Leadership and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

Program Manager, March, 2001 by Pearl Young

Using MBTI in a Team Setting

Leadership -- the ability to influence others -- has become increasingly more important with the advent of teaming. Although leading a colocated team may be difficult, a virtual team compounds those problems. A virtual team is one in which the team members are located apart from each other, may or may not physically meet on occasion, and one in which team members conduct business through electronic means such as telephone or email. In my current job, I face the practical issues of leading a virtual team that must work together on a diversity of tasks, while located in different areas such as Boston, Mass., Philadelphia, Pa., Suffolk, Va., and Seattle, Wash.

Trying to lead a virtual team can indeed be challenging, primarily because personal interaction is minimized, resulting in the inability to "see" the team's reaction to direction and follow-through. At one time, I considered myself a competent leader who treated everyone the same; however, my experience in a virtual team setting has shown me that my leadership style might not have been suitable for all team members. I also learned that leading effectively involves understanding what motivates each person, identifying characteristics that help/hinder the team, and determining what I can do, as the team leader, to promote a positive and productive work group.

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

Realizing that I must understand myself first, I decided to learn more about the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). Toward that end, I took the elective, Using MBTI at Work and at Home, at the Defense Systems Management College (DSMC). [1] This course made me realize the importance of not only knowing your own MBTI, but the MBTIs of others as well. Since I have minimal contact with my team members, I used three other resources from the DSMC Learning Resource Center (LRC) to learn about being an effective leader:

* Art of Speed reading People [2]

* How to be an Effective Supervisor [3]

* Situational Leadership II Program [4]

While learning about basic skills, I also searched the World Wide Web for information or lessons learned on virtual teams.

MBTI is a tool that can be used to achieve effective communication with other people. People receive, process, and act upon information differently. If you understand their preferences and then communicate in a way that they understand, chances are you will not only get what you expected, but those with whom you communicate will feel good about how they received and acted on your communication.

I also learned that people might appear, on the surface, to be one type even though their preference is different. Certain "signs" emerge that will actually indicate their true preference. For example, a person who is an introvert may freely talk and appear to be an extrovert. If you listen closely however, you may hear slight pauses and a more quiet tone, which is an indication of an introvert preference. Using the signs, you can generally determine the personality type of the people you meet. [5] MBTI knowledge gives you the tools to make the communication process more effective.

Better understanding of different leadership styles also makes the communicating process easier. The styles may vary depending on the person and the situation. [6] (Figure 1 describes different phases of situational leadership.) By trying to understand individual members of the team, possibly through MBTI, the best leadership style can be chosen. For example, in a case where a particular member of the team needs encouragement and recognition, then applying the supporting leadership phase would be the best choice.

Becoming a Good Virtual Team Leader

Virtual teams can be described as teams with communication links and groupware products. [7] I learned that a person's MBTI preference could be the key to becoming a good leader. As I defined at the very beginning of this article, leadership is the ability to influence others. In order to influence others, I have to understand how people receive, perceive, and understand what I ask them to do. If I understand what motivates them, I can communicate the necessity of the task in a manner that they perceive and receive as important, and the task will be as important to them as it is to me.

Due to the nature of a virtual team, I will have little physical contact with the team members. Learning to "read" certain expressed traits can initially give me an insight into their personality type. The reading can take place in a brief encounter, face-to-face meeting, tele-conference, phone or email. [8] How people act and speak indicates their personality types. (Figure 2 provides the Myers-Briggs definition of different types of personalities.) The selection of an appropriate leadership style depends on the situation as well as the personalities of those with whom you are communicating Matching the style with the person and the current situation is a very important part of the communication process. Knowing and understanding the different types of personality can form the basis of your own personal leadership style right from the start.