Last week, I was requested to write an article on the different personality types that made up an effective team. As I was doing the research, I learned about the Myers-Briggs personality profiles, the 16 different types of personalities in the world. Of course, being the curious person I am, I took the test. The result: I am an ENTJ, a personality type known as "The Commander". LOVING it already! ENTJ stands for "Extraverted, Intuitive, Thinking, Judging". As one site says, "ENTJs have a natural tendency to marshall and direct." Sounds a lot like me. As I read more and more into the personality type, it was quickly clear that the Myers-Brigg test NAILED my personality: (Taken from Human Metrics) "Clarity of convictions endows these Thinkers with a knack for debate, or wanting knack, a penchant for argument. The light and heat generated by Thinking at the helm can be impressive; perhaps even overwhelming. " (Taken from Truity) "They are ambitious and interested in gaining power and influence. To the ENTJ, decision-making is a vocation. They want to be in a position to make the call and put plans into motion. ENTJs tend to be blunt and decisive. Driven to get things done, they can sometimes be critical or brusque in the pursuit of a goal. They are typically friendly and outgoing, although they may not pick up on emotional subleties in other people. They often love working with others toward a common goal, but may not find time to attend to their feelings. They are focused on results and want to be productive, competent, and influential." Did you know that Napoleon Bonaparte, Douglas MacArthur, Margaret Thatcher, and General Norman Schwarzkopf were all ENTJs? Harrison Ford, Quentin Tarantino, and David Letterman also fall into this category Here are some interesting facts about this personality type:

• They tend to have the highest GPA in college
• They are least likely to suffer from finance or work-related stress
• They're most likely to stay in college
• They're among the least likely to claim belief in a "higher power"
• They tend to be satisfied with their work
• They have a much higher risk of cardiac problems

Fascinating, right? A bit more about "The Commander": (Taken from Personality Page) "There is not much room for error in the world of the ENTJ. They dislike to see mistakes repeated, and have no patience with inefficiency. They may become quite harsh when their patience is tried in these respects, because they are not naturally tuned in to people's feelings, and more than likely don't believe that they should tailor their judgments in consideration for people's feelings." "ENTJs are very forceful, decisive individuals. They make decisions quickly, and are quick to verbalize their opinions and decisions to the rest of the world. The ENTJ who has not developed their Intuition will make decisions too hastily, without understanding all of the issues and possible solutions." As you can see, plenty of both strengths and weaknesses. One site summed up the Commander Personality in a very succinct way: "Happiness Lies in the Joy of Achievement". Sounds a LOT like me! If any of the above sounds like you, you can find out more about the Commander Personality type here… For me, having these things put into words came as a beautiful revelation. Someone actually understood what I was thinking and how I feel about things, and it was awesome to get a clearer insight into the way I think, act, and behave. It highlighted my strengths and reinforced the importance of working on my weaknesses. In the long run, learning all of these things about my personality type will help me to embrace both the good and the bad about being a "Commander". What's your personality type? Take this quick and easy test and find out more about yourself. Don't forget to comment and let me know what your personality type is…