Personality Types

So have you ever taken the Myer's Briggs personality test? You know....the ESTJ or some such combination of E/I, S/N, T/F, P/J that's supposed to tell you what sort of personality you have... I'm in the "guardian" group and "supervisor" subgroup. Anyhow....it seems hard to remember which letters I am. At Mayo, we had some classes a while back by 2 consulting guys from California (Foster and Hicks) who have a similar personality identity activity, but theirs is a bit easier to remember. Foster and Hicks have four animal types: beaver, dolphin, owl, fox.

Beavers: These animals are very habitual/routine oriented. They have a strong sense of community and believe everyone in the community has an expected role to fill. They are detail oriented and very industrious. If you tear down a beaver dam, they will rebuild it exactly how it was....over and over.

Beaver people are detail-oriented, highly organized, predictable, dependable, consistent, deadline-aware, punctual. They always have to-do lists and find satisfaction in crossing things off their to-do list. They get very frustrated with community members who are not filling their role and they are resistant to change. Why fix what isn't broken? Beavers thrive on details and specificity and are irritated by those who can't follow deadlines or provide detail. They are rule followers.

Dolphins: Dolphins are social animals who live in pods. They love to communicate and play. They're inclusive and friendly. They are fiercely loyal and protective of their pod. If a shark attempts to attack a pod of dolphins, they can actually kill the shark.

Dolphin people are the creative, artistic, socializers. They don't care so much about details, and like to look at the big picture. They're concerned with how everyone feels about an issue and try to make decisions so that everyone will be happy. They're open communicators (sometimes too much!) and if you try to attack one of their own they get very defensive and attack back. Details, deadlines, specific instructions are too restricting for dolphins. Dolphins don't mind picking up the slack for someone for a while knowing that as a "family" the favor will be returned at some point. Dolphins are big on trust and loyalty.

Owls: Owls sit alone high on a branch and observe the world below them. They wait for the perfect opportunity, swoop down for it, and return to their branch.

Owl people are big picture thinkers, totally uninterested in details. They plan for the future. They make decisions based on facts alone after very careful research and don't consider emotional impacts. They engage in social activity only when necessary and prefer to work alone. Owls tend to be vague about instructions and deadlines. Owls are good researchers and analysts. They look for the logic in everything.

Foxes: Foxes are cunning, sly, opportunistic hunters. They're easily distracted. They don't mind being in small packs as long as everyone helps with hunting.

Fox people don't mind details, but the details don't have to be organized. They are not bothered by chaos as long as they have something to do. Foxes are task oriented and hard working but can easily be distracted. They may start the day with a specific plan, but will get side-tracked on many tangents before accomplishing everything they planned. Foxes tend to be involved in multiple projects at once. They tend not to commit until the very last minute, in case a better opportunity comes along. They appear not dependable because of this last minute commitment, but they always tend to accomplish what you ask at some point. Foxes like to be doing, doing, doing and everything else is immaterial really.

So do you see yourself in one of the animal groups? You can have tendencies of more than one, but usually people drift toward one main category.

I'm definitely a beaver, all except for the resistance to change, I'm foxy in that I tend to go with the flow as long as there's some sort of flow. I definitely always have a collection of to-do lists (not necessarily always written down) and I'm VERY detail-oriented. Spelling, grammar, and other little things are what excite me. And I will remember details forever, that's how I remember people....the details I know about them. I detest vague instructions...I'll do whatever you ask me, but be specific about what you want! I can't stand being late for anything..and try very hard to tolerate when others are not punctual. I love to make plans (but I can be spontaneous). And I definitely get irritated when other members of the "community" are not carrying their load (this is a constant source of frustration/stress at work). Anyhow....a lot of my coworkers tease me about my beaverish ways.....but HEY.....there are a lot of things that would never get accomplished if it weren't for us busy beavers!

My mom is definitely a fox (a common association for ER nurses)......and my sister is for SURE a dolphin. I think my Dad's mostly an owl...... I still can't pin Aaron into one of the categories.....I think he's more of a foxy owl. I know for sure that he's NOT a dolphin. I'm thinking that Chloe's gonna be a dolphin, at least that's how she seems at this point!

Why am I sharing all of this with you? It's kinda fun to look at other people and think about what category they might fit into.....and to frame my interactions with them from that perspective. If I know someone's an owl, I have to try really hard not to drive them crazy with details. And in case anyone's curious, my next post is going to be my current to-do list. :)