On one of the WA groups of HRs, Administrator of the groups, Mr Rajaram Thorve, has raised the following topic for discussion:
Q. 1 What types of personalities one should have in one's professional or business life?
Q. 2 Are these personalities a part of legacy or can be developed?
I have given replies to the questions. These are as below:
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Dear Mr Rajaram Thorve,
Replies to questions are as below:
Q. 1 What types of personalities one should have in one's professional or business life?
Reply: - First and foremost, the question merits revision. Personality is a noun hence personalities is it’s plural. However, this plural form is restricted to English language only. Since in this group, discussion happens on business-related issues, from the business point of view, we have to consider singular form. Person has many qualities or competencies or qualities but not personalities. Definition of personality is the complex of all the attributes – behavioural, temperamental, emotional and mental – that characterize a unique individual.
The Myers Briggs personality test is generally based on the personality indicator developed by Katharine Cook Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers. Their development of the test occurred in the 1940s and was built upon psychological research performed by Carl Jung in the 1920s. The type test is based on a series of questions that gather information on how a person usually responds or relates to various situations.
Personality Types
Tests that draw on the method by Briggs and Myers sort people into 16 different types which are organized by four pairs of opposite traits. These pairs are:
Extraversion (E) and Introversion (I)
Sensing (S) and Intuition (N)
Thinking (T) and Feeling (F)
Judging (J) and Perceiving (P)
One of each pair is combined to create a 4-letter abbreviation for each personality type, such as:
ESFP: extraversion (E), sensing (S), feeling (F), perception (P)
INTJ: introversion (I), intuition (N), thinking (T), judgment (J)
There are total 16 types of personality types (and not personalities as such). A person can be born with any type and a person does not have a control over the type as the type depends on heredity, parental grooming, social structure, nation’s culture etc. This is so because an Indian introvert type might be extrovert in Japan or China!
Q. 2 Are these personalities a part of legacy or can be developed?
Reply:- Part of the personality is developed because of the molecular structure of genes the person has. Each person inherits these genes. Along with genes, the social order, societal ethos and parental grooming also matter. Just recently in the news was Cave Rescue Mission at Thailand. Boys of the football team, trapped in the cave showed remarkable fortitude. Rather than giving hope, they meditated and kept their hope and spirit alive. However, later it emerged that the boys came from underprivileged class. The very status of being underprivileged came handy because they had resilience in them to fight the adversity. Rich parents or over-protective parents from well-to-do families, may not be able to develop the same resilience and fortitude in their children.
In the business context, lot of leadership programmes are conducted. Objective of these programmes is to develop personality. However, do these programmes convert their ordinary employees into the leaders? This is a moot point. Just take example of company none less than Infosys. Though they developed their own Leadership Development Institute long ago, they could not develop a single leader who could become CEO. Founders of the company became CEO in rotation. Once everyone’s turn was over, they had to bring outsider.
Thanks,
Dinesh Divekar
From India, Bangalore
Q. 1 What types of personalities one should have in one's professional or business life?
Q. 2 Are these personalities a part of legacy or can be developed?
I have given replies to the questions. These are as below:
+++++
Dear Mr Rajaram Thorve,
Replies to questions are as below:
Q. 1 What types of personalities one should have in one's professional or business life?
Reply: - First and foremost, the question merits revision. Personality is a noun hence personalities is it’s plural. However, this plural form is restricted to English language only. Since in this group, discussion happens on business-related issues, from the business point of view, we have to consider singular form. Person has many qualities or competencies or qualities but not personalities. Definition of personality is the complex of all the attributes – behavioural, temperamental, emotional and mental – that characterize a unique individual.
The Myers Briggs personality test is generally based on the personality indicator developed by Katharine Cook Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers. Their development of the test occurred in the 1940s and was built upon psychological research performed by Carl Jung in the 1920s. The type test is based on a series of questions that gather information on how a person usually responds or relates to various situations.
Personality Types
Tests that draw on the method by Briggs and Myers sort people into 16 different types which are organized by four pairs of opposite traits. These pairs are:
Extraversion (E) and Introversion (I)
Sensing (S) and Intuition (N)
Thinking (T) and Feeling (F)
Judging (J) and Perceiving (P)
One of each pair is combined to create a 4-letter abbreviation for each personality type, such as:
ESFP: extraversion (E), sensing (S), feeling (F), perception (P)
INTJ: introversion (I), intuition (N), thinking (T), judgment (J)
There are total 16 types of personality types (and not personalities as such). A person can be born with any type and a person does not have a control over the type as the type depends on heredity, parental grooming, social structure, nation’s culture etc. This is so because an Indian introvert type might be extrovert in Japan or China!
Q. 2 Are these personalities a part of legacy or can be developed?
Reply:- Part of the personality is developed because of the molecular structure of genes the person has. Each person inherits these genes. Along with genes, the social order, societal ethos and parental grooming also matter. Just recently in the news was Cave Rescue Mission at Thailand. Boys of the football team, trapped in the cave showed remarkable fortitude. Rather than giving hope, they meditated and kept their hope and spirit alive. However, later it emerged that the boys came from underprivileged class. The very status of being underprivileged came handy because they had resilience in them to fight the adversity. Rich parents or over-protective parents from well-to-do families, may not be able to develop the same resilience and fortitude in their children.
In the business context, lot of leadership programmes are conducted. Objective of these programmes is to develop personality. However, do these programmes convert their ordinary employees into the leaders? This is a moot point. Just take example of company none less than Infosys. Though they developed their own Leadership Development Institute long ago, they could not develop a single leader who could become CEO. Founders of the company became CEO in rotation. Once everyone’s turn was over, they had to bring outsider.
Thanks,
Dinesh Divekar
From India, Bangalore
Dear Mr. Rajaram Thorve,
Your questions are very interesting; let's dive into them.
1. Your first question is about the types of personalities one should have in professional or business life. Let's clarify that a person has one personality, composed of various traits. The Myers-Briggs personality test is one tool that categorizes people into 16 types based on four pairs of opposite traits:
- Extraversion (E) and Introversion (I)
- Sensing (S) and Intuition (N)
- Thinking (T) and Feeling (F)
- Judging (J) and Perceiving (P)
Each personality type is a combination of one trait from each pair, such as ESFP or INTJ.
🤝 In a professional or business context, there is no one-size-fits-all personality type. Different roles may require different personality traits. For instance, a salesperson may benefit from being extraverted, while a data analyst might excel with a more introverted, detail-oriented personality.
2. On to your second question: are personalities a part of legacy or can be developed?
🤝 The answer is both. Part of our personality is indeed inherited through our genes. However, our personality is also shaped by our environment, including our upbringing, cultural background, and experiences. For example, individuals from underprivileged backgrounds may develop resilience as a result of their experiences.
In a business context, many leadership programs aim to develop certain personality traits. However, it's important to note that these programs can't completely transform someone's inherent personality. Instead, they can help individuals develop and strengthen certain traits to become more effective leaders.
Remember, diversity in personality types can be an asset to a company. Different perspectives and approaches can lead to more innovative and comprehensive solutions.
I hope this clarifies your queries.
Dinesh Divekar
Location: Bangalore, India
From India, Gurugram
Your questions are very interesting; let's dive into them.
1. Your first question is about the types of personalities one should have in professional or business life. Let's clarify that a person has one personality, composed of various traits. The Myers-Briggs personality test is one tool that categorizes people into 16 types based on four pairs of opposite traits:
- Extraversion (E) and Introversion (I)
- Sensing (S) and Intuition (N)
- Thinking (T) and Feeling (F)
- Judging (J) and Perceiving (P)
Each personality type is a combination of one trait from each pair, such as ESFP or INTJ.
🤝 In a professional or business context, there is no one-size-fits-all personality type. Different roles may require different personality traits. For instance, a salesperson may benefit from being extraverted, while a data analyst might excel with a more introverted, detail-oriented personality.
2. On to your second question: are personalities a part of legacy or can be developed?
🤝 The answer is both. Part of our personality is indeed inherited through our genes. However, our personality is also shaped by our environment, including our upbringing, cultural background, and experiences. For example, individuals from underprivileged backgrounds may develop resilience as a result of their experiences.
In a business context, many leadership programs aim to develop certain personality traits. However, it's important to note that these programs can't completely transform someone's inherent personality. Instead, they can help individuals develop and strengthen certain traits to become more effective leaders.
Remember, diversity in personality types can be an asset to a company. Different perspectives and approaches can lead to more innovative and comprehensive solutions.
I hope this clarifies your queries.
Dinesh Divekar
Location: Bangalore, India
From India, Gurugram
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