Lists, the ISTP heaven

During the Leadership and Development week I took part of this year, I had the opportunity to take the MBTI test.

Unsurprisingly, my result is ISTP:

• Introversion: I have a small circle a friends and tend to be quiet and reserved. Social interactions take a good part of my energy.
• Sensing: I can focus on details over the big picture and tend to prefer concrete facts to abstract ones. Though, I see vision (imagining a new software, a new process, a new layout...) as one of my strenghts. I tend to rely on my intuition, though maybe less at work than in social interactions.
• Thinking: I tend to be as objective as I can in my decisions. Even if they are not always the most considerate or well-seen ones, I can take them without flinching if I'm convinced it is the right thing to do.
• Perception: I usually have a hard time taking major decisions. I will delay it, ponder pros and cons until I know what is the best choice available. When I took a decision, I stick to it and do what's necessary to make it happen.

This test only shows that there is more to me than just introversion. Out of these 4 categories, not all fit me well - they just fit me better than their opposites.

What this classification made me realize about myself is that preparation is key to be comfortable with any situation. It applies obviously to any major presentation, meeting or training I can experience at work. It also applies to holidays, as proven by my tendency to make to-do lists or roadbooks weeks in advance. Obviously, it also applies to starting a blog and planning a statistical study (even implying myself only).

So here is a first list of topics I'd like to address:

• Types of outsides interactions
• Media of interactions (phone calls being my personal worst)
• Speaking in public
• Pushing other introverts out of their comfort zones
• Being alone
• Getting ready for big events & surprises (or unknown factors)
• Shyness or the fear of social judgement
• Leading projects as an introvert
• Why regression is my favorite Six Sigma tool
• How my morning routine reflects my introversion

I'll fill this list up as ideas come - and they usually come at the strangest of time (quite often brushing my teeth...). Also, I'll link the topics to the actual posts when I'll write them. Feel free to send suggestions or themes you'd like to discuss!

B