Coaching through the Lens of MBTI

One tool a LeaderCORE™ Coach may use while aiding their students through competency development is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator or MBTI. This instrument is a psychometric assessment tool used to describe personalities, or types, as a set of four preferences for how an individual is energized (Extraversion/Introversion), takes in information (Sensing/Intuition), makes decisions (Thinking/Feeling), and chooses to relate to the world (Judging/Perceiving).

MBTI can be used in coaching to:                            

• Anticipate coaching needs and
• Adjust coaching style to one that is more likely to be effective

It is important to remember the following about MBTI:

• No type is better than another
• Type doesn’t explain everything or account for all problems
• Type isn’t a box to put others in, but an explanation of preferences
• There is variance within a given type (i.e. no two ENTJs are identical)

Adapted from Introduction to Type and Coaching by Sandra Krebs Hirsh and Jane A.G. Kise

If you would like a copy of these excerpts for your own respective students’ types, inform the LeaderCORE team. If you would like to find out more about the MBIT, contact either Nick or Jaimie.