Understand Your Strengths, Maximize Your Team’s Efficiency

Let’s face it: we all work differently. Some of us spend our days in deadline mode. Others take due dates with a grain of salt. Some of us make decisions based on logic. Others make decisions driven by empathy.

Despite our differences, it is possible for us to work together peacefully. But before we can work well together, we must first understand ourselves. This was the goal of Isabel DiSciullo’s pre-conference session at Converge 2015 – to help attendees learn more about themselves and their teams.

Here are my key takeaways from Issa’s session:

You can’t fix the team.

But you can figure out what makes everyone tick. If your team is out of tune, it doesn’t mean you need a new team. It just means you need to better understand your own strengths and weaknesses and the strengths and weaknesses of every member of your team.

So Bob isn’t great with deadlines. But maybe he excels at empathizing with his team and making those around him feel valued. Knowing individual strengths and weaknesses can restore harmony to your team.

Your Myers Briggs Type isn’t a label – it’s a spectrum.

Ever tried writing with your non-dominant hand? I have. My left hand writes like a kindergartner.

But forget legibility for a minute. Are you capable of writing with your other hand? Of course!

Your Myers Briggs Type is similar to hand dominance. While everyone has a dominant type, it doesn’t mean they can’t do things outside their type. Some things are just more comfortable and automatic.

Your type is a journey.

And it’s a long and winding road. Just because you’re an ENTP today doesn’t mean you’ll be an ENTP in a few years. We grow, take on new roles and learn more about the things we’re capable of every day.

Don’t worry if you take the Myers Briggs again down the road and get a completely different result. But to the same effect, don’t worry if your result stays the same. The goal isn’t to aspire to one type over another – it’s to learn more about ourselves along the way.

Did we miss you at Converge 2015? Good news! It’s not too early to register forConverge 2017 in Palm Springs.