Last week, my wife Hayley shared a personality test with me and we went through a series of questions to work out what type of person I am. Here are the results and my thoughts on whether I think they’re accurate or not.
Summary
TYPE: Assertive Commander (ENTJ-A)
“Commanders are natural-born leaders. People with this personality type embody the gifts of charisma and confidence, and project authority in a way that draws crowds together behind a common goal. However, Commanders are also characterized by an often ruthless level of rationality, using their drive, determination and sharp minds to achieve whatever end they’ve set for themselves. Perhaps it is best that they make up only three percent of the population. Weaknesses of the Commander include being stubborn, intolerant, impatient and arrogant.”
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This feels pretty accurate. Having done a lot of Drama at school and taking part in school theatre productions, I think this helped me to develop confidence early on. And having a consulting business where you’re selling and dealing with people every day certainly requires charisma.
While I don’t want to admit it, I can definitely be arrogant, impatient and intolerant. I’ll admit, I can get frustrated by other people if they don't live up to my expectations or waste my time.
ROLE: Analyst
“The personality types in the Analyst Role – Architects (INTJ), Logicians (INTP), Commanders (ENTJ), and Debaters (ENTP) – are known for their love of rationality. Because they share the Thinking trait, these types often aim to make decisions with their heads rather than their hearts. But Analysts are far from being robots. Their Intuitive personality trait energizes their imaginations, helping them to come up with creative strategies and motivating them to explore things deeply – whether that’s an intellectual pursuit, a new interest, or even a crazy scheme or thought experiment. 93% of Analysts say they listen to their heads rather than their hearts when making important decisions.”
Whenever I’m making a decision about something, I will often use data and spreadsheets to make an objective decision about the best way forward. I’ve talked a lot on the blog about how I track things like my personal health, finances, business and habits.
STRATEGY: People Mastery
“Personality types with the People Mastery Strategy are known for their ability to handle stress. This helps them to act boldly and maintain confidence, even in the face of challenges or criticism. Thanks to this confidence, people with this Strategy feel energized and at ease in social situations. They seek social contact as well as stimulating and challenging experiences. These personalities like traveling to see things, people, and places, and trying something new – even things they don’t end up liking can be exciting for them. 75% of People Masters say they’re good at executing their ideas – more than any other Strategy.”
I’d agree with this characterisation. I’d say I handle stress well and one of the things I’m very good at is getting things done (as you’d expect from someone who writes about productivity).
Personality Traits
Mind – Extraverted 74% and Introverted 26%
This trait determines how we interact with our environment.
“Extraverted individuals prefer group activities and get energized by social interaction. They tend to be more enthusiastic and more easily excited than introverts.
Again, I’d say this is very accurate. I always enjoy the opportunity to hang out with friends. While I enjoy alone time, my preference is to be around other people at the gym or in a social setting. That said, I enjoy working on my own and not depending too much on other people.
Energy – Intuitive 51% and Observant 49%
These traits describe what people are more likely to do with the information gathered from the world around them. Intuitive personality types rely on imagining the past and future potential of what they see.
“Intuitive individuals are very imaginative, open-minded and curious. They prefer novelty over stability and focus on hidden meanings and future possibilities. Those with the Observant style are more interested in observable facts and more straightforward outcomes. They prefer to avoid layering too much interpretation on what they see.”
I thought it was interesting that I’m basically right in the middle of these two traits. I’m that dominant in either direction. Again, this feels accurate as I’m a very rational and objective person but I’m equally open-minded and curious to learn.
Nature – Thinking 59% and Feeling 41%
The Nature scale reveals the extent to which we value emotions or rationality more when considering options.
”Thinking individuals focus on objectivity and rationality, prioritizing logic over emotions. They tend to hide their feelings and see efficiency as more important than cooperation.”
Being a very rational person that enjoys looking at data and making decisions based on facts, I thought I’d be more on the Thinking said than what was shown in the results. Although, it’s reassuring to see that I do take feelings into consideration as well and I can definitely think of times when I’ve chosen to ignore the facts and go with my gut.
Tactics – Judging 93% and Prospecting 7%
The Tactics scale, which includes the Judging and Prospecting personality traits, reflects how people plan and deal with the options they have.
”Judging individuals are decisive, thorough and highly organized. They value clarity, predictability and closure, preferring structure and planning to spontaneity.”
Being 93% judging doesn't surprise me at all. Anyone that knows me knows that I’m a very structured person that enjoys planning. Just look at my business; I help people with productivity tools for a living!
Identity – 92% Assertive and 8% Turbulent
This Identity scale, made up of the Assertive and Turbulent personality traits, affects all other scales and indicates how confident we are in our abilities and decisions. Identity triggers the way we react to the things life constantly throws at us.
“Assertive individuals are self-assured, even-tempered and resistant to stress. They refuse to worry too much and do not push themselves too hard when it comes to achieving goals.”
This result didn’t surprise me either. As I’ve grown and learned more about Stoic philosophy, one of the main lessons I’ve come to learn is that you shouldn’t worry about things outside your control. And if bad things happen, instead of worrying about it, use it as an opportunity to learn and improve.
If you asked my friends, I’m sure they would describe me as a pretty laid back and chilled person. I rarely lose my temper or stress out.
What did I learn from this test?
Overall, the test was a bit of fun and it was interesting to see the results closely match how I view myself.
What I found most interesting is learning what I’m not. For example, I’m more of a thinker than a feeler and knowing this about myself, perhaps I should be more open to listing to my heart rather than my head when making a decision. And the fact that I’m 93% judging shows that I’m really not spontaneous which is something I should be more open to in the future.
You can check out the test here. It doesn’t take long and the results may surprise you.