{Personality Tests} Don't Give Me That "I" !

People are complex, variable and unpredictable. I like to think that we are more sophisticated than any 9-box grid, True Colors or personality test could ever hope to encompass. I feel violated when a marketer gets lucky and I suddenly "need" something I didn't know even existed a few minutes earlier.

Nonetheless, personality tests are part of what we do. I recently took the Myers-Briggs as part of a health care leadership development program.

Photo Credit: iStockPhoto

The Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator (MBTI) is designed to identify a person's personality type, strengths, and preferences and is one of the most widely used personality assessments in the world. The scaled preferences focus on four categories:

• Where you focus your attention: Extraversion - Intraversion
• The way you take in information: Sensing - Intuition
• The way you make decisions: Thinking - Feeling
• How you deal with the outer world: Judging - Perceiving

Now here's the necessary disclaimer: I am not certified to administer or interpret the MBTI. I am just a girl with an opinion, an observation and my own sets of scaled preference numbers. 

In the late 1990s my numbers were: 39-43-13-51.

As an ISTJ, these numbers pegged me as an introverted judgmental human resources professional {Oh, joy!} who preferred to focus on the here and now. If she couldn't see it, feel, it touch it, hear it, or taste it - it didn't exist for her.  She always stuck to the plan.

Today, these numbers still peg me as an ISTJ but one much closer to center: 25-2-7-1. Now, my preferences reflect a slight shift in internal focus (break out the party hats), more intuition and a new-found flexibility. "Spontaneous" may be a bit of a stretch but I do prefer to keep my options open.

You didn't see that coming.

Or did you?

People can develop behaviors, strategies and habits that are not consistent with their MBTI type. I did it myself.

Viva the people!

Numbers can't define a person.

In the space between the numbers, I see life. I see experience, ego and the wisdom of age. I see motherhood. I see relationship. I see desire. I see influence, leadership and a need to be seen. I see writing, speaking and uncomfortable experiences. I see deliberate intention and continuous learning.

You can't 9-box that.

{Personality Tests} Don't Give Me That "I" by Lisa Rosendahl first appeared on lisarosendahl.com

Random Acts of Kindness: A Day in the Life Sunday

I came across a quote recently that read, "Don't teach kids to count, teach them what counts most." I started to question if a parent can really teach empathy or if there are traits some kids have and others do not. No, I am not going to tackle child development on a Sunday morning.

I am going to share a story instead.

The kid asked for money for a pizza party and to pay-off a lost bet. We gave her six dollars. Three dollars for the pizza party, one dollar for the lost bet and two dollars back to the parents after the party. That was the plan, except nothing came back to the parents.

"Where's my two (just enough for a medium cinnamon spice tea from Caribou Coffee) dollars, kid?"

She didn't have it.

Turns out that three dollars went towards her pizza, and when she realized a friend did not have money for the party, the remaining three dollars went to her friend. I can't fault that, or the extra pair of sweat pants she brought into school for a friend who didn't have a pair for gym, or any of the countless other gestures she has made I am not aware of.

Kindness. Acceptance. Heart.

My tea can wait.

It's an amazing feeling to see this in your child. To a young teenager, it's "just being a good friend, Mom." Kids. She sees it as nothing. I know it's so much more.

I know because I was that girl.

Growing up, my mother worked at least two jobs to ensure my siblings and I had a place to come home to every day. There was food on the table and we had clothes on our backs. I knew we didn't have what others had but I don't know if I really knew at that age what was missing.

It's rather pitiful how much I can't recall time frames from my childhood. I direct all inquiries to my sister. I really don't remember a lot but I do remember Mary Jo. Mary Jo was everything I wasn't and she offered kindness and acceptance to this teenager when she needed it most. I don't remember if I ever even thanked her.

To my daughter, here's an extra stash of dollar bills, school supplies, weekend get-togethers and rides home. Use at will and continue to be the friend you are to others. They may not thank you now but they will be thankful for you later.

Kindness matters. Keep it up kiddo.

Random Acts of Kindness: A Day in the Life Sunday by Lisa Rosendahl first appeared on lisarosendahl.com