Is more information better?

Most people are familiar with the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI).  You either took it in school or in a recent job and you were given your "four letters" telling you everything you ever wanted to know about yourself.

Okay...so the four letters don't really tell you everything you ever wanted to know.  It is because of this that the Myers Briggs released the "Step II" version of their assessment.  The Step II MBTI breaks down each of the eight preferences ( E/I, S/N, T/F, J/P) into sub-facets.  People wanted more information!  They wanted to know why they didn't reveal personal information about themselves even though their MBTI profile said that they were Extraverted (and we all know that extraverts reveal personal information about themselves easily, right?).  Well, the Step II instrument now gives us the ability to see where we test 'in preference' or 'out of preference' for our four-letter type.  You can be an extravert but test out of preference on the sub-facet that relates to revealing personal information quickly and easily.

However, with more information comes more intricacies in how all of the facets work together and how your "E" type is different from your co-worker's "E" type.

I'm going to start a series of blogs exploring the MBTI types and their sub-facets.  There is a complicated debate between delivering high level results (making it easier for people to remember their style and the style of others they work with) and giving a lot of detailed information (making the results richer but harder to remember the intricacies of how your style meshes with someone else's style).  At the end of the series I'll be asking you this question...what would you rather have and what would be more useful to you on a daily basis?

Facebook profiles to assess personality?

A research article was just published that looked into whether or not you could use Facebook profiles to predict personality, and in turn predict work performance.  What do you think?

When I first saw the subject I thought, "no way."  As it turns out, they were able to pretty closely predict personality as it relates to the Big Five personality dimensions.  Not only that, they were better able to predict performance based on their 'assessment' of an individual's FB profile over an individual's actual personality profile.  Sound insane?  Maybe.

Read the summary of the study and the results here:  Using Facebook Profiles to Assess Personality

As the summary (and article) state, we are still a long way from actually using such a method to hire new employees.  But it's definitely something to think about as we update our status, upload photos, comment on other's walls, etc.

If only everyone would Listen and See

"It's not what you look at, it's what you see."

I was watching one of my favorite TV shows the other night, Criminal Minds.  If you've ever watched the show before, you know that they always say a quote at the end of the show (it's a voice over as the Behavioral Analysis Unit flies back home after accurately profiling and helping catch the criminal).  The quote at the end of this particular episode was the one listed above.  It really struck a chord with me.

Most people have heard that there is a difference between hearing and listening.  I believe that the above quote is the visual equivalent of hearing vs. listening.  On the TV show the quote was in the context of detectives and Behavioral Analysts seeing beyond what most people would see in a crime scene or criminal case.  But I think that this can apply to all areas of life.

In a televised book club, a reader had a light bulb moment when she realized that all children really want is to be truly "seen" by their parents.  Not just looked at...but really seen. They want their parents to look them in the eye and light up.  To give them undivided attention and really make them feel like they matter, like they are important, like they aren't a burden, like they matter even if just for a few minutes.  The best selling author who was present during this conversation responded with, "Everyone just wants to be seen."  The room literally went silent for 30 seconds.  Her point?  It's not just children who need/want that.  Adults want it too.  It is the most basic human need (after water and food and shelter, of course).  Human beings all over the world just want to be seen.  To feel like they matter.

When I heard the quote above I was reminded of this author's point and I couldn't agree more.  Ever since I saw this televised book club years ago I have tried to make an effort to make people around me feel like they are "seen."  And now I'm realizing that this concept not only applies to personal relationships but all relationships, including professional relationships.  Think about it.  When you want recognition at work, what are you really looking for?  You want to be "seen."  You want to know that you are not just another warm body in the office.  That you matter, that you are important.

The world would be a better place if everyone practiced the art of Listening and Seeing.  Wouldn't you agree?

What REALLY Motivates People?

Someone sent me this link recently and when I first opened it I realized I had already seen it a few years ago.  Normally, when this happens I quickly close my browser (no point in spending 10 minutes watching something you've already seen).  However, I just couldn't bring myself to close my browser.  The information in this short video is just as fascinating to me today as it was the first time I watched it years ago.

Ever since I was in graduate school I have been fascinated by what motivates people.  I have always believed that the motivation of people is a lot more complicated than most people tend to believe.  Mostly I knew this to be true (even prior to graduate school) because I didn't seem to be motivated by the same things that motivated most of my peers.

Have I peeked your interest yet?  Check out this video:  The Surprising Science of Motivation.

I'm curious...what do you think is the MOST shocking research result from this video?  Or maybe just something that surprised you or that you were not aware of before?

Steve Jobs on Life Lessons

I'm sure that blogs across the blogosphere have tapped out on blogs about Steve Jobs.  But I have to add one more to cyberspace.

Someone posted this link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc  on Facebook.  It is Steve Jobs giving the commencement speech at Stanford University in 1995 I believe.  I almost didn't watch it but I'm SO glad that I did.  Basically Steve Jobs tells three stories of his life.  Each story teaches a valuable lesson...but I think that the biggest take away from all of them is that everything in life happens for a reason.  I have always believed this to be true, but to hear the specific details of things that happened in his life (which at the time seemed incredulous to him and most listeners), which if they had not happened, computers and digital films as we know them today might not exist just really struck me.  I would love to recap all the stories here (and almost did) but I really think it's worth spending 10 minutes to listen to the man himself talk about how his first adoptive parents didn't want him because he was a boy (and then to think about how it was the financial state of his second set of adoptive parents which led him to quit school, take a calligraphy class, and eventually use that knowledge to create the visual you see today as you read this blog), about how getting fired from Apple was the best thing that ever happened to him (meeting his wife, starting another company), and about how his sickness caused him to re-evaluate his life (and consequently quit his job and start Pixar studios).

Really makes you take a look at your life and realize that everything that has happened to you, good or bad, has led you to EXACTLY where you are today.  Everything really does happen for a reason (including getting fired!).  :-)

Interesting Brain Facts...

Some of my favorite psychology classes in school were Cognitive Psych and The Nature of Memory so when I came across this article I was immediately intrigued!  It discusses Nine Stubborn Brain Myths.  Some really surprised me!  Others I've known about for decades and was surprised to see they were even myths.

If you want to read the entire article you can check it out here:  Nine Stubborn Brain Myths That Just Won't Die

Biggest surprise was Myth #1:  Left-Brained People Are Organized, Right-Brained People Are Creative.  As it turns out, that's not true at all!  Those two attributes are a lot more equally split between the right and left brain than most people believe.  Very interesting...not sure what to think about this one just yet!

I was particularly excited to read about Myth #4:  Alcohol Kills Brain Cells.  Not that I really thought it did...but it's good to know those college years didn't ruin me (oh, who am I kidding...it's good to know I'm not killing brain cells today!).

The jury is still out on Myth #8: Your IQ Is Fixed And Stays The Same Throughout Your Life.  I hate standardized tests and have never been a huge fan of IQ anyway so I don't really know how to react or respond to this one.  There IS such a thing as cognitive ability and general "horse power" but I believe there are several types of intelligence and our measurement capabilities are not sophisticated enough to capture them all.  At least not yet!

This is a test...this is just a test

I was recently informed that there was a way that I could publish a post to my blog page directly from my Email application.  Basically, you set up your ‘custom’ email and then just send your blog to that email address and it publishes it for you!  This is my first attempt at testing out this new technology to see how well it works.  Imagine the possibilities and the increase in blog posts by being able to do it this way!

 

Cross your fingers, let’s hope this works!  If you are reading this…consider my “test” successful!!