Monthly Archives: June 2014

Random Five Friday is here again, even though I’ve only been back in town 2 days. Feels weird that it’s Friday but hey ~ I’ll take it.

Here we go!

1.  Attended a departmental conference with colleagues in Denver earlier this week. Unlike past meetings, where various experts and executives spoke at us for two days, this one was extremely interactive.  All of us completed the MBTI assessment ahead of time and we had one full day of breakouts to learn about each indicator before getting our results.   Now, I’ve taken this before, in fact it was this assessment, taken in a three-day conference, that prompted our move to Michigan.  Read more at When you know for sure.   Re the training, there were some who embraced it, some who quietly tolerated it, some who pooh-poohed it and others who rolled with it.  I’ll let you guess which one I was :).

2.  Landing in Denver and stepping outside was like walking into a furnace. Hot, billowing dry air and all-encompassing.  No humidity. None.   I felt my eyes crinkle to raisins and slugged down more water than ever.  My normally hair-that-shall-not-be-tamed decided to lie down in protest.   Weird.

3. I’ve mentioned before that our company is going through a lot of organizational and structural changes.   Tuesday night, I found myself in a deep conversation with a colleague, someone I don’t know well and rarely see, but someone I’ve long admired for his gentle dignity and the steady way he conducts himself.  We started chatting about the changes and something led me to ask about his situation, suspecting he’s not likely to have a job in a year. Shyly he told me a bit about other ventures he’s involved in and, as I listened, I watched as his face lit up. The more he talked about having more time with his wife and children, the more animated he became. I felt a nudge to tell him our story, about taking this same class so many years ago and how that exercise created a foundational shift change for us.   As I talked about our course correction, and being led by faith, I felt myself growing more animated, too.  We were soon called to dinner but not before he said, “You don’t know how much I needed to hear what you had to say, thank you.”

4. Re the personality types, my results were not a surprise to me:  ISTJ.  Here’s the description:

Quiet, serious, earn success by thoroughness and dependability. Practical, matter-of-fact, realistic, and responsible. Highly capable and decides logically what should be done and work toward it steadily, regardless of distractions. Take pleasure in making everything orderly and organized – their work, their home, their life. Value traditions and loyalty.

I’m Joe Friday! Google.images.com

I did have several “aha’s” however – I understand now why my trip “home” was so exhausting. I’m a “situational extrovert” – I can chat it up with family or be on “stage” at a meeting, etc. but I cannot do so without a price. There are a lot of extroverts in my family and, after being with them a week, I lost my voice. Makes me understand why I crave my quiet Sundays at home. Ding! Ding! Ding!

The other important takeaway was the opportunity to understand the other types on my team and across our department.  There emerged some clear leaders and big-picture thinkers, the “do-ers” and the diplomats and so on.  The most profound affirmation was learning that the person I report to is my polar opposite: it’s no wonder we struggle communicating.  I come at a task with facts, strategy, and a plan; I crave order, quiet and structure. He shows up late, with no idea what’s coming at us or what’s needed to get it done, bucks the plan, laughs at to-do lists and thinks out-loud in a steady stream of consciousness.   Please pray for me.

5.  It’s good to be home where it’s 74F and 9,000% humidity.  Say what you want about higher temps, it feels hotter here!

And with that, I give you this door sign. Funny stuff.

funny stuff. Google.images.com

Do you know your MBTI type? Does it ring true for you?  Happy Friday, peeps!