The idea of self-awareness as a tool for leadership development and leadership in general is a concept that has existed for quite sometime, and arguably is within the foundation of leadership studies. After all, one of the first courses in Embry-Riddle's leadership program touches on self-awareness, and the idea has been around since some of the earliest expanses of human history. Sun-Tzu wrote in The Art of War:
"It is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles; if you do not know your enemies but do know yourself, you will win one and lose one; if you do not know your enemies nor yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle."
Whether you're engaged with a nation state on the battlefield, or you're facing a major project in the boardroom, to go forth without at least some sense of who you are and what you're capable of reduces your ability to strive for the best outcome and opens up many more opportunities for unpleasant surprises and potential failure.
In my case, given the relatively high intensity of interpersonal interaction my work demands and the kind of feedback I've received on how I interact, it becomes very important to understand my "type". I took a Myers-Briggs test back in high school as part of an extracurricular academic program, and I vaguely recall I was classified as an ISTJ. Taking this online test as noted by the course, I was classified as an ISFJ. This would translate out as introverted, sensing, feeling, and judging. It's possible there were some variable in the question that explain the shift from sensing to intuitive as well as thinking to feeling, and the judging part is a comfortable constant. I was more drawn to the constant of the introvert categorization though, as this is something that has been brought to my attention multiple times. My current job demands frequent interaction with a wide variety of people, and the lifestyle of moving around every so often also demands I be able to make friends and acquaintances very quickly. Being a quiet type, neither of these come easy to me, and it doesn't help any I regularly have supervisors and people I work with (and even friends) opining on this apparent "shell" I have around me that seems to get in the way of people getting to know an otherwise good guy.
Reading over some descriptors of the personality type, I'm not especially surprised now that I was categorized as such...an overview by Kendra Cherry on About.com's psychology section describes ISFJ's as being quiet, dependable, hardworking individuals that prefer structure, and are perceptive of others, but they also can at times bottle up their feelings, have a problem with saying "no" to requests, or can be misread as being cold or aloof when they're just simply quiet. I certainly don't think I have the most orderly workspaces in the world, but for the most part I was nodding my head a great deal as I read the general characteristics. Just as I've encountered the "shell" comment on multiple occasions, I've also had to deal with being given a lot of tasks whilst also being lauded as a reliable individual to work with.
Knowing this, I can move forward in my leadership development knowing that I do have some good characteristics working for me that have already been recognized on multiple occasions. I'm also aware of possible weaknesses that I would like to stay cognizant of, for that may allow me to make the appropriate efforts to better connect with others and mitigate the "shell." On that note, now that I've been reintroduced to these personality types and temperaments, it may prove useful to study the different elements in greater depth and see if I can begin to make cursory examinations of the personalities of the people I work with, so I may tailor my interactions accordingly and hopefully realize greater synergy.
Although the stakes in office small talk and getting our projects done are not nearly as high as in all out warfare, I consider it prudent to apply Sun Tzu's philosophy, and gain a better understand for how I and others operate in our day to day lives.
Resources
Cherry, K. (n.d.). ISFJ - Introverted, Sensing, Feeling, Judging. In About.com: Psychology. Retrieved December 15, 2013, from http://psychology.about.com/od/trait-theories-personality/a/isfj.htm
Sun Tzu (n.d.). In Wikiquote. Retrieved December 15, 2013, from http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Sun_Tzu
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