Coaching with the MBTI
By Dr. Joel Pérez
I was a rising star in my organization. I was seen as someone who had what it took to rise to a senior role. One of the reasons is that I would jump at opportunities to take on new projects and tasks.
This was working for me until I took something on that I was not prepared for, which led to me falling flat on my face. As I picked myself up, my supervisor came alongside me and helped me realize that I was not wired for the project I had taken on. They encouraged me to identify my strengths by using a tool for self-assessment. One of those tools was the Myers Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®) assessment.
The MBTI framework can be a useful instrument in helping someone determine the roles their personality is aligned with that will lead to their success.
As an executive and leadership coach, I use assessments to help provide coaching to my clients. Most of my clients are from minoritized communities. It is important for me as a coach to center my client’s salient identities (ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, sexual identity, etc.). Why is this important?
People’s lived experiences can impact how they have been conditioned to behave and act when it comes to their leadership roles. These experiences also impact the way they see themselves as leaders, which may affect their assessment results. Therefore, it is important for me to note that with my clients before taking any assessment, as those experiences may impact the way they respond to the questions on the assessment. This puts them at ease about the assessment and gives me the credibility I need as a coach who works with clients from minoritized communities. We can then develop a plan for applying what they have learned from taking the assessment.
If the client is coming to me for what I call career discernment coaching, or needing help with determining what type of position might be next for them, I use the MBTI assessment to determine what in their current roles is and is not in alignment with their type. I have them read through the description of their personality type and share what resonates with them in the description. I then ask what in their current role connects with their personality type. If more areas of their roles are not in alignment, I then ask if they find joy in their roles.
Usually, the response is no, and we then talk about how to evaluate future roles. They may decide to pursue something that is more in alignment with their type. My goal is to help my clients determine what types of roles they should not be pursuing based on their type, so they don’t end up doing something that drains their energy.
If I am working with a leadership coaching client, I use the MBTI questionnaire to help them determine how their type is either getting in the way of their success or how it is helping them to be exceptional leaders. I help them think of ways to lean into their personality strengths so they can manage the weaknesses that are manifesting. It’s important to remind my clients that weaknesses will most likely never go away, but can be managed so that their impact will decrease over time. The key is to recognize when weaknesses are beginning to appear. If it is something they continue to struggle with, we then pivot to a career discernment conversation to help them determine if they are in the correct role or organization.
If their type is helping them to be exceptional leaders, I ask them to reflect on what is working well so they continue to build on their success. I also ask them to note/journal about it, so they remember in the future what it feels like to be an exceptional leader.
As a coach, I use open-ended questions to create space for my clients to reflect. I use the MBTI framework as a guiding document for those conversations. Even if you are not a credentialed coach you can use a coaching approach when leading people in your organization. Having them take the assessment, and then meeting with them one-on-one so you can help them be reflective, will assist you in having a coach approach to leading people in your organization.
Take the time now to think about how you can use the MBTI instrument in your leadership role or coaching practice.
About the author
Dr. Joel Pérez is an executive and leadership coach, speaker, and consultant, passionate about helping leaders and organizations achieve their goals and develop a posture of cultural humility so they can have the impact and create the culture they desire.
Joel is the owner of Apoyo Coaching and Consulting, LLC and a Professional Certified Coach with the International Coach Federation (ICF). He specializes in career transitions, identity-conscious leadership coaching and coaching professionals who want to develop their cultural humility. He has a certification in the MBTI, Qualified Administrator for the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI), Gallup Strengths Certified Coach and is a certified coach through the Academy of Creative Coaching. He has over 20 years of experience in higher education, serving in various key leadership roles.
He is currently working on a book project focused on helping leaders develop their cultural humility for individual, organizational, and community change.
Joel earned his doctorate in higher education administration at Claremont Graduate University. He has been married for over 26 years and has four children, and he enjoys cheering on the Los Angeles Dodgers and watching films.
