We all have personalities: characteristic patterns of thought, emotion and behaviour that distinguish us as persons. Yet our personalities are hard for us to "see," and their impacts on our working and personal lives can be difficult to detect. That's where instruments such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® are beneficial.

Based on Jung's theory of psychological types, the MBTI sorts individual preferences along four scales each of which defines opposing ways of being:

• Extraversion-Introversion (where we focus our energy and attention, externally vs. internally);
• Sensing-Intuition (how we take in information, relying more on the five senses vs. a sixth sense);
• Thinking-Feeling (how we process that information to reach conclusions, objective and impersonal vs. subjective and personal); and
• Judging-Perceiving (how we tend to deal with the outside world, organized and decisive vs. going-with-the-flow and adaptive).

Combined, these four dimensions yield 16 personality types, each with distinctive characteristics that can play out significantly in the workplace — such as in planning and change processes — as well as in everyday life.

Reg has had extensive experience with the MBTI. He completed the Association of Psychological Type's MBTI Training Program in 1989, followed up with the advanced instrument (Step II), and participated in various courses and workshops addressing particular applications of type. Over the past 15 years Reg conducted 21 workshops, administered the MBTI to over 500 individuals, and provided one-to-one consultations for numerous private clients. His doctoral dissertation focused on Strategic Planning and Personality Type, a topic also addressed in his forthcoming book, Re-Imagining Planning.

Reg Lang & Associates offer the following services involving personality type. Workshop formats and processes are designed in association with the client; each workshop is unique. Fees and attendant costs are determined in advance. Confidentiality of personal data is assured. Reg's use of the MBTI conforms to the ethical code of the Association of Psychological Type of which he is a member.

Enhancing professional and personal effectiveness, with emphasis on planners and allied professionals.

Coping with transition, helping people and organizations through difficult periods of change.

Personal consultations for individuals seeking greater self-understanding, improved functioning, and personal growth.

Coaching for enhanced professional and personal effectiveness

Does any of this resonate with your experience?

• Members of a team are having difficulty collaborating. One group wants to focus on practical issues and specifics, another concentrates on the big picture. Some people argue for improving what is and doing things better but generally staying within the status quo, others favour thinking outside the box and doing things differently. Certain members are analytic, impersonal and quick to reach decisions while others are more interactive, people-oriented and inclined to explore options. Various individuals respond differently to uncertainty, complexity and change as well as to time commitments and deadlines. Things often get bogged down, unproductive clashes are frequent, and frustration is the norm.
  
  
• Did you ever ask yourself why these outcomes are so common? Ever wonder why task is Job 1 and relationship goes on the back burner, even though it's well known that successful work groups attend equally to both dimensions? Constructive interpersonal relationships, the ability to handle conflict, and celebrating rather than fearing diversity are keys to team and company success. Ever wish you were better at "reading" people, picking up cues to their behaviour, and knowing where they're coming from? Ever desire a better understanding of yourself in this regard?

A recurring element in all this is understanding personality, yours as well as others'. It's a neglected variable in work; even though we don't leave our personalities at home, "personality conflict" is often blamed when things go awry. If unknown or devalued, personality differences can waste valuable resources, lower productivity, create dissension and frustrate achievement of objectives. When these differences are known and appreciated, mutual respect and trust is fostered among team members. People with dissimilar decision styles can clarify their modes of communication and complement each other for mutual benefit, enhanced performance and greater job satisfaction.

Reg has partnered with professional planner and coach Erika Engel to help planners and allied professionals — individually and in work groups or teams — surface their personality preferences, understand what these mean, and apply this knowledge to everyday practice. Planning and problem solving share with personality type an emphasis on information input and decision making. Habits of mind represented by type preference, therefore, can exert a considerable influence on planning practice, from establishing the team and designing the planning process to devising a course of action, adapting to the unforeseen — and throughout, communicating and collaborating with colleagues and stakeholders. Being aware of these influences and transferring that knowledge to practice enhances professional and personal effectiveness.

Specific coaching and training services offered by Reg and Erika include:

• An introductory workshop on decision style and planning, and/or enhancing collaboration in teams, using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator®, where you will be able to identify your personality-type preferences, participate in exercises that deepen your knowledge of type and your appreciation of difference, and examine implications for your work.
  
  
• An array of advanced mini-workshops, clinics and other learning events zeroing in on specific applications to planning: improving interpersonal communication and group dynamics; teambuilding; crafting situationally appropriate planning processes; becoming more effective at making presentations and influencing others; coping with complex change; dealing with conflict and diversity; interacting with publics; managing time, energy and stress; and practicing professional self-care.
  
  
• In-house training events on planning and personality type, geared to your organization's unique needs.
  
  
• Special workshops for planning educators and students.
  
  
• In each instance, follow-up individual and group coaching, on an as-needed basis.

Personality type is like a prism that filters and shapes a person's perceptions, attitudes and behaviours. As type-savvy planners gain a better understanding of themselves and others — how they approach tasks, planning concepts and methods to which they are drawn, ways they tend to express themselves, how they engage with others, how they make decisions — previously hidden strengths become apparent and the practitioner grows in competence. Working with Erika and Reg, two skilled professionals with many years of experience in the planning field, provides an opportunity for you to develop and fulfill this promise.

Interested in a free consultation? Contact me.

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Coping with Transition

Personality type can also be an important factor in handling significant transitions such as reorganization, downsizing and new directions. Different people respond differently to change. Some welcome it as an exciting challenge. Others fear or resist change (perhaps for good reason), have more trouble letting go of the past, and are less effective in adjusting to new realities. The MBTI can help people comprehend and accept their responses to what's happening, discover that some of these are shared, expand their range of options, and support each other in this difficult time.

Reg will work with you to create and conduct a transition workshop for your group or organization (view an example). Typical objectives are to enable participants to vent, explore and share views on the upcoming change, honour their accomplishments, and prepare for the transition. Follow-up assistance for individuals is available.

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Personal Consultations

Reg administers the MBTI to people who want to gain insights into themselves, become better able to "read" others, and improve their day-to-day functioning. Included is interpretation of the findings (confidential). A typical fee for one session, including materials, is $125-$150. Where appropriate, coaching is provided to help clients integrate these new insights into their lives.

Interested in a consultation? Contact me.

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