Which Character Stands Out?

A colleague of mine describes her online profile as the ‘ENFP’ type; which gives away a lot of information if you appreciate the relevance behind the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) profiling instrument. There is much to glean from a person’s operative manual if you appreciate ‘Personality Types’, preferences, motivations and styles.

A current online poll urges readers to vote for their favourite character in the current Marvel Studios (formerly Marvel Comics) film ‘The Avengers’. It stands, at this point in time, that the leaders are Ironman and ‘The Incredible’ Hulk. Hawk and Black Widow who are not superheroes rank at the bottom, whereas Loki (Thor’s adopted brother, Loki who possesses extra-terrestrial powers is also companion to the former two).

What defines a character? Which inventory of indicators or measurements fleshes out a fictitious or real character? I personally enjoyed Stark/Ironman who is human, excessively intelligence and artfully narcissistic. Here is a ‘superhero’ that is living on borrowed time (shrapnel near his heart that can move and kill him), who has experienced an epiphany, and is determined to pit his annoying intelligence, humongous wealth, and cutting-edge technology against the Bad Guys. Each superhero has his/her demons with a personal point to prove, while attempting to exorcise their demons through good deeds. Dr Banner/Hulk clearly has anger management issues and has utilized a plethora of strategies to prevent another ‘incident’ that can be punitive for the taxpayer and town council.

Leadership Lesson: When selecting and recruiting staff, what are your criteria of choice? How much of a person’s initial character matters to you? Which values of theirs are you attracted to? Can you clearly discern between confidence and arrogance? 

Your Blind Side: The Value of Profiling

There are many profiling tools/instruments used in the field of psychology. Some of these are designed to measure personality, personality traits, working styles, leadership styles, attitudes, values, and mindsets. Most of our readers may be familiar with the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), DISC, and Situational Leadership. The relevance of a tool depends on two factors: validity and reliability. Validity is about whether an instrument measures what it is purported to measure; reliability is, its accuracy when it is used again in a short period of time.

I watched the film, The Blind Side about two days ago, and like to highlight a point or two about profiling tools and results.

The Blind Side is based on the true story of a young man who went from abandonment to success as a pro-football player and treats it with respect. The plot is almost Disney-like, and therefore inspirational: Michael Oher, is an African-American, gentle teen hulk in Tennessee, who gets taken in by a well-to-do white family. The mother, Leigh Anne Touhy, pushes and mothers the boy, who eventually wins a football scholarship to the University of Mississippi. Leigh Anne can be described in Personality Types as being vain and domineering, at times.

If Leigh Anne did not consider that Michael scored 98% on Protection - which refers to his instinct to protect his immediate family – she would not have strongly suggested to the coach that he play in the defensive position. What shifted Michael’s focus from a game that was fraught with complex rules and play patterns, was when Liegh Anne told him to treat his team as his family – and to protect his family! Despite his, apparently, low score on IQ (probably, due to convenience and negligence) he blossomed as a student with a 2.52 GPA average!

Thus, psychological and psychometric tools are guides, yet they need to be interpreted and used; it would be pointless to measure for the sake of measuring. A tailor would not take your measurements unless you wanted a jacket made! There is relevance if you acknowledge your blind sides (refer to the Johari Window).

As an aside: Watch this film. The cast is well rounded with Sandra Bullock leading the way to several nominations; this could be her chance to be fully accepted as a credible and highly flexible actress! The football scenes are captivating. You will not leave the cinema, or your TV set, when the credits roll alongside all the real-life photos of Michael, Leigh Anne, and the rest of the family that are featured in the credits. It is a touching film about people at their natural, generous, and charitable selves. It also shows us how encouragement can be a powerful process for nudging a person’s potential along.