Leadership Development Report: Personality and Leadership

This report analyzes a student's leadership development journey, starting with a self-assessment using the Jung Typology Test, which identifies personality traits like extraversion/introversion, sensing/intuition, thinking/feeling, and judging/perceiving. The student's results indicate an introverted, sensing, feeling, and judging personality type (ESFJ). The report then critiques the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) test, highlighting its strengths and weaknesses, and discussing its reliability and validity in assessing personality and its application to career counseling and leadership development. The report acknowledges the MBTI's widespread use but also points out limitations, such as its inability to account for situational variations and the need for diligent and consistent test-taking. The report also mentions the Big Five personality test as a potential alternative, emphasizing the importance of accurate interpretation for effective personality analysis.

Running head: LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
Leadership development
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

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Part 1
Summary of Jung Typology Test
Figure- 1 (Results of the test)
(Source: Author)
The above test results shows four important qualities, extravert, sensing, feeling and
judging. These attributes are important to judge the personality of a person comprising of ESFJ.
According to the obtained results, I am Extravert (12%), Sensing (9%), Feeling (9%) and
Judging (25%). This depicts that I am introvert rather than extrovert and lack the quality of
socialization. I am unable to socialize with people and end up being isolated. I am unable to
participate in-group discussions and mix with different kind of people. I prefer to spend time
with myself rather than socializing with people. I tremble while speaking to people and nd up

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having few friends who are well acquainted with my nature. I love to read and spend time
listening to music. It is my favourite way of spending my leisure time and spending quality time
with me. The personality test has judged me accurately where I am introvert over extrovert. I
love to spend time with me and avoid social gathering siwht my friends, the extrovert level is just
12% and did not exceed further.
The results are accurate as I am shy to talk to people and like to spend time with me
alone. I do not find energy in speaking to people for long periods and go in large crowds. I like to
recharge myself by reading books and listening to music. I also prefer to watch movies alone and
avoid theatres, as I feel uncomfortable to watch with a crowd. Alone time is the best way for me
and I find pleasure to work alone and highly sensitive to external stimulation. I start to lose my
concentration in crowds and become tired being around people. I prefer to be alone with my
thoughts and find it restorative as nourishing, sleeping or eating. Therefore, the test result is
accurate as I am introvert and enjoying spending alone time with me.
The test results show that I prefer intuition to sensing. I follow my intuition rather than
accepting my feelings in order to make a decision. My preferences are not always based on my
intuitions rather at times; I use my rational thinking and judgmental power rather than relying
and perceiving my intuitions. I always prefer to focus on my future and the possibilities. My way
of processing information is through impressions and patterns. I consider that I am an abstract
thinker and read between the lines. I am highly future focused as before taking any decisions, I
look for the future consequence and sees for possibilities. I am quite imaginative and deep
thinker. Before processing with any step or decision, I give a thorough thought and consider
myself an idealistic thinker. This is sometimes considered to be complicated in nature and
theoretical. I think that patterns and possibilities are more important for processing of

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information rather than using the five senses. I pay more attention to the meanings or
impressions and learn by thinking about the problem through practical and hands-on-experience.
I am interested to explore new things that are possible and prefer to think about the future rather
than the past. Even if I do not know how to use the abstract theories and symbols, I prefer to use
them at the time of decision-making. I prefer to solve problems by applying possibilities and
ideas and try to get a bigger picture of the problem and then look for the facts. I love to learn new
things and trust symbols, impressions and metaphors rather than what I have experienced.
The test results depict that I prefer to think rather than relying on my feelings. I always
think before taking any decision and greatly reject my feelings. I think that feelings can deviate
me, but thinking over a situation is fruitful and appreciating. Whenever, I have followed the path
of rational thinking over feelings, I was able to make an effective decision whichever then
situation was. I give preference to my thinking rather than relying on my feelings. I prefer to
seek rational arguments and logic and rely on my thinking abilities rather than what my heart
says. I try to control and safeguard my emotions from the outside world by shielding and hiding
them. My motto is to have a cool head whatever the situation is and go with my rational thinking.
I try to override my feelings and refer thinking with rational logic.
I do not prefer to follow my emotions and heart and is careful in hiding them. From my
perspective, I do not prefer to listen to my inner feelings and share with the outside world. I
prefer to be practical and less sensitive and love to compete to learn new possibilities and ideas. I
never get swayed with my emotions rather make logical assessments about situations and make
effective decisions. Therefore, the test results are accurate.

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The test results highlights that I have moderate preference for judging to perceiving. In
any situation, I prefer to follow judgment over perceiving. Judgments made are always accurate
rather than perceiving in taking critical decisions. I use my judgment power rather than relying
on my perceiving power. I do not prefer to keep my options open and prefer to deal with the
challenges. I strongly prefer to perform work ethically and give importance to duties and
responsibilities than anything else. I am strict in my decisions and behaviour and so other people
find me rude which is not true. I am not so flexible and relaxing in making my decisions and are
influenced by what I perceive from others. I do not prefer to think that life is full of possibilities
and reluctant towards taking a decision. I use my judging power in making decisions and love to
lead a planned and organized life. I want things to be settled in my life and plan in a schematic
manner. I always try to make decisions effectively that allow me to control and lead an organized
life. Therefore, the test results are accurate as I prefer judgment to perceiving in making
decisions.
Part 2
Critique of the MBTI test
One of the most effective personality test tools that is available is the MBTI assessment.
This assessment tool is one of the most widely trusted all around the world, by various
counsellors. Most of the career counsellors and personality development counsellors rely on the
results highlighted by the MBTI test (Diekmann and König, 2015). The developers of this test,
Briggs and Myers highlighted four important personality traits and its contrast, in order to
identify the personality of a person, taking the test. The personality traits include Extraversion

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and introversion, sensing and intuition, thinking and feeling, judging and perceiving (Prather and
Bates 2015). The personality of any person could be judged and categorised in these traits.
1. Extraversion and Introversion
All people could be categorised as extrovert or introvert. These two qualities distinguish
among the group of people who direct their attention and energy towards the outer world, from
the group of people who direct the energy in self-development. People who are extrovert prefer
socialization to spending time with themselves (Salgado and Táuriz 2014). They are more often
seen in social gatherings, rather than the other category of people who are introverts (Diekmann
and König, 2015). The people falling in the category of introversion prefer spending time in self-
development and pursuing their leisure. They are less often seen in social functions and prefer
socialising in a limited social circle.
2. Sensing and Intuition
These personality traits are contrasting to each other. People who are categorised as
sensing, they rely on their five senses, along with their own experience, that they have faced in
their lifetime (Prather and Bates 2015). These people use the past experience to take decision in a
given situation. However, in contrast to this, the people relying on intuition take information
through impressions and rely more on possibilities (Tananchai 2017). In order to judge the
personality, their bend of mind towards sensing or intuition is essential to be considered.
3. Thinking and Feeling
The people who strongly prefer feeling to thinking, takes decision relying on their own
values and the effects that their decision will have on others. Their decisions are likely to be less

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logical (Diekmann and König, 2015). However, people relying on thinking, take logical
decisions, judging the situations thoroughly. Thus, these two contrasting qualities distinguish
between the two kinds of people (Salgado and Táuriz 2014).
4. Judging and Perceiving
These two essential human qualities distinguish between the people who prefer planning
and strict schedules with people having flexibility and open to changes (Rice 2015). The people
preferring perceiving to judging are spontaneous and able to work even out of plans.
Reliability and validity of the test
The MBTI test is reliable and the test results are valid of judge the personality. This test
is widely used by the career counsellors, psychologists and personality development counsellors
(Tananchai 2017). The results obtained are more or less accurate and the people are categorised
according to the obtained results (Prather and Bates 2015). Most of the experts are of the opinion
that the MBTI test is most effective personality assessment tool (Wang 2015). Most of the school
counsellors also insist that the students take this test in order to judge the most appropriate career
option, according to their personality. This test is also significant is judging the leadership traits
in a person. An ideal leader has certain leadership traits (Salgado and Táuriz 2014). Thus, people
having those personality traits, could be considered ideal for being the leader.
However, apart from the personality traits considered in the MBTI test, there are other
qualities as well to effectively judge the personality of a person. This is where the reliability of
the MBTI test is faltered (Prather and Bates 2015). Moreover, people often tend to react
differently even in the same situation. However, this change according to the given situation is
not recorded or determined by the MBTI test (Wang 2015).

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The alternatives of the MBTI test could be the Big five personality test. This could be
used as an alternative, but is not an effective replacement.
It is to be ensured that the person taking the MBTI test is not filling the answers
randomly. If the responses are given randomly, then it will not be possible to determine the
actual personality of the person (Rice 2015). Thus, it is essential to ensure that the examinee is
responding to the test consistently and diligently. Since the personality of human beings consists
of various traits, hence its accurate categorization might not be possible. Moreover, the
interpretation of the test should be done effectively, such that the personality analysis is done
accurately.

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References
Diekmann, J., and König, C. J. 2015. PERSONALITY TESTING IN PERSONNEL
SELECTION. Employee recruitment, selection, and assessment: Contemporary issues for theory
and practice, 117.
Prather, Z., and Bates, J. 2015. Personality Types and Physical Touch. Undergraduate Research
Journal for the Human Sciences, 14(1).
Rice, J. W. 2015. Using Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicators to Predict High School
Student Performance in an Educational Video Game. University of North Texas.
Salgado, J. F., and Táuriz, G. 2014. The Five-Factor Model, forced-choice personality
inventories and performance: A comprehensive meta-analysis of academic and occupational
validity studies. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 23(1), 3-30.
Tananchai, A. 2017. The Personality of Students Studying the Social Etiquette and Personality
Development Course by Myers Briggs Type Indicators (MBTI) Theory. AJE, 3(2).
Wang, C. Y. 2015. Preference measures of rectangle ratio on MBTI personality types. Art and
Design Review, 3(03), 69.