Individual & Executive Coaching Blog | Ann C. Holm MS PCC CPCC

Lockdown: Two Procrastinators Join Forces to Slay the Snapping Alligators

Everyone procrastinates; some do so rarely and others battle it all of the time. For some MBTI personality types, particularly the ENTP and ENFP types, procrastination is omnipresent. For these types, there always seems to be a monkey on the back or an alligator snapping at the knees waiting to be addressed. That is because these two types have extraverted intuition as the dominant cognitive process. The ENTP and the ENFP are always scanning the external environment for something more interesting, amusing or new. The brain is literally lit up when a new experience is present and conversely, it is lulled to sleep when an old task has to be completed or is excessively repetitive. People procrastinate because they can’t find the focus to do what needs to be done. In the world of a dominant extraverted intuitive, possibilities present themselves almost constantly with procrastination being a natural byproduct of these distractions.

Now what happens when an ENTP type and an ENFP type, two professional procrastinators get together to get work done? Here is the amazing story of Lockdown 2010. I am an ENFP and I had work that had been hanging over my head for 6 weeks. My friend, an ENTP, had a project that had hung over her head for much longer than that. We both knew that we would feel the sense of accomplishment once it was done. However recall, taking something off the “TO DO” list isn’t necessarily the driving force that spurs a dominant extraverted intuitive into action. It’s the newness. The fun. We can start off with the best of intentions but easily get sidetracked by something interesting to read, lunch with a fascinating companion, a new project. Anything is better than dotting the “i’s” or crossing the “t’s”. We knew we had to make it fun.

Spontaneity and It’s Evil Twin Impulsivity

prefrontal cortex

If you were to look in a thesaurus, you would probably find the words spontaneity and impulsivity listed as synonyms for each other. Both states are unplanned,unconstrained, and governed by natural impulses. To be impulsive or spontaneous is to be flexible, able to bend in a new direction at a moment’s notice. However, they really aren’t the same when examined more closely. Impulsivity is actually the evil twin of spontanaeity.

It’s a sunny day and your best friend calls you in the morning to see if you can take the day off to go on a picnic. If you’re spontaneous, you consider the offer, take stock of what work is mission critical, and decide if your co-workers can cover for you. If all of these variables check out, then you clear it with your boss and you enjoy the day. On the other hand, if you are impulsive, you say “yes” immediately, call in sick, and head off for a day of fun giving no consideration to the long range consequences or who is affected by your actions, including yourself.

Impulsivity is seldom a good thing. It is one of the variables that lead people toward high risk behavior. It sabotages follow-through and leaves good ideas unfinished. It is rash, erratic, and unpredictable. It is frequently present in individuals who have had damage to the pre-frontal cortex area of the brain by way of head injury or stroke. However even without a neurological event, impulsivity is commonly seen in children, adolescents and many adults. There are impulsive shoppers (compulsive shoppers are driven by a different psychological force), people who say whatever comes to mind, or those who find it difficult to stay on task when a new possibility presents itself . Just because one has reached a certain age does not guarantee that impulse control has been mastered. Impulse control takes physical maturity, self-awareness, and often strategies to bring it under control. The brain develops in response to the demands one places upon it. For some, this is requires great effort but the pay-off is well worth it.

A Road Map For Success: How the MBTI Step III Can Lead the Way

The Rationale: Most of us are using only a fraction of our talents and gifts. In addition, we are frequently dissatisfied with home life, career choices, and relationships. This can lead to burn-out, lack of motivation, or resigned acceptance that…

Coaching By Type: A Perspective Worth Considering

October has been a month to add new skills and perspectives so that I may assist clients as effectively as possible. Earlier this month, I learned the use of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Step III instrument. Recently, l attended a seminar titled, “Using Type in Coaching”. This was an excellent class that I would recommend to anyone who is certified in the administration of MBTI instruments. The course materials were particularly informative with many practical suggestions to enhance type maturity and effectiveness. In addition, behavior that suggests an individual is operating from the 4th or inferior function or behaving out of character was discussed. This is also known as the grip. It also raised awareness that coaches and counselors need to be aware of their own biases and mindsets, characteristic of their own types, in order to provide effective guidance to those that they serve.

In order to illustrate these concepts, I will use myself as an example. My MBTI type is ENFP which means that my dominant or strongest cognitive function is extraverted intuition. Therefore, I am inclined to view the world by noticing patterns, relationships, and new angles. My tendency would be to extravert my thoughts via brainstorming rather than experience them as “psychic flashes” or a vivid imagination as an introverted intuitive (INTJ, INFJ) would. My auxiliary or supporting cognitive function is intoverted feeling. That means as I am actively generating possibilities, seeing connections and patterns, I am also quietly appraising these ideas in terms of my internal value system, or my subjective judgment (as opposed to an extraverted feeler, such as an ESFJ who tends to wear his heart on his sleeve). My tertiary, or third cognitive function is extraverted thinking. So when I am trying the evaluate the plausibility of an idea through thinking, I am likely to do this out loud although it may not appear as smooth or as a logical as an argument put forth by a dominant thinker such as an ENTJ. Finally, my inferior or 4^th function is introverted sensing. Introverted sensing is an individual’s archive for past experiences especially facts and details. Since it is my least preferred function, I have to really concentrate to use this effectively. ENFP’s tend to be optimistic about tapping the potential of other human being and that is their strong suit, seeing a bright future for others. However, they must also guard against unbridled optimism that has no consideration for logic or details. An ENFP must ask how can I fulfill this vision?

MBTI Step III Training Afterthoughts…

The MBTI Step III training and my series of blogs (used to share the experience with others but also solidify my own learning) deepened my understanding of psychological type. Then, just like when I see a good movie, I continue…

MBTI Step III Day 3 of Training: Case Studies, Practicing Interpretation, Q & A

Today was the final day of training for the MBTI Step III. After 2 days of studying the theoretical underpinnings of the instrument as well as the construction and validity, today we practiced using it under the watchful eye of our esteemed instructors. We examined 3 different cases of people who had donated their Step III report for the purposes of training. Therefore, these were real people who had answered inventory questions and received a report that was based on the rules they triggered resulting in specific statements about their current behavior and accompanying suggestions for personal growth. Everyone had the opportunity to play the role of the client, the coach and/or counselor, and the observer. Final questions and answers about our own reports or any other topic were also discussed.

The first thing I noticed about using the Step III report in a real life setting was even though it was rich with information and feedback, there was infinite flexibility in how this information could be used to promote a discussion. Because the report is not a diagnosis or a final rendering of an individual’s personality, a statement contained in the report could be discussed in any number of ways. For example, a statement might read: “You seem to be indifferent to or ignore logical consequences in matters that are of immediate concern to you, perhaps because other things are more important to you at the time.” From there, a client might say, “Well yes. I don’t tend to worry too much about what I consider small stuff.” Or, “You know, I am just not myself these days. I usually pay my bills on time but lately, they have been piling up on my desk. My mother broke her hip 3 months ago and it seems all I do is tend to her needs.” For one individual, ignoring certain things that are of immediate concern is simply a reflection of their laid back attitude. For another, it is recognized as an important problem that requires further discussion.

Another observation I had about the report is that it is important to keep an individual’s known type as well as dominant function in mind when evaluating the data. For example, an INFP and an ENTJ might both receive the following statement in his Step III report: “You find it hard to deal with situations that require you to take a detached and logical approach in making a decision.” Well, for INFP who is a dominant introverted feeler (and whose inferior or least preferred function is logical, detached thinking, this statement might no raise any special concerns only to point out that many INFP’s do not tend to use “detached, logical thinking” when approaching a situation. They are more likely to think of people or values first. They may add logical thinking into their cognitive mix but it is likely to require a little extra mental energy. An ENTJ, on the other hand, IS a dominant thinker and should therefore be using detached, logical thinking competently and with relative ease. If this is not the case, it may be important to probe for some sort of stress that might be compromising optimal functioning which is often the case when someone is not using his dominant function well.

MBTI Step III Training Day 2 (Construction, Validity, Practicing Interpretation)

Welcome again to Portland, Maine where I have just finished day 2 of the MBTI Step III training. To review, yesterday the theoretical basis of the instrument was discussed including the allocation of mental energy based on type, type development theory and defining what is considered good type development versus ineffective type development. Also a general overview of the factors that generate the Step III interpretive report were discussed, namely, sufficiency scales, developmental scales and patterns that trigger “rules”, which ultimately create an interpretative report of statements (verbal descriptions of current behavior) and corresponding suggestions for personal growth. It is worth repeating that even as the construction of this instrument is highly complex, the end product is user friendly and highly personalized for the client. The ultimate goal of the instrument is to initiate and give some direction to a productive dialogue between the client and the counselor/coach regarding personal growth and insight.

Construction: The questions that make up the MBTI Step III come from 3 sources: the items from the MBTI Form M; the items from the MBTI Step II Form Q; and questions from the MBTI Form F. The reason for the inclusion of the Form F items is that they were used to produce the original “Counselor Report” in 1972, a report that described how well a person perceives and judges. Recall that type theorists assert that the basis of good type development and ultimately, success and satisfaction in life was based on optimally developed perception and judgment. Furthermore, a large archived data base of Form F responses had been gathered by Isabel Briggs Myers that provided evidence to back this assertion up. This was in fact her unfinished work, developing patterns and scales of behavior that described type development

The MBTI Step III was constructed using MBTI forms M, Q, and F. However the interpretative report needed updating from it’s precursor, The Counselor’s Report, so that the language describing a client’s current behavior (statements) and the corresponding suggestions for personal growth were understandable irrespective of a client’s knowledge of type. This is perhaps the greatest strength of the MBTI Step III, the notion that often complex patterns of behavior based on how well a client is using his perceiving and judging functions can be described in layman’s terms with easy to understand suggestions for self-improvement.

MBTI Step III Instrument: Examining Effective Use of Perception and Judgement (Day 1 Training Summary)

I am in Portland, Maine learning about the recently released MBTI Step III Instrument. It is conceptually similar to the MBTI I and the MBTI II tools in that it is based on the work of Carl Jung and Isabel Briggs Myers regarding the identification psychological preferences. However what is different about the new Level III Indicator is that it focuses on type development. Specifically, how effectively does an individual use his preferred perception and judgment functions and how well can he/she incorporate non-preferred perception and judgment functions, when necessary, to achieve success and satisfaction in life.

There is a finite amount of mental energy that one has available to take in information (perception) and draw conclusions about those perceptions (judgment). How that energy is allocated, according to type theory, is based on psychological preferences. The dominant function has access to the most abundant and readily available energy, followed by the auxiliary or assisting function, then the tertiary or third function, and lastly the inferior or 4th function (everyone uses all of the functions: sensing, intuition, thinking and feeling but at different levels of frequency and competence, hence the terms: dominant, auxiliary and so on). Effective use of type preferences insofar as perception and judgment are concerned is often dependent on both the opportunity to use a a natural function and support from the environment to foster it’s development.

According to type development theory, “good type development” is comfort and effectiveness in the processes that come most naturally to your verified type AND the ability to use the processes that go against one’s natural tendencies. Knowing which process is most adaptive to the task and the ability to shift among preferred and non-preferred functions is also critical. There is an overall satisfaction with life that is a byproduct of being able to use perception and judgment competently. On the other hand, ineffective type development is like a caricature of a given type, a distortion of one’s strengths and the prominent display of one’s weaknesses. It is also the tendency to blame others for circumstances for failures or unhappiness and perhaps stress, dissatisfaction, and poor performance in daily life are present.

So how does the MBTI Step III shed light on an individual’s type development? Many of the details of how certain responses pattern trigger a statement about type development will be learned in tomorrow’s session. Briefly though, the 3 Sufficiency Scales of Confidence(how adequate one feels in a situation), Stamina (the ability to function when conditions are tough), and Compensatory Strain (use of coping mechanisms that deflect the problem away from one’s personal control) that occur independent of and as well in concert with Developmental Scales ( some examples include flexibility, defensiveness, and logic) trigger a Step III pattern that yields a rule (or criteria that says “this is significant”) which ultimately is brought to the attention of the client in the form of a statement, via the Interpretive Report. An example of a statement might be: “You find it hard to deal with situations that require you to take a detached and logical approach in making a decision.” Furthermore, the significance of this statement is interpreted based on reported type. The significance of this statement will be quite different for an ESTJ whose dominant function is thinking versus an INFP whose 4th function is thinking.

The Talent Code

"When Gallimore and Tharp studied John Wooden in 1974, they were surprised to find that he distributed praise and criticism unevenly. What's more, he was open about this: ...Wooden would say, "The good Lord, in his infinite wisdom did not…

Birds of a Feather: Similar But Not the Same

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) I is an instrument that describes the broad strokes of an individual personality. Do you tend to be “warm and sympathetic”, like an ESFJ or “logical and detached” like an INTP? One of the goals of this questionnaire is to group people who have similar general tendencies, “birds of a feather”, so to speak. However, it is also clear that even though people have like-minded characteristics with those of their ilk, they also exhibit a vast array of individual differences. Parrots mimic; eagles eat fish; and owls like to hang out at night. However, within their type, each bird is distinctly different from another. The MTBI II serves to capture these differences in people who have the same personality type. Now there is the MBTI III, a questionnaire that gauges type development. How well does an individual use his/her dominant and auxiliary functions characteristic of that type? Can that person effectively shift to the non-preferred third and fourth functions when necessary?

My interest in the MBTI system was piqued as a result of my work with patients and families in a functional rehabilitation setting and later, in my training and experience as a life coach. Truth be told, raising 3 children and getting to know their friends was also helpful. There is no doubt that how an individual takes in information and uses it, has a great impact on what strategies will be used to attack a problem, communicate with others, and provide energy or motivation. One example that stands out in my mind is when I served a patient who suffered a memory loss after encephalitis caused by a mosquito bite. I recommended placing colorful post-it notes all over her house to stimulate her memory. To my surprise, she rejected my idea by explaining all of that clutter would drive her crazy and she preferred a nice leather planner instead. I was certain she would lose it because in my own mind, I would misplace something like that. However, she always knew where it was. More than likely, her MBTI type code contained an “SJ” possibly ESTJ or ESFJ. These types prefer order in their living space and my “brilliant” idea of eye-catching color all over her house fell flat.

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