Maybe corporate America DOES have something right…

There is a lot to be said for personality testing. In the corporate world, (which, I must admit, I have limited experience in) I’ve been through more personality testing than I feel necessary. I’ve done Myers-Briggs, DISC assessments, the Color Code, and goodness knows how many others. I’ve been assigned to categories and stereotyped by acronym, color, and by letter. Some job interviews have required these tests, corporate training has been responsible for others, and team-building/communication was responsible for another big chunk of these brain-picking, mind-numbing “don’t think about it, just answer it” exams.

My question is this: why have I taken these tests so many times for my job, and yet never for my family? Communicating with my family (immediate, extended, and in-law) is a lot more important and a hell of a lot more complex than conversing with and managing people at work. If I irritate someone at work, or “communicate ineffectively” with them, the repurcussions are grim, yes, but ultimately not life-altering. Family, on the other hand, is a whole different story – botch that and you could end up ruining a life-long relationship with multiple parties.

 Most jobs require some type of quarterly training, a lot of team-building activities, and, if you work for a big corporation, some really perky corporate trainers. My vote is that we implement this for our families — visits that involve more than just watching tv or catching up on family gossip. Once a year we should be required to learn more about each other, spend uncomfortable training sessions together, learn from each other. And we all need signs on our doors that list our Personality Types to remind us how to communicate effectively with each other…. maybe also some individual SWOT analyses would help as well.

 So – for what it’s worth – I’m an INFJ, S (with a strong C backup) and a Blue. Â

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