PL 101: Understanding Your Gifts and Strengths from the MBTI (Discussion 2)
Please note: In order to successfully complete Course 1, you must respond to this post. Your comment/response should answer the questions/shows that you completed the given activity (if any). Read the post carefully and follow the instructions given. Save your responses to a document that you can later refer to. You will need to copy/paste your response in the course evaluation form at the end of each course to show that you have done the work and to refresh your memory.
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Hello Leadership Crew!
I have just gone through the introduction thread and read about all of you. If you havent yet introduced yourself, then please stop by and share a little about yourself so we can get to know you. Im encouraged by all the great people that have joined. This should be a fun and enriching program!
Let me first zoom back and talk more broadly about your career and how we can help. When you become a leader on 7 Cups, we want you to find the work fulfilling. Fulfilling work means that it is:
a) work you are good at;
b) work that is interesting to you; and
c) work that solves an important problem or meets an important goal (Thiel, 2015).
The sweet spot is that blue area in the middle below.
If you do work that you are good at, but not interested in, then you wont do a great job. If you do work that you are interested in, but not particularly good at, then it wont be great work. If you do work that you are good at and interested in, but it isnt helping to solve an important problem, then we wont be a good fit for you. We need alignment on all 3 things. We work very hard at the beginning of your work with us to match your inherent strengths and interests with needs we have so that we can work together to solve problems that we all care about.
You have strengths â things that you are just really good at when compared with others. Operating out of your strengths feels good, is personally fulfilling, and enables you to hit flow states. As a result, you are much more effective and productive. Operating out of weaknesses is a drain. If you have to do work that you are not good at, then you wont be as effective. Doubling down on your strengths enables you to level up much faster and it helps 7 Cups make much more progress. Â
The next step becomes helping you find ways to identify your strengths, gifts or natural talents. You can learn some of this through self-observation - what do you seem especially good at? Are there things that just come natural to you that are more challenging for others? My wife, for example, is really good at writing; it just comes natural to her. Im pretty good at public speaking, whereas others find it more challenging.
Another way is to ask people you trust. You can say: What do you think Im good at? Or: what do you think are my top 1-3 strengths? Things that stand out to you about me? Note: only ask people you trust because sometimes people can give you feedback in a harmful rather than helpful way especially if they are not trustworthy.
For the purposes of this course, we are going to use personality tests to help you identify your strengths. Some of these are better than others; they are more reliable and have more research behind them. Broadly, we are using them here to help you begin to map out your strengths and to help you find ways where you can naturally excel here on 7 Cups, in your personal life, and in whatever career your are in or choose further down the road.
To start:
Go to this site here and take the test: https://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test
Next, in the thread below, answer the following questions:
1. What is your personality type? Include your 4 letters please Â
2. What were the main things you learned about yourself?
3. What are your top 3 strengths or gifts according to this test? Please describe them.
Last, when people interact with one another, it makes the course more enriching and it allows us to learn more about one another. In addition to posting in the thread, please also be sure to respond in a helpful and positive way to at least 3 other comments in this thread.
You can also ask any questions in this thread and well respond to them as well.
Very excited to kick this off with all of you!
After fulfilling the requirements of this post, please check out the next post here! You must take part in the brainstorming/activities given in all of these posts to successfully complete the program.
This post is brought to you by the Leadership Development Program Team, find out more information about the program here.
@GlenM
1. What is your personality type? Include your 4 letters please
Defender
ISFJ-T
2. What were the main things you learned about yourself?
I learned that I'm apparently an introvert and that I have a feeling for nature.
3. What are your top 3 strengths or gifts according to this test? Please describe them.
I'm observant, feeling for nature, and I judge the way I work. All three of these things mean that I try to work hard but I also feel what I do. (That might not make sense)
@SophTheListener2022
Hiya! You say you are "apparently" an introvert- how do YOU see yourself as? It makes sense and I think I can relate. You put your emotions into what you're doing, in a way. That's how I feel persoanlly about myself, anyhow!
1. What is your personality type? Include your 4 letters please
INFP-A (mediator)
2. What were the main things you learned about yourself?
I learnt that with my personality type, I'm the type to always look for the hidden good in someone no matter what. I also learnt that communication is a gift in these types!
3. What are your top 3 strengths or gifts according to this test? Please describe them.
open minded and flexible- this means that I'm the type who doesn't like to feel constrained by rules but I'll go along with them if it doesn't challenge my principles
creative- Mediators are people who usually combine unique ideas together to form a new creative idea
dedicated and hardworking- This means that mediators rarely give up and what keeps them going is their 'far-away' vision of themselves!
@pizzaiscool
So many mediators here! I like the thought that you will go along with rules if they don't challenge your principles. I would love to keep reminding myself of the long-term goal of what my life would look like. that's a challenge for me that I need to overcome, but good on you for being able to do that!
@rebecca947
I've always been like that! It was nice to have the test tell me that's how I am haha :)
1. INFP
2. I want friendships but also want to be alone and there's some struggle with balancing the two
3. Creative, passionate, and energetic
@GlenM
MBTI test Personality Type:
Assertive Advocate (INFJ-A)
Main things I learned about myself:
I learned that I have a deep drive to help other people, that I was unaware of. It helps explain things that happened in my life, like heavy and not-that-fun responsibilities I willingly and happily took in charities (fundraising and finances), and even the (maybe too much) intense dedication as a Listener since I entered here, about a month ago. I have achieved Discoverer level in a month.
Consistent with this, I learned that I am prone to burn-out (something that recently happened to me here at 7Cups), so I have to monitor myself and learn when to take a break to recharge.
I tend to see myself more as a cold-headed rational person, than an intuitive-warm one as this test suggest. But feedback from Members at 7Cups have reflected more this second facet, consistent with the test results.
3 Top Strenghts
Creative: I combine imagination with a sense of compassion, I use my creativity to resolve human challenges. I enjoy finding solutions to problems experienced by people I care about. This makes me a good counselor and advisor.
Insightful: I can spot dishonesty and bad motives, I dont fall to manipulation or sales tactics (Thats true !) but try to establish more honest (and I would say rational) discussions. I see how people and events are connected (I dont fall into the Fundamental Attribution Error). I might be able to use this insight to get to the heart of problems.
Inspiring and Convincing: I have good rhetoric skills that inspire and persuade my audience with warmth and passion.
1. My personality type is (Mediator) INFP-T
2. I'm introverted rather than extraverted, I'm intuitive rather than observant, I'm mostly feeling instead of thinking, I'm prospecting instead of judging.
3a. I learnt that I am dedicated and hard working: while others focusing on the challenges of the moment may give up when the going gets tough, I have the benefit of my far-reaching vision to help me through. Knowing that what I am doing is meaningful gives me a sense of purpose and even courage when it comes to accomplishing something I believe in.
3b. I am very creative: I combine my visionary nature with my open-mindedness to allow me to see things from unconventional perspectives.
3c. I am too altruistic: I sometimes see myself as selfish, but only because I want to give so much more than I am able to. This becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, as I try to push myself to commit to a chosen cause or person, forgetting to take care of the needs of others in my life, and especially myself.
@kateaala
Great stuff, my friend, thanks for posting and sharing your results with us!
@GlenM
1. My personality type is INFJ-T, Advocate
2. The main things I learned about yourself is that i am capable of realizing my goals and making positive impact. It's really encouraging for me because I sometimes doubt my ability to achieve my goals.
3. My top 3 strengths or gifts according to this test:
- Creative (i write poetry)
- Insightful (i always follow my intuition)
- Inspiring and convincing (i hope 
)
@Vintagechoc
Wow, that's awesome, really, thanks for posting!
I also see some of those strengths in me, though the test didn't point them out when I took it: creative and insightful.
@GlenM
1. What is your personality type? Include your 4 letters please.
ENFJ-A
It's funny, I did this test about 2 months ago for a job application (which I never heard back from ever since).
Anyway, it really surprised me on the ENFJ instead of INFJ, since I've always considered myself and viewed by others as an introverted)
2. What were the main things you learned about yourself?
If I had to choose one main insight, one main thing I have learned about myself doing this test would be the following: I know my "inner/deep/true" self quite well already, but there are some aspects of my personality I should be more aware of. Hence, I have a great need and urge to self-discovery, self-mastery.
3. What are your top 3 strengths or gifts according to this test? Please describe them.
The test gave me 5 strenghts, as well as 5 weaknesses - Overly Idealistisc + Too Selfless + Too Sensitive + Fluctuating Self-Esteem + Struggle to Make Tough Decisions, which I completely agree and see in myself, introspectively.
Anyway, here go the top 3 (or, in this case, top 5) strenghts of gifts according to this test and the description of each of them:
Tolerant – Protagonists are true team players, and they recognize that that means listening to other peoples opinions, even when they contradict their own. They admit they dont have all the answers, and are often receptive to dissent, so long as it remains constructive.
Reliable – The one thing that galls Protagonists the most is the idea of letting down a person or cause they believe in. If its possible, Protagonists can always be counted on to see it through.
Charismatic – Charm and popularity are qualities Protagonists have in spades. They instinctively know how to capture an audience, and pick up on mood and motivation in ways that allow them to communicate with reason, emotion, passion, restraint – whatever the situation calls for. Talented imitators, Protagonists are able to shift their tone and manner to reflect the needs of the audience, while still maintaining their own voice.
Altruistic – Uniting these qualities is Protagonists unyielding desire to do good in and for their communities, be it in their own home or the global stage. Warm and selfless, Protagonists genuinely believe that if they can just bring people together, they can do a world of good.
Natural Leaders – More than seeking authority themselves, Protagonists often end up in leadership roles at the request of others, cheered on by the many admirers of their strong personality and positive vision.
Again, spot on on most if not all things! 😁😁😎😎
I am an INFJ-T
I've taken the test multiple times over the years and always come up the same.
@emotionalMaple9419
That's great! You know your core personality and have stuck with it for years. I'm the same- I've not changed in the past few years but I wonder if I will...
@emotionalMaple9419
*Waves* at Maple, same here, always same result, sending you an INFJ hug 
1. What is your personality type? Include your 4 letters please.
ISTP-A / ISTP-T (Virtuoso
2. What were the main things you learned about yourself?
▪︎ I love to explore with my hands and eyes.
▪︎ I can be loyal and steady; when the time is right, I can release my energetic energy.
3. What are your top 3 strengths or gifts according to this test? Please describe them.
1. Relaxed - I don't worry about the future and I only focus on the present so that I don't overthink and stress.
2. Know how to prioritize - I can release my energy whenever I need it most and I am versatile in general.
3. Energetic & Optimistic - I rarely get stressed out and I go with the flow while being cheerful at the same time.
@Alwaysthereforyou28
Really lovely strengths and traits!
@GlenM
1. What is your personality type? Include your 4 letters please
INFJ-A/INFJ-T
2. What were the main things you learned about yourself?
Understanding that not many people belong to this personality type makes it more understandable that sometimes it's hard for me to find the "right" people to mix with (I found them on 7cups though). I need to be careful with the kind of expectations I have towards myself and others and focus more on self-care.
3. What are your top 3 strengths or gifts according to this test? Please describe them.
Creative - Wanting to find the best solution possible for others
Insightful - The ability to understand other people's motivation, feelings and needs
Principled - High idealism, sticking to my beliefs
