Personality types of controllers

ARE YOU A JUDGER?

A THINKER?

WHO YOU ARE DETERMINES

NOW YOU RELATE TO

YOUR COWORKERS AND COLLEAGUES. Not all controllers are created equal. Some are more detail oriented than others, some are more objective, some are better communicators, and some deal better with change. These are just a few of the natural traits that either are-or aren't-a permanent part of their makeup.

Are certain personality types more successful than others? What natural strengths and weaknesses might controllers possess? We decided to do a survey to find out.

We asked 162 IMA members who were working as controllers to help us by taking the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test-a road map to the array of human behavior.

Just as a map of the world displays North, South, East, and West, the Myers-Briggs classifies individuals along four dimensions:

Introvert-Extrovert

Sensor-Intuitor

Thinker-Feeler

Judger-Perceiver

The first dimension, Introvert/Extrovert, reflects a general attitude toward the world: extroverted, in which the person is directed outward toward other persons and objects, or introverted, where attention and energy are directed inward to focus on internal, often unspoken,representations of events.

Introverts prefer to work alone in a quiet office; telephone calls and visitors are unwelcome distractions. They probe deeply into issues, deliberate carefully, and focus on a task until it is completed. The flip side is that they're often perceived as secretive and unfriendly and suspected of having a hidden agenda and not being team players.

Extroverts like to think out loud and bounce ideas off just about everyone. Extroverts move around the organization, engage in casual conversation, and interact with people. They may appear to be socializing instead of working.

The next dimension is Sensor/Intuitor. People who prefer things that are tangible are "sensors.` They prefer information that can be verified by the five senses. They're most comfortable focusing on the present and interpreting anything new by what they've already experienced or can validate with physical evidence. To support their views, they'll gather hard data. They're good at spotting what isn't working today and fixing it.

People preferring intuitionfocusing on insight and possibilities-are "intuitors." Intuitors interpret information according to its meaning, possibility, and implication. They aren't as focused on today because possibility demands a look toward the future. They'll look at the data...