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When you are next sat in an interview, or interviewing for a new member of staff, you’ll be in a much stronger position if you have an understanding of the Myers-Briggs temperament of the person sat across from you. If you’ve come across Myers-Briggs before, you may recall there are four personality types - ENFP, ISTJ, ISTP, and ESFJ. These can then be further broken down into 8 roles and 16 role variations. It sounds complicated but, whilst many of us have more time on our hands than usual, knowing your own personality type and understanding how to use Myers Briggs in future recruitment could be time well spent. This blog is designed to help you gain a grasp of the four basic temperaments which in turn will help you improve how to communicate with people depending on their personality type, as well as develop a deeper understanding of your own temperament. Take the TEST now… it takes 10 minutes. The official Myers Briggs test is long and arduous and should only be administered by a professional but you can gain a basic unofficial understanding of your personality type by taking a simplified Myers-Briggs test. This unofficial test will probably cause trained Myers-Briggs practitioners to roll their eyes with disdain, but it will give you a basic understanding of your personality type and work / communication style. You will be scored on 4 different metrics and given a classification: (E) Extrovert versus (I) Introvert, (S) Sensing versus (N) Intuition, (T) Thinking versus (F) Feeling, and (J) Judging versus (P) Perception. You can get a quick read of these personality types here. I’m an ISTJ, which Myers Briggs describes as “Takes pleasure in making everything orderly and organized - their work, their home, their life. Value traditions and loyalty.” Basically, I am a control freak! I have included a table at the end of this blog outlining each of the 16 personality types. The Four Temperaments Psychologist David Keirsey created the Keirsey Temperament Sorter in 1998, the results being the following 4 temperaments: SJ (Sensing-Judging) – These are classified as Guardians, the left-brained. Accountants, CFOs, military, and police often fall into this classification. They love detail and are all about safety and security. If you are dealing with an SJ in business they are very conservative and accept new ideas slowly, they tend to be risk adverse. When you are interviewing for a role, they do not want a cascade of revolutionary thoughts, they simply want to know you’ll maintain the status quo because you love it. SP (Sensing-Perceiving): This is your Artisan. Firmly the right-brained. They are often artists, musicians, writers, and other types of creatives. They hate detail and can be viewed as flighty. These are the types of people who will start a project and then abandon it in favour of a more exciting new project. If you mention in-depth processes they will switch off. The SJ and SP together make up 73.5% of the population. You have a 3 in 4 chance of meeting an SJ or SP so well worth getting to know these temperament groups. NT (Intuitive-Thinking): The Thinker. Again, a lover of detail coupled with being analytical. They pursue knowledge for knowledge’s sake. They will want to know as much detail as possible about a project simply for the sake of gaining knowledge as well as to aid in decision making. If you are being interviewed / interviewing for a role within data / insight or planning, you will for sure meet NTs. NF (Intuitive-Feeling): The Idealist. These are people within the helping professions – our wonderful nurses, social workers, etc. They want to make life better and change the world. They lean towards the Artisans, whilst the Thinkers are hanging with the Guardians. The Idealists and the Thinkers make up 26.5% of the population and although only account for 1 in 4 people you meet, they are arguably easier to spot. Now you are speaking my language When talking to any of these temperament groups, you must firstly understand your own temperament so you can tailor your discussion to the things that matter most to them. If you are in a job interview you need to speak to Guardians about how you will help the company remain stable. Guardians do not want revolutionary new ideas. The Thinker will also want to know this, but they are less interested in stability and more interested in how you are going to measure performance. You need to be on your A game (obviously) with these guys, they are obsessively detail driven. The Idealist will want to know more about how you can affect change and make things better, and the Artisan will want to know your creative ideas and thoughts for the future. Both groups will talk and talk about everything and anything during the interview. They will click with you, you will fall in love with the opportunity, believe you’ve got the job and can start right away… then you won’t hear anything for weeks. You must not take it personally. When they left the meeting, someone jingled some keys in front of them and they forgot what day it was! When speaking to people you do not have to pretend to be something you are not. You just need to understand that people relate to people who speak their language and the things they care about. Please do treat this as an introduction into this complicated but fascinating subject. I would recommend reading extensively before you start practising this subject. If you do need to practice do so on friends and family who cannot sack you! Below you’ll find a Temperament needs table and also a Temperament and Study Strategies document to help if you are studying. Get some interesting insights into your temperament type here. Temperament Needs - Summary Table Rationals (NT) Idealists (NF) Guardians (SJ) Artisans (SP) Need… Competence Authenticity Belonging Freedom Talk About… Power Recognition Service Impact Interactive Style… Competitive Nurturing Nurturing Competitive Communication Style… Conditionals Metaphors Comparatives Anecdotes At work, Promote: Efficiency Growth Structure Opportunity Career Focus Ideas Systems & Strategies Ideas Contexts & People People -Caretaking services Data monitoring Objects- manufacturing People – Entertainment Data manipulation Objects-promotion Work Strengths Designing Planning Promoting Training Administering Serving Producing Performing Work Weaknesses Over Complex Impervious Logic Lack emotion Many Tangents Light on Details Lack logic Wary of Change Rule Bound Lack vision Unstructured Unclear mission Lack plans Evaluation criteria Results Quality interaction Time on task Active Involvement Best Environment Innovative Intellectual Expressive Personal Organised Secure Stimulating Variety Learning Environment Lectures Clever questions Group participation Discussion Lectures Work books / structured learning Activity Hands on learning When Stressed Obsesses Disassociates Complains Retaliates Cures? Reconfirm competence A new project Nurture them Start a new quest Appreciate them inclusion in news and activities Shared experiences Change/novelty Key Relational Role Fraternal Mentor Parental Guide Parental Guardian Fraternal Player As Dates/Mates Reciprocity Romance Stability Challenge As Parents Teacher Confidante Caretaker Playmate At Play Improve skills, Work as Play Fantasy, Relationships Observances, Rituals & Rewards Excitement, Life as play Motto Be excellent in all things To thine own self be true Early to bed, early to rise Eat drink and be merry David Keirsey identified 4 temperaments (which can be further broken down into 8 roles and 16 role variants) Artisans (SP’s) are observant and pragmatic. Seeking stimulation and virtuosity, they are concerned with making an impact. Their greatest strength is tactics. They excel at troubleshooting, agility, and the manipulation of tools, instruments, and equipment. The two roles are: Operators are the directive Artisans. Their most developed intelligence operation is expediting. The attentive Crafters and the expressive Promoters are the two role variants. Entertainers are the informative Artisans. Their most developed intelligence operation is improvising. The attentive Composers and the expressive Performers are the two role variants. Guardians (SJ’s) are observant and cooperative. Seeking security and belonging, they are concerned with responsibility and duty. Their greatest strength is logistics. They excel at organizing, facilitating, checking, and supporting. The two roles are as follows: Administrators are the directive Guardians. Their most developed intelligence operation is regulating. The attentive Inspectors and the expressive Supervisors are the two role variants. Conservators are the informative Guardians. Their most developed intelligence operation is supporting. The attentive Protectors and the expressive Providers are the two role variants. Idealists (NF’s) are introspective and cooperative. Seeking meaning and significance, they are concerned with personal growth and finding their own unique identity. Their greatest strength is diplomacy. They excel at clarifying, individualizing, unifying, and inspiring. The two roles are as follows: Mentors are the directive Idealists. Their most developed intelligence operation is developing. The attentive Counselors and the expressive Teachers are the two role variants. Advocates are the informative Idealists. Their most developed intelligence operation is mediating. The attentive Healers and the expressive Champions are the two role variants. Rationalists (NT’s) are introspective and pragmatic. Seeking mastery and self-control, they are concerned with their own knowledge and competence. Their greatest strength is strategy. They excel in any kind of logical investigation such as engineering, conceptualizing, theorizing, and coordinating. The two roles are as follows: Coordinators are the directive Rationals. Their most developed intelligence operation is arranging. The attentive Masterminds and the expressive Fieldmarshals are the two role variants. Engineers are the informative Rationals. Their most developed intelligence operation is constructing. The attentive Architects and the expressive Inventors are the two role variants. Temperament and Study Strategies If you have strong Guardian (SJ) tendencies... 1. Watch your tendency to get mired in the details. Remember that some things matter more than others. Particularly, when taking notes, don't copy everything down, but learn how to differentiate between what matters and what only seems to matter. 2. Learn how to pace yourself so that you don't run out of time when the clock is ticking (such as during exams). Don't think you have to read every exam question three or four times... some Guardians have doubled or tripled their exam scores simply by trusting their first impressions more. 3. Don't just memorize information in a verbatim way. Many college courses emphasize theory, not mere facts. Practice rephrasing key concepts in your own words (not just memorizing formal definitions). Try generating original examples (not just memorizing examples offered in lecture). If you have strong Artisan (SP) tendencies... 1. Find ways to keep yourself engaged in boring classes, since courses with a heavy emphasis on theory and a "talking heads" approach may easily put you to sleep. Ask for opportunities to earn a grade through real-world application of theories and concepts, like internships or field observation. 2. Hold yourself accountable since it's easy for you to procrastinate around activities that aren't much fun. Use the "Premack principle" - reward yourself for doing something you dislike by following it with something you do enjoy. 3. Take the time you need to double-check your answers during exams... don't be in too much of a hurry to rush out of the exam room. Beware your tendency to be overly impulsive. Make sure you haven't missed important information on the exam. If you have strong Rationalist (NT) tendencies... 1. Don't be confrontational in classroom interactions (especially not with your instructor, who may expect deference or at least common courtesy). Learn how to disagree without alienating others. 2. Don't neglect the facts... in some courses more than others, it's important to get the foundational facts right, even to be nitpickingly precise. 3. Be sure to affirm, not just question... a balanced analysis spends as much time on what's right with something as on what's wrong with it. Learn when (and how) to personalize, to develop and express a subjective opinion. If you have strong Idealist (NF) tendencies... 1. Don't confuse enthusiasm with understanding. Being excited about an idea is one thing; being able to articulate your comprehension of the underlying ideas is something else. 2. Watch your tendency to nonlinearity, to chasing the rabbit where it runs, particularly in writing essays. Don't ramble unnecessarily, which drives more linear types up the wall. Work hard at maintaining a logical, linear focus with a clear beginning, middle, and end. 3. Learn how to logically defend a point of view. It's not enough to be passionate about something; you have to be able to make a rational case for it, which means looking objectively at both pros and cons, both strengths and weaknesses, both assets and liabilities. Follow @henrynicholas

“The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” Steve Jobs This is a concept that is not lost on businesses today. Employee engagement is a multi-billion dollar industry worldwide, with US businesses alone spending over $1.1bn a year on ‘engaging’ their workforce to give them an edge over their rivals. Forbes define employee engagement as, “the emotional commitment the employee has to the organisation and its goals. This emotional commitment means engaged employees actually care about their work and their company. They don't work just for a pay-check, or just for the next promotion, but work on behalf of the organisation's goals.” According to Towers Perrin research, businesses with engaged workers have 6% higher net profit margins, and Kenexa research asserts that engaged companies have five times higher shareholder returns over five years. So, with businesses placing so much emphasis on employee engagement, what happens when those employees are ‘locked-down’? Our enforced isolation has meant a seismic shift in how companies can interact with their employees. A situation that no one was prepared for, which continues to change the business landscape from one day to the next. How do you engage a remote workforce? A workforce that is blinking uncertainly into the light of a different world. A workforce that has bigger, more immediate worries than meeting their next work deadline… We spoke to a number of local industry experts to ask what employee engagement looks like today. Andy Bamford: Co-Founder and Director of Brand Point Zero Bristol based marketing & comms agency that works with organisations to help define, articulate and embed cultural principles, and fully align all brand communications. The first and most important thing here is that employee engagement comes way behind employee safety and well-being. Any organisation, large or small that focuses on engagement, before ensuring that all their staff are safe and well at this current time are simply doing the wrong thing. Employee engagement will come as a direct result of the way organisations behave and communicate with their people. The first rule of any communication is to put yourself in the audience’s shoes. And to put it bluntly, they will be scared. We have never experienced anything like this before and people will be worrying about their long-term security and their own mortality. To your audience these are all more important things than company profit, performance or productivity – and most definitely than silly hat Zoom calls. So it’s time to rethink the rules on employee engagement. We need to show humanity and compassion. We need to be honest. And whilst many employers (both large and small) are also going through their own existential crisis, they need to be calm, clear and authoritative in all their communication. How organisations behave now, will not only influence how they navigate this current crisis, but also how they emerge and thrive in the future. There are numerous examples of organisations doing it badly, you only need to think of Brittania Hotels. Those that are doing it well, are not seeking column inches, or hollow praise in social media – they’re building deep, long-lasting relationships with their staff on the foundations of care, trust and honesty. And that is the epitome of what we used to call employee engagement. Mark Beavan: Head of Agency at That Little Agency Bristol based employer branding, marketing and digital development agency What will be interesting will be the impact of this government-imposed remote working. How quickly businesses have adapted to support working from home. I know of an employer who within three weeks had over 4,000 colleagues up and working from home. Has this helped to accelerate the need to support and welcome remote working? Will managers who have often been reluctant to embrace a more flexible approach to work, end up being convinced that it is a viable way to work? Will potential candidates who previously overlooked certain employers be more willing to join knowing that now that they are supportive of a more flexible approach to working? I certainly hope so. One thing I know for sure is that how a business treats their colleagues during this challenging time will define their brand for decades. They need to value their people. Keep them safe. Help them to help the business. Now, more than ever, their employer brand is their brand. Tim Jeary: Director for Employee Engagement at Bowline Communications Wiltshire based communications and engagement agency who specialise in motivating teams and inspiring customers One of the biggest challenges faced by organisations right now is keeping employees engaged during these challenging times. What if you could improve employee engagement by better understanding the brain? One of the growing factors in employee engagement is neuroscience (the study of the nervous system). The SCARF model is a great place to start. The foundation for the SCARF model lies in our brain’s need to either minimise threat or maximise reward. The brain switches between these two modes in response to our environment, including our reactions to others. When you create a supportive and collaborative environment, the brain can process information more easily – leading to more effective change and the ability to make effective decisions. But if the brain perceives things as threats, then comfort, motivation and satisfaction significantly decrease. SCARF stands for Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness and Fairness – five social triggers that can instigate both the ‘threat’ and ‘reward’ responses at work. Whether a large or small business, every employee will be feeling the impact of the pandemic in each of these five areas. As leaders, we need to focus on ensuring our employees experience a reward response within each to establish higher levels of employee engagement. Status – This involves our perception of a potential or real reduction in status (being less than or better than others or the sense of feeing valued by others). As a consequence of the coronavirus pandemic, our status could be under threat – job security, level of visibility, level of exposure and influence in decision making. Certainty – This involves our ability to predict outcomes. Our brain is constantly trying to predict the near future. Even a small amount of uncertainty can generate a threat response. This domain is significantly impacted at the moment with uncertainty about our health, finances, job and what is happening in the world. Autonomy – This is about the level of control and perception that we have choices and options. We’re being told by the Government what to do, where to work, how to exercise, where we can and can’t go. We have limited options. There is also lots of conflicting advice, which can make us feel out of control. Relatedness – This is about our sense of belonging, collaboration and sharing of information. Many of us are self-isolating and working from home which is having an impact on our ability to interact with family, friends and colleagues. Fairness – The focus here is transparency, trust and clear expectations. Am I being treated fairly and equitably? Inconsistent exchanges can generate a strong threat response. Being open with clear communication that encourages high levels of participation will create a reward response. The level of threat or reward felt by an individual will be very different. As an organisation and as leaders we can impact positively in creating reward responses in the 5 triggers. What are your top tips for maintaining strong employee engagement during this period? To help support the development of a reward response to the SCARF triggers, a focus on the 4 pillars of employee engagement is very useful. 1. Strategic narrative Senior leaders must remain visible in their communication with employees. Organisational objectives still need to be met, although they may need to adapt and evolve. Remember, where there is a void in communication, employees will fill this space for themselves – this is how rumours start. Top tips: In this uncertain time, employees will be seeking certainty. Where you are headed as a business needs to be restated Think about all employee communications detailing changes in working practice and how internal processes have been adapted Make recognition a weekly event using internal social media channels such as Yammer Encourage leaders to write blogs on how the Coronavirus is impacting on them Ensure senior leaders are highly visible via video and webcasts to all employees 2. Engaging managers This is a challenging time for managers as many will be achieving results through remote working teams, so higher levels of trust and autonomy is needed. Top tips: Spend time with both individuals and the team to listen to concerns and seek to find answers For many of us there is still work that needs to be delivered, so managers must provide clear objectives and expectations Coach your team to find solutions and adapt your management style, as each member of your team will require different levels of support Feedback and recognition are always important, so make time for weekly video calls with your teams to recognise each other 3. Employee voice Keep a two-way open dialogue for all employees. Finding a solution to a challenge is often better achieved through the ideas and experiences of those around you. Top tips: Holding Q&A forums where employees can raise concerns and have them answered Create peer-to-peer employee forums where issues and working conditions can be discussed. Yammer is a great tool to facilitate this Gather evidence of success with any new working practices and promote proudly and loudly through internal communication channels 4. Values and behaviours Despite the changes in working practices your, organisation’s values and behaviours should remain at the core. The integrity of your organisation and its brand both internally and externally is essential. Top tips: Share employee stories and examples of your values in practice and celebrate these through internal channels As leaders, ensure that there is no say-do gap. If you are expecting employees to do something, you should be willing to do this yourself. Look at the Chief Medical Officer of Scotland Be the role model of the behaviours you want to see My view... Personally, I think that now is a time for championing understanding above all else. We’re all experiencing new pressures that impact upon our day-to-day and are slowly redefining a new norm. Employers need to be understanding to the fact that they’re no longer the top priority. Let’s be honest, pre Covid-19 business was the number one priority for many people but there’s nothing like a global pandemic to refocus the mind. I think I can confidently speak for everyone when I say that priority number one is very definitely the health and happiness of our loved ones and ourselves. A pause for thought and to be reminded of our own mortality is perhaps no bad thing. Likewise, we as employees need to be understanding of our employers. Business still needs to be done and many big decisions need to be made to ensure the survival of businesses worldwide. Furloughing, for instance, can be worrying for employees and difficult for employers but if it means the business survives and jobs are preserved, that for me reflects a responsible business decision made for the good of everyone. I think in this time of remote working where the business as an entity feels more remote, it’s these pivotal business decisions on which employee engagement hinges. In life you find out most about someone when the shit hits the fan. Did that friend stay by your side? It’s the same with your company. How businesses act now in this time of crisis will make or break your relationship, even if the cracks don’t appear straight away. Whatever the future holds, there is one constant truth in business: your business is only as good as the people that you employ. And in this new world, it’s clearer than ever that that’s what we all are: people. Parents, sons, daughters, husbands, wives, friends, colleagues, pub quiz team mates. We must continue to work together, communicate with one another and above all else be understanding of one another to ensure that each one of us is ‘engaged’ not just in work but in life, so that we come out of this stronger, both personally and professionally. 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