrifices unto God for this is your 'reasonable service' displaying what is the 'good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God’."
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