Frequently Asked Questions

The Myers Briggs Type Indicator® is a blind questionnaire based on the same model of Personality Type as the TypeCoach tools (and many other tools, training and books).  The Myers Briggs Company owns the copyright for the particular questions in that questionnaire. TypeCoach owns the copyright for the phrases used in the TypeCoach tools. There are quite a few differences between the TypeCoach Verifier Tool and the MBTI® assessment. Learn more here.

TypeCoach tools are not designed for or permitted to be used in the context of pre-hire screening. We believe that any personality type can do any job well – personality types are a matter of preference, not capacity.

When introduced properly, participants in our programs appreciate that we are only describing certain aspects of their personality, particularly those that relate to communication styles. Specifically, “type” does not describe the limitation of one’s ability to use a non-preferred function, only that the activity using a non-preferred function is less energizing and natural than the preferred function. There is no limit on someone’s capability based on an understanding of their preferences. This is a key theme woven throughout our programs and is consistent in our own data which shows a high diversity of personality across leadership within our client organizations.

For these reasons, we do not permit our tools to be used as a screening approach for hiring or selection as it is not an appropriate use of this framework. As we drum into the ears of our workshop participants, these elements of personality do not determine performance or the capacity to do any job or activity well or poorly. For us, the utility of the Jung/Myers/Kiersey framework has to do with how we communicate effectively with others. 

When people are under extreme stress, they frequently don’t feel or act like themselves. That is because they often revert to using parts of their Personality Type that don’t call on their natural strengths. For example, a Sensor who is normally quite realistic might revert to their less developed Intuitive side and can only see negative possibilities. Or a Thinker, who is usually in control of the logic, gets highly emotional because they are using their undeveloped Feeling side.

While people change a great deal during their lifetimes, we believe that their personality types do not change. Rather, as we age we begin to “embrace” our non-preferences, thereby developing better balance. To say it another way, behaviors change as people mature, but the underlying preferences do not.

TypeCoach is an adaptive communication system that helps you make small adjustments to more effectively get your message across to different types of people. TypeCoach improves:

Sales • Communication • Influence •

Leadership Development • Trust •

Team Effectiveness • Collaboration •

Change Management • Motivation •

Engagement • Cognitive Diversity • Etc.