What do you do when it comes to an ENFP or an ISTJ? The little letter game only makes sense if you know the Jungian Type Index. You will be introduced to it here.
by Thomas Bering, CfL, October 2020
One of the most important disciplines in personnel management is the motivation of employees. If you have unmotivated employees, it can have major consequences for your team. In the best case, the team will not perform at 100%; in the worst case, you may experience conflicts, stress, declining engagement, and high staff turnover.
Motivation is a challenging discipline because we, as humans, are different and are driven by different factors.
You have probably experienced unexpected reactions to your decisions. Or that you and your employee speak past each other and therefore do not share the same understanding of expectations.
This is likely because you are different personality types. You are guided by different preferences that determine how you perceive and make decisions, and in general, how you prefer to be in the world.
In this article you can read about some of the differences you as a leader should be aware of. You will get examples of how different personality types are motivated – and not least what demotivates them – and hopefully you will also reflect on your own leadership style.
One of the preferences we often resort to when categorizing people’s personalities is extroversion and introversion – whether one is outgoing or reserved, whether one draws energy from the surroundings or from within.
This is the most well-known and clearly defined human preference, and something most people can identify with.
It can be useful to know whether your employee is predominantly introverted or extroverted, as it can explain why the employee acts in a certain way in a given situation. Extroverts typically prefer to act first and reflect later, whereas an introvert prefers to reflect first and act afterward.
Therefore, it can be advantageous to give an introverted employee time to analyze and understand the task before acting, while an employee with an extroverted preference may need to tackle the task immediately and reflect on it later.
Some people need to dream. They are motivated by seeing possibilities, wholes, and imagining what the end result will look like before solving a task. Others are more fact-oriented. They primarily focus on the here and now, and on what is needed to solve the task.
You have the logically thinking employee who approaches situations and tasks objectively. The counterpart to this type is more emotion-oriented, focusing primarily on what is right and wrong, and generally needing a more personal involvement.
You probably recognize that some employees thrive best when there is a fixed and clear structure in the workday and tasks – when there is a clear goal for the task, and once it is achieved, the task is closed and a new one can begin.
At the same time, you have the more flighty employee who needs more flexibility and free frameworks. This employee acts impulsively, and tasks may continuously change direction as new ideas and opportunities arise.
There are simply some fundamental preferences that have a great influence on our approach to work and task solving. Each of these preferences is in itself a strength. The leader’s challenge is to accommodate these differences and ensure that each employee is motivated.
The first thing you must do is be aware of your employees' individual types and preferences. Then ask yourself: Are your employees motivated by your leadership style?
Self-reflection is an important trait as a leader and as a person in general. Therefore, take a few minutes to reflect on whether you are attentive to the individual when delegating tasks or giving feedback.
For example, do you know to what extent each of your employees needs praise, planning, and a fixed structure?
CfL uses the personality test JTI to categorize personality types. JTI, also known as the Jungian Type Index, is, as the name suggests, developed based on Carl Jung's theory of psychological types.
JTI is a tool that helps group people into 16 different personality types. The grouping is based on eight diametrically opposed preferences. As individuals, we each have a preference for one or the other, and when we know these preferences, the JTI test gives us a type code that describes our personality.
As a leader and as an individual, it can be very valuable to know our own preferences. It gives us a basis for understanding our tendencies, preferences, and behavior. At the same time, it helps us to be aware of our employees', colleagues', and friends' preferences and behaviors in specific situations.
When we understand each other's personality types, we have an important foundation for, among other things, minimizing conflicts, strengthening relationships, and understanding how each of us is motivated and demotivated.
In the next section you will be presented with three examples of how selected personality types are motivated and demotivated.
If you have not previously become acquainted with the JTI’s personality types, you may benefit from looking more closely at them here and reading a description of the 16 personality types.
ENFPs can have difficulty motivating themselves to do something they find boring. They enjoy exploring new ideas and opportunities, and they can become frustrated if forced to do the same thing for too long. For that reason, you may experience that ENFPs struggle with tasks they do not find interesting. On the other hand, if they are given tasks in areas they find exciting, you will see that ENFPs thrive and execute the task perfectly. They are intelligent individuals who simply do not spend their time on tasks they do not enjoy.
A good way to motivate ENFPs is by continuously rotating their tasks. Having a few projects that they can switch between can really help prevent boredom.
They are motivated by enthusiasm and energy from other people and can be demotivated by too much hierarchy and structure.
ENFPs are generous with praise, compliments, and appreciation of others, and they themselves seek the same recognition. Thus, praise and positive feedback are important motivational factors for this type.
ISTJs are often easy to motivate, especially when it comes to necessary daily tasks. They typically struggle more when it comes to stepping outside their comfort zone. They enjoy practical activities and are often focused on schedules. If they have to do something far outside their normal activities, they might find it difficult to motivate themselves. When ISTJs know that something needs to be done, they are excellent at pushing themselves to accomplish it.
If ISTJs do not feel sufficiently appreciated, and feel that their efforts make no difference, they may struggle to motivate themselves. They simply need to know that they are doing well and receive enough positive feedback to keep their motivation up. If ISTJs receive criticism, it must be constructive so they can make the necessary changes.
They set high demands on themselves and their surroundings in terms of responsibility, effort, integrity, and structure. They solve tasks based on facts and may have difficulty with "creative chaos." This can also be reflected in the work environment, where they need to be able to work in a focused and undisturbed manner.
Also read: The ISTJ Personality Type
ENTJs are often highly motivated people who constantly strive to achieve their goals. They want to be successful and often take on many tasks at once. They are hardworking and intelligent individuals, which is often enough to keep them motivated. Competition can be an excellent way to help an ENTJ who has stalled. They are motivated by the fact that they continually want to improve themselves and grow as individuals. If they are given healthy competition that excites them, ENTJs will quickly get back on track.
If ENTJs have made a decision, they stick to it firmly, and only logical arguments can change their minds. This personality type welcomes discussions with factual arguments, but will be demotivated by counter-decisions that are not supported by logic.
They are motivated by creative environments and people with clear ambitions and plans for the future. However, their forward-thinking nature can sometimes compromise attention to detail. This can be frustrating both for the ENTJ, who may feel forced to retrace the same steps, and for others who might be irritated by having to clean up after them.
Also read: The ENTJ Personality Type
Let me begin with an example: Helle is a department manager in a large private knowledge-based company. She is responsible for a team of specialists and has for several years delivered stable results, high quality, and low employee turnover. Now the conditions are changing. The organization is growing, the pace is increasing, and decisions need to be made more quickly.
Read about the theory behind the JTI profile and gain insight into how it should – and should not – be used.
Here you’ll find an overview of the 16 personality types in the JTI. Read a description of your own and your colleagues’ personality types here.