Leaning on our Introvert Strengths to Reach for the Sky
Lessons from Our Talent Quiz
Over the past year, over 1850 of you have taken Beyond Introversion's Introvert Talent Quiz. So what have we learned and what have you said?
A couple of weeks ago, my blog focused on the Myers-Briggs assessment and how the results, and our personality traits, are more than just the first letter (Introvert/Extrovert). Last week's guest blogger David Boroughs shared 5 personality facts every leader should know. This week's blog shares our Talent Quiz results and expands on the theme: We have common strengths, yet we are all different!
As you will see, our quiz shows that while there are common themes among us introverts, there is still a wide variety of strengths that come through, not necessarily because of our introversion, but because of the many other facets of our personality, some of which are captured in the other 3 components of the Myers-Briggs.
Survey Says...
The chart indicates scores for all respondents across the 8 traits. It may look like there are subtle differences between the columns, but several items stand out:
The most dominant strength amongst respondents is "Planner." For me, this comes as no surprise. Like most of you, I maintain an intricate task list and calendar, and I pride myself in preparing for meetings and socials. I used to feel this was OCD but I've realized this is just who I am. Rather than hide this trait, I've learned to embrace it and use it often. When I'm prepared for situations, it calms me and helps me be more efficient and effective.
Other commonly strong traits include Learner, Observant, and Thoughtful. Many respondents love to learn and benefit from understanding the history of situations or the background of people. Often we are great observers or listeners. We pick up on many subtle facts and nuances but may feel we are not actively participating. But listening is learning! When we share our unique observations, we often bring unique perspectives into the room. I've pondered the Thoughtful scores and I believe it is derived from our preference, if not need, to skip the chitchat and dig into things - to really get to know people or situations. We do this less often and some people may be taken aback by our approach, but others can sense the personal touch.
The two lowest scores are Sociable and Resilient. I think most of us can understand the Sociable score. However, we must recognize that we CAN be sociable, we CAN engage with others in conversation, and we DO this often. The difference is that we most often socialize in small groups, for abbreviated periods of time, in familiar places, and usually with familiar faces. We don't have to be "working the room" at cocktail hours to be sociable. The results indicate we are not overly resilient. I do think we tend to be quite level-headed which helps in times of stress, but I suspect the lower score arises from our displeasure with conflict and debate.
Grow & Use Your Greatest Strengths
Those who have taken the Quiz have received a detailed report of their scores but more importantly information on how to Grow & Use each trait and the Cautions associated with overuse of the trait. Here are some key takeaways:
TRAIT | GROW & USE |
PLANNER | have a system that works for you (planner, app, task list), review meeting agendas and prepare your questions and points, block off private time on your calendar to prepare and re-energize |
LEARNER | learn new subjects and skills, consider how processes may be |