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Until I took this test, I had a general idea that I was outgoing but never actually took any time to identify what thoughts or actions make me that way. After taking the HumanMetrics Jung Typology Test, I learned that I’m ESFP which is Extravert (100%), Sensing (38%), Feeling (38%), and Perceiving (22%).  According to my source this week, “People with this personality type are often the first to help someone talk out a challenging problem, happily providing emotional support and practical advice” (ESFP, 2014). I took time to analyze how I felt about that and how it is going to affect me in a leadership role.

Being an ESFP means that we are impulsive and we can jump from thought to thought very quickly without thinking about it. To me, that can be a slight disadvantage to being a good leader because often times leaders are people who have to keep employees on task and they have to help them stay focused. As a ESFP, that may be a struggle for me at first. Secondly, ESFP generalized people tend to “talk to people about people” (Description, 2014). I find that to be a downside because as a leader sometimes you have to use discretion and talking about people to other people can create trust issues and confidence issues in your subordinates.

ESFP people however have some upsides to there leaderships styles. First, they are people who can start a conversation with almost anyone in any situation and they feel comfortable almost anywhere. Second, “ESFPs recognize value and quality” (ESFP, 2014). I can see that being useful when trying to find the correct employee for the correct job. Sometimes it takes a person with a keen eye and a good gut feeling to lead a team. I feel as though EFSP type personalities do just that. I now understand that ESFP type people can also take a long time to answer a simple question. I personally know that I fall into that categorization. I feel as though it gives depth to the situation and sometimes depth is needed in order to be understood correctly. That c an ultimately waste people’s time though and as a leader, I may want to work on not doing that.

Lastly, I am now more self aware of my personality type not just as a leader but as an employee. Being able to identify where my strengths and weaknesses are this week allowed me to set some personal goals and to really think about how I can use my personality traits to my advantage. When someone points out a potential fault of mine, I can either ignore them or try and reevaluate my way of doing things to be more effective in the future. I hope with this understanding of my personality, I can be more effective as a leader in the future. One last observation from my source this week, “ESFPs are welcome wherever there's a need for laughter, playfulness, and a volunteer to try something new and fun - and there's no greater joy for ESFP personalities than to bring everyone else along for the ride” (ESFP, 2014). I can’t think of a better leader to bring in when they situation requires a light hearted approach challenged with new undertakings.

ESFP Personality ("The Entertainer"). (2014, April 13). Retrieved May 15, 2015, from http://www.16personalities.com/esfp-personality

ESFP Description. (2015). Retrieved May 15, 2015, from http://www.humanmetrics.com/personality/esfp