Anstey Thomas

Executive Coach & Mentor

  • Leadership Development
  • Presence/Personal Impact
  • Effective communication
  • Presenting/Pitching skills

Use on courses

Using the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) on courses can be hugely valuable in helping candidates develop both greater self-awareness as well as an awareness of people who think or behave differently to them.  We often find people who have different views, perspective or attitudes to us quite challenging and this can lead to misunderstandings, miscommunication and at times conflict.   Therefore being able to discuss these differences openly, transparently and within an agreed framework is very beneficial.

As most of my courses are about developing interpersonal skills and the ability to build rapport with people, using MBTI is a very important starting point.  Using MBTI on courses gives people an insight into what makes them ‘tick’ and a shared language to use to describe this.  More importantly it helps them understand what makes other’s ‘tick’ and how to view these differences in a more constructive and positive way.  Via discussion, exploration and group exercises, candidates begin to understand that having a diversity of personality types, thinking and ways of looking at the world is ultimately beneficial.  As has been widely reported, having diversity of thinking makes a team more intelligent.  If everyone thinks in the same way a team becomes less intelligent even though they may appear to all get on, so some healthy challenge is a good thing!

By using MBTI on courses candidates can share ‘what it’s like to be them’ and then understand what it’s like to be in someone else’s shoes and to explore these differences constructively and safely.

By using MBTI on courses and with teams, candidates gain:

  • An understanding of their unique personality type and preferences
  • Greater self-awareness of their strengths and ‘blind-spots’
  • Greater understanding of others
  • A more positive view of people’s differences, seeing the benefit of having different voices, perspectives and viewpoints
  • An openness to other ways of thinking and operating
  • An awareness of their trigger’s and what could lead to conflict
  • An awareness of other people’s triggers
  • An understanding of how to play to one another’s strengths
  • An understanding of their team’s vulnerabilities
  • Improved communication between team members

Anstey Thomas