Not long ago, the higher powers at Magnus asked all of us to take a personality assessment. They promised it would take only 15 minutes, so I said, “Alrighty, I’ll do that right away.” (Full disclosure: I have no clue what my actual response was.) Honestly, I’ve taken a number of similar assessments like this in years past, and I wasn’t expecting to find a lot of groundbreaking information about myself or others. However, what I did find was both affirming and surprising.

There are 16 personalities and I am an ISFP. I carry this badge proudly – I’m an “artist” an “explorer” an “adventurer”. I like those titles, but what I like more is proof to my coworkers and leaders that my brain functions differently than their own. And that’s not specific to ISFPs, that’s something each and every personality type can say. We’re all wired differently, we communicate differently, are annoyed by different things, and thrive under different circumstances. This assessment was valuable not just because I have some affirmation and comfort in knowing I’m not alone (there are three other ISFPs here), and not just because the resulting information I read about ISFPs made me feel legitimized. This assessment was helpful because I can now see sides to my coworkers that I didn’t know before.

For example, I was recently brainstorming and I was having a mind block. I simply couldn’t find the right words. Words are my thing, so you can see how this was bothersome to me. However, thanks to this assessment, I was able to call on my creative peers to help brainstorm my issue. Using the assessment results, I ended up asking someone in finance, sales, client services, client loyalty, quality assurance, product development, engineering, and IT all for help. Looking at the list of people I was going to for help was surprising to me. I do not generally appreciate surprises, but in this case, it worked.

What I’m trying to say here is, it takes all types, in all different areas of the company, to make the company work. And the same is true in a school environment. It takes all types to make the school function and provide the education and services that the students need and deserve.

I encourage you to take the assessment yourself, or ask your team to do the same. It could be that learning a little bit more about your coworkers or students could help you understand them, and surprise you in a good way too. And, for the sketpics of the world, I can tell you that many people here were impressed by how accurate their results were. In fact, I kind of felt like I was reading my diary when I read my personality description.

If you’re wondering who makes up Magnus, below is a glimpse at our results. Check out all of the personality explanations here.

So, we’re a fairly even mix here at the office. A fairly even mix that better understands our selves and each other.

Want to learn more about the multiple personalities we have working here?

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