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Each person’s unique personality traits help determine the type of leader they are prone to be. Another strong tool to use to uncover leadership tendencies and understanding strengths and weaknesses associated with personality traits is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.

To determine your personality type, take this free test or visit the Myers-Briggs site to participate in the official evaluation.

During the second part of this series, we will examine the four personality types that align with Introversion (I) and Intuition (N).

INFJ – The Perceptive Leader

Known as the insightful visionary, individuals with the INFJ distinction are passionate and perceptive individuals. While others may see them as sensitive and reserved, they tend to be idealistic and imaginative while enjoying helping their teammates develop and grow.

According to Myers-Briggs, INFJs “often enjoy work that helps people. They usually work well in a positive, friendly environment where they can set their own schedules to allow them to fully explore and organize their ideas—they need quiet time to do their best work! Despite their independence, they like to have opportunities to share their work and collaborate with others.”

Due to their unusual insights, INFJs may find it difficult to articulate their ideas, making it tough for others to understand. Some potential struggles INJFs may have are conflict avoidance and being susceptible to overworking, seeking unattainable perfection.

INFP – The Sincere Leader

Referred to as the thoughtful idealist, those with the INFP personality tendency are passionate and empathetic leaders, often fighting for humanitarian causes. They enjoy developing creative solutions and always keep their values and morals in mind when making decisions, considering how the action will affect those around them.

According to Myers-Briggs, INFPs “like to help other people learn and develop. They often express their creativity through writing or art. They’re drawn to places where they’re able to work autonomously and flexibly.”

One potential struggle INFPs have is a difficulty expressing criticism, usually avoiding it altogether, while also struggling with receiving criticism and taking the feedback personally. Another potential struggle is INFPs can have difficulty with long to-do lists and deadlines, usually causing stress and leading to INFPs to become overwhelmed.

INTJ – The Strategic Leader

People with the INTJ personality type are uniquely adept at developing long-term visions, which is why they are referred to as the conceptual planner. They lead with vision, rationality and determination.

According to Myers-Briggs, INTJs “prefer to work in a fast-paced, achievement-oriented environment where they have the opportunity to work with experts and specialists. They like to work independently and develop their own ideas—they hate being micromanaged.”

Because of their big-thinking and visionary leadership style, they tend to get caught up in the bigger goal, losing sight of the small details that make the goal come to fruition. They can also struggle with maintaining morale by often disregarding niceties and platitudes by focusing on the task at hand.

INTP – The Unconventional Leader

Referred to as the objective analyst, INTPs lead through accuracy and knowledge. Tending to be strategic and conceptional, their unconventional view of looking at the world around them leads INTPs to develop new and innovative ideas.

According to Myers-Briggs, INTPs “work best when they have the time and space to concentrate without interruption. Pressure to work in teams or too many meetings can be distracting for them. They enjoy working with abstract or conceptual data and like quiet time to be alone with their thoughts.”

Due to their autonomous personalities, some INTPs struggle with working with large groups and grow tired of situations that put them at the mercy of others’ schedules. They are great at leading in the background, but when thrust into the spot light, they may become stressed or not as effective.

This four-part series is from Express Employment Professionals’ Refresh Leadership newsletter. Express Employment Professionals services the River Parishes from its Gonzales location. Express is a member of the River Region Chamber of Commerce and the LaPlace branch of Business 2 Business.