I’m very excited to share with you all a new resource for MBTI® Practitioners - the MBTI® Talk Blog. Written by CPP’s Lead MBTI® Certification Trainer Michael Segovia, the MBTI Talk Blog is the latest resource for gaining new MBTI insights. By following Michael’s blog, practitioners and consultants will have access to coaching tips and best practices for applying MBTI type concepts, while learning more about the Myers-Briggs® assessment-all from Michael’s unique perspective.

Michael has been traveling across the globe for decades, providing training on the Myers-Briggs and Strong Interest Inventory® assessments in the United States, United Kingdom, Brazil, Mexico, Australia, Japan, Korea, Philippines, South Africa, Gulf Cooperation Council (Middle East), China, India, and more. We thought it might be interesting for people to learn more about his adventures and experiences across the country and around the world providing certification training to new MBTI practitioners.

Check out Michael’s blog at http://www.mbtitalk.com and subscribe to the RSS and Comments feeds. He’s looking forward to hearing from the newly certified as well as seasoned practitioners, so send him your questions, comments, and feedback.

Subscribe the new MBTI® Talk Blog today at: http://www.mbtitalk.com.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Ian Mitroff and I developed a systematic methodology for uncovering and then revising the hidden assumptions behind decisions and actions. This same methodology can provide new ways of thinking about and then choosing the right conflict mode for a given situation.

I define assumptions as all the things that would have to be true in order to argue, most convincingly, that your beliefs are valid and that your actions will be effective. The beauty of “assumptional analysis” is first surfacing all the underlying, often unstated assumptions so you can find out if your assumptions are actually true, false, or uncertain. By seeing your assumptions face to face, you have the chance to revise them, which will surely inspire you to change your beliefs or modify your behavior.

Assumptional analysis begins by stating (orally or in writing) your belief or intended behavior: “Using the competing mode is the best way for me to resolve this conflict at this time.” You then write out what would have to be true about each aspect of the situation (the other person or persons, the culture of the organization, the reward system, etc.) in order for you to argue that your choice of mode will be most effective for you and others (including the organization)-both short term and long term.

In most cases, you will surface (write out) from ten to thirty assumptions about all the people (both internal and external stakeholders) to support your behavioral intention. To give maximum support for the competing mode, for example, you would have to assume that the outcome of the conflict is more important to you than to others. You might also have to assume that the culture of the organization actively discourages people from taking the time to develop a more in-depth, win/win solution for all concerned. Moreover, you’d also have to assume (to give maximum support for the competing mode) that there won’t be any unintended consequences from asserting your needs over other people’s needs in this organization.

You then sort all your assumptions according to two distinctions: (1) how important is the assumption to your behavioral intention (most important versus least important) and (2) now that I see my assumption, how certain am I that it is true or false…or perhaps I have no idea if it is true or false (certain versus uncertain). These distinctions result in four categories of assumptions: (a) most important and certain, (b) most important and uncertain, (c) least important and certain, and (d) least important and uncertain. Not surprisingly, the primary focus for this analysis is on the most important assumptions that can negate your best intentions.

By seeing which assumptions are most important and false, you can easily revise them without further discussion or investigation. Indeed, it’s often startling to discover that you were about to use a conflict mode that was solidly based on an assumption you already knew to be false!

By seeing which of your assumptions are most important and uncertain (since these assumptions are just as likely to be either true OR false), you can now spend some time to investigate the truth or falsity of these assumptions (through further discussion or investigation)-and then revise them, based on what you learn. For example, if I must assume that my needs are more important than others, how do I know that? Maybe I need to ask others outright…rather than make blind assumptions that will surely undermine my choice of conflict behavior.

Bottom line: We are always making all kinds of unstated, untested assumptions about the other people in a conflict situation (including the attributes of the organization itself). By being more aware of our assumptions, however, we can significantly improve conflict management. But since it takes time to do assumptional analysis, we should only use this method when the conflict is very important to resolve, and we, in fact, are right about this assumption!

Please note: If you or your clients are interested in receiving advanced training for the TKI and conflict management (which also makes extensive use of the MBTI and psychological types), Kilmann Diagnostics offers an eight-hour, online course to do just that. You can get more information about my online course by visiting http://kilmanndiagnostics.com.

What are the twelve important ways to motivate employees? How do you develop an innovative culture in an ever-changing business world? What are the new methods used to customize and personalize a learning experience?

Find out the answers to these questions and more in CPP’s July Trendwatch.

Compiled from all the most current learning and development publications, this edition of the CPP Trendwatch offers news relating to HR Management, Training, Learning, Retention, and Leadership and Coaching.

Remember, the 2010 Trendwatch reports are now available on www.cpp.com. Now you can access past issues with a click of a mouse! Click here to access the cpp.com Trendwatch page.

If you’re a newly certified MBTI^® practitioner, then it’s a perfect time to become a member of the Association for Psychological Type International! Recent graduates of MBTI^® Certification courses can sign up for a free six-month trial membership!

By joining this international organization, you’ll be able to connect with other professionals who use personality type tools in their work, just like you! APTi’s mission is to:

Promote the practical application and responsible use of personality type through education and training, research, networking and community building. Our purpose is to support personal and professional development through the constructive use of personality type differences.

Once you become a member, you’ll have access to powerful tools and resources and a chance to attend the first new practitioner workshop (new practitioners receive a special discount): Why Can’t I Be Both? Tips and Tools for Helping Clients Find Their Best-Fit Type, with Katherine and Elizabeth Hirsh on October 5, 2010. Click here for more information and to register.

Don’t miss this special opportunity to invest in yourself and your development! Learn more.

Since e-learning is growing in popularity, many organizations are implementing active e-learning initiatives to drive performance and build talent management. So what does this mean for you? It means that your clients will require a number of learning strategies to jumpstart these programs. What better way to help your clients than by having some MBTI^® type learning strategies handy?  

In the booklet Introduction to Type^® and Learning, author Donna Dunning explains how personality type plays a significant part in an individual’s learning style, influencing what and how that person prefers to learn. Consider trying out some new strategies that are opposite to your client’s personality type and learning preferences. This way they’ll learn to be more flexible when learning under certain circumstances. Here are a few of the many insights picked up from the booklet for each of the 8 preferences:

Extraverts prefer to learn by:

• Being active and interactive.
• Plunging in and doing something.
• Changing learning topics, tasks, and activities relatively frequently.

Introverts prefer to learn by:

• Working on a task in a quiet space.
• Understanding material by reflecting on it.
• Having access to additional information for studying in depth.

Sensing types prefer to learn by:

• Engaging in “hands-on” learning.
• Using visual aids such as color highlighting, videos and diagrams.
• Focusing first on memorizing specific facts and details of the material to be learned.

Intuitive types prefer to learn by:

• Exploring concepts, extrapolating data, and finding patterns.
• Using symbols, metaphors, associations, or abstractions to represent ideas.
• Mapping out concepts or creating theoretical frameworks.

Thinking types prefer to learn by:

• Exploring logical consequences and implications.
• Having clear evaluation and performance criteria.
• Debating, questioning, and critiquing information.

Feeling types prefer to learn by:

• Focusing on the effects of ideas and information on people.
• Connecting with other learners.
• Mentoring, helping, cooperating, or collaborating.

Judging types prefer to learn by:

• Structuring and scheduling time and tasks.
• Clarifying others’ expectations.
• Starting early and completing projects well before deadlines when possible.

Perceiving types prefer to learn by:

• Approaching learning in an open-ended, flexible way.
• Using a variety of information sources.
• Taking advantage of last-minute or unexpected opportunities.

Introduction to Type^® and Learning is packed with more insights, strategies and even checklists to help you become familiar with and adopt new learning styles. These are especially helpful to share with your clients as they leverage new enterprise-wide learning solutions.

As the co-author of the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI), here is the eleventh blog in my ongoing series of blog entries for CPP ICON Success.

The immediate benefit of taking the TKI and reviewing your results (which includes a personalized report with the online version of the assessment) is awareness. You learn which conflict modes you might be using too much (usually out of habit) and which ones you might be using too little (since you have not been exposed to the many positive uses of your underutilized modes). Although gaining awareness is the decisive Step One, four additional steps must be taken to improve how you actually behave in conflict situations-so you and other people will be more satisfied and your organization will be more successful.

Step Two is sharing your TKI results in a small group (family members or work associates) and hearing what others have to say about their results as well as how they experience your behavior in conflict situations. So long as the discussion remains supportive and is backed by a healthy culture, you will gain additional awareness as well as receive specific feedback about how you use one or more modes in different situations.

Step Three is to learn the key attributes of a conflict situation that determine which modes work best under what conditions. This step is learning to assess a situation in terms of (a) the level of stress (overwhelming or stimulating); (b) the complexity of the conflict (unidimensional or multidimensional); (c) the relative importance of the conflict to each person (high/low, equal/different); (d) the available time to discuss the conflict (very little, moderate, or much); (e) the level of trust among the relevant persons (high, medium, or low); (f) the quality of speaking and listening skills (supportive/active versus defensive-producing/pseudo); (g) the group or organizational culture (protective and political versus open and honest); and (h) the importance of the relationship (high, medium, or low). Through a mini-lecture, group discussion, and practice, people can easily learn to read a conflict situation in order to choose which mode to use at first and how to switch from one mode to another, as the situation changes.

Step Four is to practice, practice, practice…using each mode effectively. If you choose to avoid, how do you do that in a manner that respects and honors the other people in the situation? If you choose to compete, how do you get your way in a manner that engenders trust, respect, and a supportive culture (assuming you want those relationships to last)? How do you compromise so the door stays open for collaboration in the future, especially if the topic becomes more important to both of you? Thus, it is one thing to know how to choose the theoretically best mode in a given situation, but it is quite another to enact it effectively, efficiently, and with dignity. Typically, role playing a number of conflict situations and getting feedback from others (in a supportive group) will help you learn how to use each mode to its full potential.

Step Five is to keep improving how you read the key attributes of a conflict situation, how you choose and enact different conflict modes, and how you can engender more trust and supportive communication in both your personal life and work life.

Please note: If you or your clients are interested in receiving advanced training for the TKI and conflict management (which also makes extensive use of the MBTI® instrument and psychological types), Kilmann Diagnostics offers an eight-hour, live, online course to do just that. You can get more information about my online course by visiting http://kilmanndiagnostics.com/.

I’m sure many of you understand the importance of developing talent and helping your clients achieve their career goals and ambitions. But when it comes to facilitating personal and professional development, do you have a set way of coaching, or do you adjust your style for each individual client? More specifically, do you use what you know about personality type and the Myers-Briggs^® (MBTI^®) assessment to aid you during these sessions?

What I’ve heard from several ICONs is that there is no one-size fits all approach when it comes to career counseling. These ICONs understand the importance of keeping their clients engaged by adjusting to the clients’ preferred personality type. Personality type theory, as stated in the booklet Type and Career Development by CPP author Donna Dunning, can enhance the career development process in a number of ways and help practitioners (such as you) identify potential blind spots when guiding others through the process.

The focus of the booklet covers setting the stage, conducting self-assessment, generating and researching options, making decisions, and taking action, all of which are stages that can be applied to other developmental situations and not strictly career counseling. The advice found here is applicable in any situation where a person is solving a problem, assessing a relationship, or looking to change patterns of behavior. By understanding his or her own type preferences, your client will be better equipped to deepen their understanding of the kind of work that will suit them as they begin to better understand themselves.

Here are a few tips to help sensing types generate and research career options. I hope you enjoy!

• When generating options, include realistic and practical work choices that are linked to your clients’ experiences.
• Review and find ideas from existing lists of work options rather than using a brainstorming approach.
• Focus on realities when generating options; they may need to broaden their options and imagine unfamiliar options.
• When doing research, help them find relevant facts and details about the work.

For more information on the booklet Type and Career Development, click here.

For several years now, CPP has been working with one of the largest transportation logistics companies in North America. The company provides integrated, multimodal transportation services and solutions to customers throughout the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, including many Fortune 500 companies.

When the business experienced a rapid growth spurt, the company’s human resources and training staff were tasked with hiring and developing some 200 additional salespeople. The key was to identify candidates with the best prospects of success, both to drive revenues and to reduce sales force turnover.

Having used CPP’s CPI 260® assessment as a coaching tool with some other employees, the company asked CPP to use the CPI 260® instrument to develop personality and competency profiles that would help identify the best candidates for the types of sales positions they were hiring

The results? CPP’s CPI Performance Suite has enabled the company to identify more than 100 high-potential candidates for its fast-growing internal sales force, with more on the way. Because they have the personal attributes and attitudes they need to make the most of the skills training they receive, the new hires are reaching high levels of performance and productivity faster and with lower turnover than past “generations” of new salespeople.

To learn more, you can read the case study at: www.cpp.com/Pdfs/cpi_case_study.pdf.

Check out the latest addition to the MBTI^® product suite-the MBTI^® Type Tower. This fun visual aid provides a striking, affordable way to display type and reinforce learning about the eight preferences. At 8 inches high and just over 2 inches wide, it is a small way to make a big impact.

What makes it the perfect training takeaway?

• Spinning blocks allow individuals to display their own type
• Compact design makes it easy to display on any desk
• Information on the eight preferences for quick reference is provided
• It’s an affordable way to add value to your MBTI engagements

For more details and to order, click here.

If you want to learn more about handling conflict and rebuilding lost trust, or the current state of talent management, then the June Trendwatch is a must read!

Compiled from all the most current Learning and Development publications, this edition of the Trendwatch offers news relating to HR Management, Learning, Retention, Leadership and Coaching, and Succession Planning. Learn more.