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
Defender
ISFJ-T
Defenders are true altruists, meeting kindness with kindness-in-excess and engaging the work and people they believe in with enthusiasm and generosity.
There’s hardly a better type to make up such a large proportion of the population, nearly 13%.
Combining the best of tradition and the desire to do good, Defenders are found in lines of work with a sense of history behind them, such as medicine, academics and charitable social work.
Supportive – Defenders are the universal helpers, sharing their knowledge, experience, time and energy with anyone who needs it, and all the more so with friends and family. People with this personality type strive for win-win situations, choosing empathy over judgment whenever possible.
Reliable and Patient – Rather than offering sporadic, excited rushes that leave things half finished, Defenders are meticulous and careful, taking a steady approach and bending with the needs of the situation just enough to accomplish their end goals. Defenders not only ensure that things are done to the highest standard, but often go well beyond what is required.
Imaginative and Observant – Defenders are very imaginative, and use this quality as an accessory to empathy, observing others’ emotional states and seeing things from their perspective. With their feet firmly planted on the ground, it is a very practical imagination, though they do find things quite fascinating and inspiring.
Enthusiastic – When the goal is right, Defenders take all this support, reliability and imagination and apply it to something they believe will make a difference in people’s lives – whether fighting poverty with a global initiative or simply making a customer’s day.
Loyal and Hard-Working – Given a little time, this enthusiasm grows into loyalty – Defender personalities often form an emotional attachment to the ideas and organizations they’ve dedicated themselves to. Anything short of meeting their obligations with good, hard work fails their own expectations.
Good Practical Skills – The best part is, Defenders have the practical sense to actually do something with all this altruism. If mundane, routine tasks are what need to be done, Defenders can see the beauty and harmony that they create, because they know that it helps them to care for their friends, family, and anyone else who needs it.
@AdylynS
You have a great personality and i really liked all your strengths and traits.
@shallowWater7547
Thank You!
I am sure you do to!
@GlenM
If anyone ever need support we all are here for you
I'm an INTJ-A i think
I found out that im 51% introverted 49% extroverted and its pretty accurate haha
some of my strenghts are being good at leader roles, being analytical and very pragmatic
@optimisticDay8079
Its nice to have such a balance between being introvert or extrovert
Your strength traits seem awesome way to go for you ^^
@optimisticDay8079
Hey wow I thought we're pretty close there, I'm an ISTJ! It's so nice having such a nice balance between being an introvert and extrovert, mine is like 80% introvert !
@optimisticDay8079
Really refreshing to hear about another INTJ-A! I also got those results and the same introvert/extrovert percentage
@optimisticDay8079
Actually reversed the percentage lol for me I'm 51% extrovert, 49% introvert. Such a close percentage so I misread them reading yours as the same as mine and got excited! Still pretty close
@optimisticDay8079 Those are good qualities. I also tend to be analytical which can be really helpful.
@optimisticDay8079
This sounds amazing!
Hi @optimisticDay8079
I always find the balance of Introvert and Extrovert keenly interesting! When people fall in the middle (ambiverts woot woot) it's always interesting to think that we decide in the moment how we need to recharge (alone or with people) and how that is never a decisive and obvious choice.
The distance between insanity and genius is measured only by ssuccess. -ruce Feirstein
@GlenM
ENTP-T: )
I learned that apparently I'm some sort of enterpeneur? Tha'ts weird :D
My three strenghts according to the site are
Bold – People with the Entrepreneur personality type are full of life and energy. There is no greater joy for Entrepreneurs than pushing boundaries and discovering and using new things and ideas.
Rational and Practical – Entrepreneurs love knowledge and philosophy, but not for their own sake. What’s fun for Entrepreneur personalities is finding ideas that are actionable and drilling into the details so they can put them to use. If a discussion is completely arbitrary, there are better uses for Entrepreneurs’ time.
Original – Combining their boldness and practicality, Entrepreneurs love to experiment with new ideas and solutions. They put things together in ways no one else would think to.
That's it : )
@thisisirene
I love your personality, an entrepreneur that's so cool
@thisisirene
I got INTP-A and surprisingly those are kinda same traits like Original , Rational and Practical. I was a logician by the way. So, its kinda interesting that two personalities have similar traits yet they are different.
@GlenM
1. INTP
2. One thing I learned about myself is about my career pathways. I was surprised to read that people with MBTI of INTP are suitable for studying law or doing laboratory research in their career because those two areas of study were exactly the subjects I was considering studying in the future. I learned that what I chose for my career path is well-selected!
3. The top 3 strengths which I felt most connected to are the 'imaginative and original', 'honest and straightforward' and 'analysts and abstract thinkers'. The first strength, 'imaginative and original' describes the tendency of people with INTP to make "remarkable innovations" that are purely based on their imagination and thoughts. Although these innovations may not eventually come to light, they are beneficial approaches. Being 'honest and straightforward' is the characteristic of INTP which I agree most with as I struggle to say things indirectly to others as I believe that being direct is the quickest and strongest way to convey a particular idea. Due to my honest personality, I focus on being polite whenever I am being honest. The third strength, being analytical and thinking abstractly, is another personality that I think represents me very well because I love exploring philosophical ideas and analyzing texts in language classes. I love analyzing the 'hidden meanings' of texts and exploring the truth about the world we live in.
@UnicornsCottonCandy INTP sounds really cool! I'm INFP-T and it's so exciting to hear about other's personalities! I'm glad you got to learn a lot about yourself! Besides, that I particularly like your strength of being honest and straightforward! it sounds like a really beneficial strength 
@cuteeeezombieeee Omg! I have the same personality as you! That's super cool!
@UnicornsCottonCandy
I'm an INTP too! It's great to see another person with the same personality as me! I love how we analysts and abstract thinkers. Take care
@UnicornsCottonCandy
Its great that the test helped you with your career path
@GlenM
1. What is your personality type? Include your 4 letters please Â
Enfp-T
2. What were the main things you learned about yourself?
I love reading the part about being careful if i might misread people'emotions. My strength has been my intuition, but as the personality warns, it can sometimes be misleading if i rely on intuition alone.
3. What are your top 3 strengths or gifts according to this test? Please describe them.
- ability to empathise strongly with others
- passionate and creative
-independence
@Bu123
Hello! I love how one of your strength is ability to empathise strongly with others. I think this is a very important strength to have! Have a good day
Aw thanks for passing by 😘 have a lovely day too
@Bu123
Wow I think the ability to empathize and be caring is great for being a listener!
@kindLemonade
Ability to empathize is a great charachteristic
@kindLemonade
I am an ENFP - T too, we are make 7% of the population and we can consider ourselves quite rare hahah.
Its lovely to hear you sharing your strengths and traits that are important to you
Have a great day ahead
@kindLemonade
I am an ENFP - T too, we are make 7% of the population and we can consider ourselves quite rare hahah.
Its lovely to hear you sharing your strengths and traits that are important to you
Have a great day ahead
@giggleZebra2708
hello ENFP fellow 
1) Personality Type: INFF-T (The Mediator)
2) Main things you learned about yourself: I finally learnt to identify the feelings which I experience of not fitting in anywhere. Like, that constant feeling of being misunderstood or not being like others. It’s good in a way. I think I have to embrace the fact that I’m unique. The personality test also identified me as having a caring personality, which is very true. I tend to always place others’ needs before my own. It was fun to find out that people with my personality type are always mistaken as being quiet and uninteresting! In reality, we might be quiet on the inside, but we can be really interesting and excited if you get to know us personally!
3) Top 3 Strengths:
Thoughtful – Caring a lot about others’ feelings and trying our best not to hurt them, even unintentionally..Our kindness benefits everyone around us.
Generous –We don’t enjoy the fruit of success by hurting someone else. We want to share our joy and achievements with others. We highly value the importance of equality.
Open-Minded – We are accepting of everyone else’s beliefs and opinions. We like to let people live as they want, but we always want to protect them from being hurt.
Taking the test was a fulfilling experience!
*INFP ..oof, that was a bad typo
@cuteeeezombieeee
@cuteeeezombieeee (Sorry for the seperate tag above, accidental :P)
Hey! Thanks for the comment on my post. It's super awesome to meet another INFP-T, it seems to be a personality type that is harder to come across. I relate so much to your comments about not feeling like you fit in because you feel different to others.
I think it's really cool that you've learnt to embrace the fact that you are unique, and should see it as a strength rather than a weakness - After all, the most valuable things are typically the hardest to find
Take care :)
@JordanPeraltaa I'm INFP as well! Cool to meet you guys.
@cuteeeezombieeee
Way to go!
@GlenM
Hello!
My personality type came out to be INTP, Logician.
The main things I have learnt about myself?
That I love patterns, and spotting discrepancies between statements.
And also that I am prone to reassessing my own thoughts and theories.
Top 3 strengths
I can be very enthusiastic if I have new ideas.
I am open minded.
I am good at analyzing machines and big problems.
@jinlatte
Interesting! Fellow INTP and I have not found many of those.
@jinlatte In school I was known as the corrector so mistakes definitely don't pass me by either.
Hi @jinlatte! I love how innovative and analytical you are!
@jinlatte Those are very helpful and advantageous characteristics that you have.
@GlenM
Hi, I think this is my 5th or 6th time to take the test to get the result of ENFP-T
I took the test first time with Feeling 90+% now it got 83%. I think it is a very good progress since i was trying to balance things. I agree with much explained for a campaigner there. I struggled to get to know me and to learn new ways to handle my emotions and happy with this little progress
Some strength mentioned were: Observant, Curious, Excellent communicator and energetic.
With energetic that has ups and downs, was a nice thing to dive in this test once again. Have a lovely day all :D
@Ahmed
Hey seems like your personality have been pretty consistent through the test of time! It's great that you're working to balance things, I'm also on the same track with my introvert-extrovert!
1. What is your personality type? Include your 4 letters please �
My personality is ISTJ.
2. What were the main things you learned about yourself?
I learned that I don't rely on my emotions much to make decisions but rather the facts. I also like autonomy and self-sufficiency.
3. What are your top 3 strengths or gifts according to this test? Please describe them.
My top strengths are being honest, strong-willed, responsiblem, calm, and practical.
@herealways27
Hey there! 
I'm an ISTP!
We differ in the last letter (P and J) which is interesting.
I very much like autonomy as well and make (most) decisions logically like you 
