What or Who is a Leader?
What or who is a leader? The Army defines a leader as, “anyone who by virtue of assumed role or assigned responsibility inspires and influences people to accomplish organizational goals.” (FM 6-22, 2006, par. 1-2) So, how does an officer become a good leader? There are three tools, the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), Multi-Source Assessment and Feedback (MSAF), and Individual Development Plan (IDP), that all officers must use in taking steps to become a good leader. The MBTI is designed to help individuals understand how they perceive the world and make decisions. It was developed by Katherine Cook Briggs and her daughter, Isabel Briggs Myers. They based their findings on theories proposed by Carl Gustav Jung in his book “Psychological Types” published in 1921. The MBTI provides four pairs of preferences or dichotomies that make up a personality type (www.wikipedia.com). The preferences look at the individual’s focus of energy (extraversion (E) – introversion (I)), way of perceiving (sensing (S) – intuition (N)), way of judging (thinking (T) – feeling (F)), and focus on the other world (judging (J) - perceiving (P)). A combination of one element from each these pairs make up a personality type (i.e. introversion-sensing-thinking-judging (ISTJ), extraversion-intuition-feeling-perceiving (ENFP), etc.). There are sixteen different personality types (see figure 1) (www.wikipedia.com). The Sixteen Personality Types ISTJ ISTP ESTP ESTJ ISFJ ISFP ESFP ESFJ INFJ INFP ENFP ENFJ INTJ INTP ENTP ENTJ
Figure 1 A leader who knows his/her personality type can better prepare themselves for future assignments, likewise, knowing the personality type of subordinates allows the leader to mold and guide them to better develop their careers. The MBTI is a good tool for knowing your personality type however, knowing
how those around you view you as a leader is just as important. This is accomplished with the MultiSource Assessment and Feedback (MSAF). The MSAF is a means of
References: Field Manual 6-22, Army Leadership-Competent, Confident, and Agile. Headquarters, Department of the Army, 2006 “Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.” Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MyersBriggs Type Indicator “Individual Development Planning Guide.” Multi-Source Assessment and Feedback website. May 2010. < https://msaf.army.mil/LeadOn.aspx>