I laughed so hard when I first saw this on Twitter. I could definitely relate – it’s stressful to rely on group members for their parts of the project and even more difficult to cooperate with different work styles. But group projects are just part of college. And teamwork is just part of life. No matter what career aspirations you have, working in teams is inevitable. Here’s the truth about teamwork—it becomes extraordinarily simple with this one hack: the Myers-Brigg personalities.
Learning the intricacies of Myers-Brigg personality combinations introduced me to new pathways to harmony within groups. Since a freshman year seminar in which we examined how different personality types respond to situations, I’ve approached new projects with a stronger sense of alternative thought processes and diverse methods. Even if my approach to answering a question or solving a problem seems completely reasonable, my teammate might prefer to tackle it from a different angle. Realizing the variety of preferences in a group has helped me to be a better team player and in turn, has produced better work.
Do yourself a favor—take the personality test. Read about your own personality type and what it implies about your work preferences. Then learn about the other types. You will start to notice the reasons behind people’s decisions, and you’ll understand their techniques. The test indicates how people prefer to interact, process the world around us, make decisions and carry out plans. Each of these four aspects is assigned a letter, and based on how you test, you are assigned a four-letter personality type.
My personal favorite personality test combines Myers-Brigg with new insight. It’s called 16 Personalities, and it offers a quick and accurate way to discover your type. The test revealed to me I am a Campaigner personality, an ENFP. I’m an extroverted, intuitive, feeling perceiver. Want to know what all this means? Visit the site! Your group project members will thank you.
(I’m not a brand ambassador for this site. I just think it’s really cool.)
