Hey, what is going on, guys?
One of the most common questions I get asked
about myself is what is my MBTI,
Meyers Briggs personality type?
I get this question all the time, and, today,
I thought I would just answer it by actually going
through the most popular personality test
on the internet, the 16personalities.com test.
If you Google personality test, I believe it is
the first thing that comes up, personality test.
Yes, first thing that comes up.
We're gonna take this test,
and I'm going to show you my score.
Once we get whatever my type is, we'll look through
some of the traits that that type contains
and then compare it to some of the other traits out there,
because there are, it looks like, 16
different personality types, each a combination
of the four different letters here.
Now, this is mainly based on the Myers Briggs
Personality Type Indicator acronym here,
but I believe that the 16 personalities test,
looking through their Theory page here,
uses a little bit different philosophy
behind their questions, and there's lots of different types
of tests that use the MBTI acronyms, so it's important
to realize that people who tell you,
"Hey, I'm an IM, INFTP or ENTJ or an ENFJ,"
if they say that, they might have taken a different test
than the one you take, and it might mean
something different all together.
The other thing that I wanna mention before I go into this
is that personality tests in general, this one and others,
are merely mental models that can be useful
for figuring out what kind of personality you might have
and what things you might be better at than others,
but I don't think that you should use these
to define yourself entirely.
In fact, there's a really good quote from an article
here on Quora called What is the current thinking
about Myers Briggs that I really liked here
in this fourth paragraph, I think it is.
In this sense, it can be a good framework
for developing an intuition about one's own uniqueness
and how one cannot use oneself as a model
to explain all other human beings.
That's the one quote there that I really love.
You can use these tests to remind yourself that
the way you view the world is not the way that other people
view the world, and things that work for you
may not work for other people, but I don't want you
to use these kind of tests to try to define yourself
and especially limit the choices you make
or make decisions about what you maybe shouldn't try
to do, because you fit into a certain personality archetype.
With all that being said, we are just going to get into
the quiz here.
You find it difficult to introduce yourself to other people.
No.
It has become much, much easier in recent years,
and I think this actually highlights something right away.
If I were to take this test; in fact, I did take
this very test about five years ago, I think.
This was more on the middle or agree side,
because I was a little bit more shy,
and now it's not hard at all.
You try to respond to your emails as soon as possible
and cannot stand a messy inbox.
Oh, boy.
Can we use wishful thinking here as an answer?
You have to answer honestly
even if you don't like the answer.
Okay, I have seen friends of mine.
I've seen their inboxes, and I sometimes see like 10,000
unread emails in there.
I am not nearly that bad.
However, I am not super good at responding
to emails very quickly.
Let's go with a soft agree, because I do try to do it,
and I do not like a messy inbox.
I'm just not good at it, and I'm not one of those
inbox zero practitioners, so I really don't think
I could put myself over here on the strong agree.
You feel superior to other people.
I don't even know how to answer that.
I definitely feel superior to other people in certain areas,
but I am very confident in my skill set, but,
in terms of just general, I mean, I don't know.
I realize that it's very easy to compare yourself
to a reference that you may have, but you may not have
a reference somewhere else, so I really don't know.
I feel like the type of work I do lends itself
to the development of an ego that I try to keep in check.
I'm gonna go ahead, and I'm gonna put that as neutral.
I'm not really sure, to be honest.
Being organized is more important to you
than being adaptable.
No, no, no, no.
No, not at all.
I love being organized, absolutely.
Don't get me wrong, but I think the skill of adaptability
is actually a lot more important than being organized.
Winning a debate matters less to you than making sure
no one gets upset.
Now, this is an interesting question.
I think five years ago I would've put that, yes,
winning a debate matters more, because I was more interested
in objective truth and finding the right answer.
At this point, I think it depends, because, like,
with my relationship with my girlfriend,
I often don't care if I win a debate as many times
as I may have used to, because I don't want her to be upset.
These are tough questions, because the context matters,
and I would rather be wrong than win on an argument
that doesn't work, so this is kind of tough.
Maybe, putting aside the context of my relationship
with my girlfriend on debates that don't matter,
in general, I think that coming to the truth of the matter
does matter more than making sure no one gets upset.
Otherwise, that's avoidance of conflict for no reason.
We will go with a middle agree here.
You don't mind being at the center of attention.
Agree. I do not mind that.
You consider yourself more practical than creative.
I think that I'm more creative than practical,
and I suppose my reasoning for this would be that
I have a lot of friends who do Youtube
and do entrepreneurial things, and a lot of those friends
are more willing to do things that they know
are going to be profitable with less of an investment
in the creative aspects whereas you guys know
I put out a video once a week, if that,
because I'm so into making sure that
my videos have something creative and new and different
in them every single time.
I think I'm more creative than practical.
We'll go with that one.
People can rarely upset you.
That is true.
I don't really get upset almost ever.
It is often difficult for you to relate
to other people's feelings.
I'm actually gonna go to disagree on this one.
It's gonna be a soft disagree.
When I took this test a few years ago,
probably five years ago at this point,
I know that I was over here on the agree side.
I have had trouble in the past empathizing
with other people's feelings,
because I'm a very solution-minded person.
When there's a problem, at least in my mind,
the first thing to do is to solve it,
but I think this is another good example
of how your personality can actually shift
through conscious effort, because I have worked
to become more empathetic with my friends
and with people in general, and I think that work
has actually contributed to me becoming
more naturally empathetic.
We're gonna go with a soft disagree there.
In a discussion, truth should be more important
than people's sensitivities.
This is another one of those questions where
I would have been like hard yes, and I'm not sure,
'cause context matters so much.
How much does the truth matter?
That's the real question to be answered here.
I think, once again, I'm still on the side of agree,
but it's not as hard of an agree anymore.
I try to think about the context now.
Being able to develop a plan and stick to it
is the most important part of every project.
I have to go back to that adaptability question.
Dwight Eisenhower once said that planning is everything,
but plans are nothing, and I absolutely agree with that.
We often have to change plans quickly and pivot.
I think that being able to develop a plan is very important,
but the most important part of every project, I think,
is adaptability and communication.
We'll go with disagree.
If someone does not respond to your email quickly,
you start worrying if you said something wrong.
Yes, I do, and I know this is irrational.
I know this is stupid, because I have had people that
I haven't responded to in weeks, and it is no fault
of their own.
It's just my poor organization or prioritizing other things,
and I tell myself that every time I send an email,
and I don't get a response quickly.
I tell myself, "They're just busy".
You know, they're probably doing something else.
Their email's not a priority, but there's always
this little thing in the back of my mind that's like,
"You probably said something wrong," or,
"You probably worded something," or, "You put a period
"on some sentence and made it sound too terse".
Yeah, we'll go with that.
You do not let other people influence your actions.
I feel like, if you answer agree on this one,
you're a little bit self-delusional.
I think we all have influences even if they're subconscious.
I think you have to disagree a little bit.
The question is to what degree.
I definitely let people influence my actions.
That's absolutely true.
I have discussions with people that I trust
and people that I look up to, and they often will change
my opinion on something that I was going to do.
I do think that there is a certain degree of principle
that I hold myself to, and there's a certain degree
of confidence in my ability to judge where I am
and what the best course of action is,
so we'll go with a soft disagree here.
Your emotions control you more than you control them.
That is a disagree absolutely.
I like to think I'm in control of my emotions
quite a bit.
Like I said, I don't really get angry very often,
and I don't let my moods swing that much.
You would rather improvise than spend time coming up
with a detailed plan.
There's the key question, rather, the keyword here, rather.
Would I rather improvise or spend time coming up
with a detailed plan?
I like doing both, to be honest.
I think that where a lot of my great work comes
through improvisation, like I said here,
I think my personality type actually leads me
to try to plan things out in advance more,
and then I just end up improvising within the constraints
of that plan if that makes any sense.
You often contemplate the reasons for human existence.
Yes, yes I do.
Logic is usually more important than heart
when it comes to making important decisions.
I'm gonna go with agree there.
I did say that I do try to take people's emotions
into account more often now, but I do still believe that
logic trumps my own emotions
when it comes to making important decisions.
Keeping your options open is more important
than having a to-do list.
This all comes back to that improvisation thing, right?
I'm gonna go with disagree here, though,
because I think that keeping your options open
actually leads us to inaction many times.
When we just have too many options, we have no constraints
to really put us down a specific path.
I think, when we create constraints,
we actually give ourselves the freedom
to operate and make more impactful decisions
within those constraints.
I like having a to-do list and then being able
to adapt it if I have to.
If your friend is sad about something, you are more likely
to offer emotional support than suggest ways
to deal with the problem.
This is one of those things.
Five years ago, I would have been hard disagree.
I have worked very hard to make myself
give emotional support, but my gut answer,
the thing my brain immediately jumps to whenever
a friend has a problem, is to suggest a way to deal with it,
and then I have to pause, stop myself, and decide
to purposely give that emotional support first
and wait to suggest a solution until they ask.
All right, you rarely feel insecure.
Agree. I am not an insecure person.
You think that everyone's views should be respected
regardless of whether they are supported by facts or not.
Disagree.
Your right to express your view, I respect that
with certain exceptions, but the view itself
does not deserve respect if it is not supported by facts.
All right, you feel more energetic after spending time
with a group of people.
I actually don't.
I have an introvert battery that drains
when I'm in a group of people.
You feel very anxious in stressful situations.
Definitely disagree here.
When I'm in a stressful situation,
I actually feel very energized.
Stress is a very good thing for me,
at least if it's not chronic.
You often take initiative in social situations.
Yes, I do, and this is something
that has served me very well.
Again, when I had taken this test a few years ago,
the answer was probably no.
I wasn't the person to plan things.
I wasn't the person to be the leader in that area
of my life, but, now, I've learned that
you kind of have to be if you want things to happen.
I do try to do that.
All right, we are about to get the results,
and I actually do not know what I'm going to get.
Let's just click it and see.
All right.
ENTJ.
That is what I got last time, and there's a -A on there.
We'll see what that actually means.
I'm not exactly sure what the A means here.
Let's go through it.
All right, 83% extroverted.
That is a big difference from what I would have gotten
five years ago.
I think last time I got ENTJ,
but I was like 52% extroverted.
Let's see here.
I have 56% intuitive energy versus observant.
My nature is more thinking than feeling, but, again,
my thinking nature was actually much higher in the past.
It has balanced out over time.
Tactics: this trait reflects our approach to work,
planning, and decision-making.
I'm more judging than prospecting.
We'll see what that means, and then identity.
This trait underpins all others showing how confident we are
in our abilities and decisions.
I'm 87% assertive and 13% turbulent.
Let's see what all this stuff means.
All right, the ENTJ personality type,
and keep in mind, guys, there are 16 different kinds.
It looks like I am here, the Commander,
within the Analysts category.
We also have Diplomats, Sentinels, and Explorers.
We have a Steve Jobs quote.
That's pretty cool.
Commanders are natural-born leaders.
People with this personality type embody the gifts
of charisma and confidence and project authority
in a way that draws crowds together behind a common goal.
However, Commanders are also characterized
by an often ruthless level of rationality
using their drive, determination, and sharp minds
to achieve whatever end they've set for themselves.
Perhaps, it is best that they make up
only 3% of the population.
Oh, I'm pretty rare, I guess.
Lest they overwhelm the more timid and sensitive
personality types that make up
much of the rest of the world.
We have Commanders to thank for many of the businesses
and institutions we take for granted every day.
I'm interested in the strengths and weaknesses.
Let's look at that real quick.
Commanders are efficient, they're energetic, self-confident,
strong-willed, strategic thinkers,
and charismatic and inspiring.
Let's hear Commander weaknesses.
I'm actually more interested in these,
because I feel like these are interesting,
but they often are ego-stroking a little bit, maybe.
I wanna see what my weaknesses are here:
stubborn and dominant.
Sometimes all this confidence and will power
can go too far, and Commanders are all too capable
of digging in their heels, trying to win every single debate
and pushing their vision and theirs alone.
This was absolutely me for a long time.
In fact, in high school, I had a girl break up with me,
actually, for this very reason.
It's because I basically refused
to give ground on arguments.
I would let my logical mind just go too far
and just run amuck without thinking
about the other person's feelings,
and that kinda broke that relationship up.
I've learned to not let that part of me
dominate my thinking.
Intolerant: it's my way or the highway.
Okay, people with the Commander personality type
are notoriously unsupportive of any idea that distracts
from the primary goals and even more so
of ideas based on emotional considerations.
I think this is something that I also struggled with
in the past, but it's another thing
that I'm trying to work on.
All right, impatient.
Some people need more time to think than others,
an intolerable delay to quick-thinking Commanders.
They may misinterpret contemplation as stupidity
or disinterest in their haste.
I definitely have this problem.
I have noticed it in many different instances
where I have made my decision very quickly,
and, when somebody else doesn't make their decision,
it kind of annoys me.
It's important to realize these things, I think.
Arrogant: Commander personalities respect quick thoughts
and firm convictions, their own qualities,
and look down on those who don't match up.
Okay, that's something I have to work out with.
Poor handling of emotions: all of this bluster
alongside the assumed supremacy of rationalism
makes Commanders distant from their own emotional expression
and sometimes downright scornful of others,
and, lastly, cold and ruthless: their obsession
with efficiency and unwavering belief
in the merits of rationalism, especially professionally,
makes Commanders incredibly insensitive
in pursuing their goals, dismissing personal circumstances,
sensitivities, and preferences as irrational and irrelevant.
You know, I'm reading the Steve Jobs biography right now,
or I'm listening to it on Audible,
and this is like him to a tee absolutely.
This is a good indication of why these tests
are not always completely accurate.
I look at these, and I see some of these weaknesses
in myself, but, this cold and ruthless one,
I actually don't think this describes me at all,
'cause I work with a team of nine people at this point,
and, whenever they have a personal circumstance
that makes it so their work has to take a backseat
to their personal life, or they have to take some time off,
there's never even an initial thought in my head that,
oh, they're in the way of my overall goal and vision.
Again, these are not always completely accurate.
Let's look at career paths,
and, obviously, this video's gonna get very long
if we go through all of them,
but I'm very curious about this one.
It is in the world of careers that Commanders' boldness
and drive are truly at their best.
No other personality type is better suited than Commanders
to be the respected leader of an organization or team,
and no other personality type enjoy it quite so much.
This is interesting to read now.
I'm reading a book right now called Good to Great
by Jim Collins, and, in that book, he did a ton of research
on companies that essentially went from good or mediocre
to having great results over a certain period of time,
and what they found is that one of the common traits
between all of these good to great companies
is that they had a leader who was a little bit more quiet,
a little bit more reserved, didn't have
that bold, charismatic personality.
They ended up making better long-term leaders,
because they were more willing to accept the harsh truth
of all the environmental factors and threats
facing the business, and they were less intimidating
to their employees, and they would take criticism,
and they would take ideas more seriously
from their subordinates than somebody who maybe has
a Commander personality like this.
This is something that I have thought about and tried
to keep front of mind in my own business.
I do like being a leader, but I also realize that
it's possible that this Commander personality,
which I think does describe me to a good degree,
could be a weakness within my career
and within the success of my business here.
There's all kinds of stuff on here, but, yeah,
I'm an ENTJ.
Hopefully, that answers the question for you guys,
and I would be curious to see which personality type
that you guys end up falling into.
It's a pretty quick quiz.
It's pretty fun to go through.
Let me know down in the comments which one of these
you fall into, and I would be curious to know,
as you're going through these descriptions
of your personality type and going through
these different exploration, parenthood, friendships,
romantic relationships, what do you think this test
gets rights, and what do you think gets wrong.
I would be interested for you to scrutinize the test itself
against your own beliefs of who you are
and see if it actually is accurate in all those dimensions.
One thing that I do want to mention before I go:
if you are like me, you're probably always looking
for new Youtube channels and new things
to sink your teeth into and learn new stuff.
I know I'm like that.
I'm discovering new channels all the time,
and, because of that, I thought that I should start sharing
some of those channels on this channel,
maybe like once a month or something just to share
what I'm watching with you guys.
I wanna share a channel called Wisecrack.
I got to hang out with these guys at VidCon.
They are freaking awesome, and they do all kinds of videos
on their channel, but I think that the main,
overarching theme is they combine science and philosophy
and all kinds of educational content with books
and movies and video games and all kinds of stuff that
we are probably, usually more interested in
than all of the academic stuff.
They make education fun in a way
that I really, really click with,
and I've actually been watching Wisecrack
for a really long time, because they started with a series
called Thug Notes, which does literary analysis
of tons of different books, and I absolutely love it,
but they have tons of other videos as well,
including a really cool recent video on the philosophy
of Death Note which is one of my favorite anime
as well as a Thug Notes on Ready Player One,
which is one of my favorite recent fiction books.
I'll have a couple of their videos linked up
in the end card here as well as
in the description down below.
Definitely go check them out, and subscribe
if you like their stuff.
If you have channels that I haven't found yet
that you think I should check out, also leave those
in the comments down below.
Anyway, guys, thanks for watching,
and I will see you in next week's video.