Type Insights for Entrepreneurs
Building your own business is a complex endeavor. Knowing your Personality Type preferences can help you save precious mental and physical energy by intentionally playing to your strengths, and preparing for the (inevitable, sorry) pitfalls.
I recommend the following 3 steps:
Know your Type
Embrace your Type
Leverage your Superpower
Know Your Type
In my practice, I take clients through a thorough self-discovery process to help them land on their best-fit Type pattern.
Based on a recent session at the British Association of Psychological Type conference, here is a small taste of four entrepreneurial styles to give you an idea. I’ve added the four-letter Type code in case you already know yours. If you don’t, I’m sharing more resources below.
Read the following descriptions and mark them 1 to 4 from “most like me” to “least like me.”
Efficient Structure Entrepreneur* ISTJ, ESTJ, INTJ, ENTJ
In general, they have a corporate energy, and build businesses around systems, logic, organizing, and putting order on the environment around them. Strengths are setting goals and structured growth plans. These Types tend to have all the credentials, and come in kind of classic logistical manager and strategic visionary flavors.
Famous Efficient Structure Entrepreneurs: Bill Gates, Henry Ford
Precise Systems Entrepreneur* ISTP, ESTP, INTP, ENTP
In general, they have that start-up energy, they build businesses around solving complex problems using innovative approaches, and they like disrupting their environment. Strengths are spotting new trends, sales, and negotiation. These Types like to have an impact, and tend to focus on tangible results and reinvention.
Famous Precise Systems Entrepreneurs: Steve Jobs, Tony Robbins
Empathetic Harmony Entrepreneur* ISFJ, ESFJ, INFJ, ENFJ
In general, they have a caretaking energy, and are happiest in people-centered businesses where they can support, mentor, and advise others. Strengths are communication and relationships, so building community and creating models to reach ambitious goals. These Types like to have connections, so networking and loyalty are important.
Famous Empathetic Harmony Entrepreneurs: Oprah Winfrey, Sam Walton
Personal Authenticity Entrepreneur* ISFP, ESFP, INFP, ENFP
In general, they have a passionate energy, and build businesses where they can alleviate suffering of underserved communities, live and work aligned with strong personal values. Strengths are deeply connecting with and responding to the needs of others, and igniting their passions. These Types like to have a mission, and especially the NFP types are likely to have a mystical or esoteric aspect to their business.
Famous Personal Authenticity Entrepreneurs: Walt Disney, Arianna Huffington
Embrace Your Type
All Types can have successful businesses, just like all Types encounter stumbling blocks. Being successful in one business doesn’t mean you’ll be able to recreate success in another. Your natural strengths are supported differently depending on context.
There is no “best” entrepreneurial Type. We all get to play with what we have, and sometimes that’s more effective than others. You are enough just as you are.
All Types can be good and bad business owners and managers at times, depending on who they are paired with. Your Types will predispose you to process information and solve problems in a certain way, and sometimes those clash with those around you. If you’d like to get more practical insights for your specific Type, contact me.
Type helps us take a curious approach and use non-judgmental language to explore what’s really going on, and how to communicate more effectively in the future.
Type also helps us embrace diversity. If all of us were the same, and just did what we thought was best, our businesses would be too one-sided, and we would miss opportunities. We need people who are different from us to shine a light on our blind spots, so we can make better, more rounded decisions.
Use Your Superpower
In his theory on psychological types, Carl Jung states that we come into the world with a predisposition to use our brain in a certain way. We have an internal drive to seek experiences that help us use our strengths.
When we use our strengths, our brain gets flooded with happy dopamine. As a result, we do more of what we’re good at, and what makes us happy.
Sometimes, that means we overdo it, and get one-sided.
All natural superpowers have to have a balance.
If you’re an Efficient Structure Entrepreneurs*, you’re naturally gifted at organizing, segmenting, and achieving goals.
Make sure you also make room for a little vulnerability, and take the values and impact on other people around you into account. Listen to your clients.
If you’re a Precise Systems Entrepreneur*, you’re naturally gifted at problem-solving, synthesizing, and integrating knowledge into elegant solutions.
Make sure you also make room for exceptions to the rule, ambiguity, and embrace deadlines. Sometimes, done is better than perfect.
If you’re an Empathetic Harmony Entrepreneur*, you’re naturally gifted at building bridges, harmonizing, and connecting.
Make sure you also make room for boundaries, self-interest, and detachment. You don’t have to act on everyone’s feedback; consider the source.
If you’re a Personal Authenticity Entrepreneur*, you’re naturally gifted at authenticity, congruency, and alignment to a higher mission.
Make sure you also make room for compromise, and don’t ignore the practical concerns of running a business.
Resources / Next Steps
I hope you found this helpful!
If you’d like to learn more about leveraging your Type preferences in life, relationships, and in business, I invite you to schedule a free, no-obligation chat to see if we might be a good fit.
If you’d like to find your best-fit Type preferences, but 1:1 coaching isn’t your thing or not in the budget right now, I have a brand new self-paced online course available on Udemy.
You can check it out here (Personality Type Self Discovery - Find Your Best-Fit Pattern course); the first three lessons are free to watch. (Yes, you can take that course and then schedule the free call to talk about your result. 😉)
Waving from Brooklyn,
Doris
*Entrepreneur Type names by Markey Read (mrgrp-us.com). Used with permission. And she's got a book coming out soon!
