Guessing game

Michelle Chafin. (estp)

In the last Curtin Centre for Entrepreneurship Growth Program we did what we always do – brought someone out after lunch and tried to guess their Jungian profile.

This time it was Michelle Chafin. Some of you will remember Michelle. If you know Michelle you will not forget her. She is one of those wildly enthusiastic people who tend to bring a light into a room when they enter.

What we do in this guessing-game is run through the Jungian preferences, one by one, until we have a complete profile.

Not hard to guess her first choice so I won’t dilly dally – MICHELLE IS AN EXTRAVERT. We took a vote. No-one voted for introvert, including Michelle.

Michelle responds: Here’s a question I remember.

Q. If you were to entertain friends at your home how many people would attend?
A. Over 20. Although I would not have it at home, I don’t cook. So it would be a restaurant. Eamon and Scott asked which restaurant would that be? And I said, well, Bib and Tucker (which they own), of course. 

Remember, the first is about where you get your energy. The second is how you experience things and how you collect information. Because this preference confused us all, I am going to save it for last and skip to the third dichotomy – thinking and feeling.

Initially, some people thought that because Michelle was a warm and friendly woman, she must be an F (feeling). This function is the only one with a gender bias and if Michelle was the opposite, T (thinking) then it would of course be influenced by her femininity.

This preference is about the decision-making process – do you prefer to make decisions, or do you love collecting information and staying at the party no matter what because you are so in the game and tomorrow is irrelevant. Okay, maybe that last bit was just me when I was a young party beast. 

We asked Michelle a few questions and because detail is not my strong point most of them have disappeared from my memory, but here are some we might have asked.

1 – If you had to tell someone they were not ready for the program here at Curtin, would you tell them or ask someone else to tell them?

Now I’ve written it I think we asked something like this and she answered – “I’d just tell them.”

2 – Do you shop with your head or your heart and if someone was rude to you but their price was right, would you keep going back?
3 – If you’re in a race and some falls over, or falters, do you power on past or stop to see if they are okay?

When we asked Michelle for her confirmed preference she answered “Thinking”.

Michelle: I also remember this.

Q. What do you think about the house prices for the new millenniums.
A They will be fine, I would prefer to teach them how to survive in today’s world, provide them with skills. 

Two confirmed - E and T - two to go.

The final dichotomy also caused a split because Michelle seems so organised but under questioning she provided evidence to suggest she preferred a more “laid-back” lifestyle. The other glitch was her appearance – neat, tidy, elegant. She presents a bit like the neater of the two, those with a J, a judging preference. Unlike the presenter, with his un-combed hair, his shirt out, and his cluttered box of tricks.

1 – Are you well organised?
2 – Would you rather wake up in the morning and make your day up as you go along?
3 – Is your wardrobe at home neat or cluttered?
4 – Can you leave work with your desk disordered?
5 - Do you like starting or finishing a task?

Michelle confirmed she preferred to shoot the breeze, a P, perceiver.

Q. When you arrive home to do you chuck things down.
A. Yes, and the room is not always tidy, even though I do prefer tidiness, when busy I just chuck everything and get to it later. I don’t stress out if there is a mess.

And now for the tricky preference.

As we threw the questions, it seemed pretty clear to me Michelle was confirming the preference I knew – S, sensing.

1 – Do you read fact or fiction?
2 – What do you do on weekends?

And she is so an ESTP. I have an ESTP brother and they love being in front of people, doing things with people, entertaining, and participating in sports and activities. Start talking big picture philosophy to him and his head collapses in front of you.

But when we asked Michelle to confirm she said “N, I’m an intuitive”. My socks nearly fell off, but I went with it because she might have had a good reason, it might have been the week she was having, maybe one of those times in a person’s life when they are reflecting, reassessing.

Also, not a good look in front of a group, when someone says “I’m an S”, and you responds with “No, you’re not.” Could make you look like an arrogant bastard who thinks he knows everything about everybody.

Later in the day Michelle approached and said: “I’m not an N, you know, I’m an S.” Phew.

Michelle: Interesting with regards to the N and S. As there was something happening that day, actually that week – which was seeking change and focus on future. 

Q. What type of books do you prefer to read?
A. Business books.

Q. Do you like sports and are you competitive?
A. Yes and when doing Jacobs ladder I like to go with someone fitter so I can chase them – push myself.

And here is a brief on the ESFP: 

ESFPs are fun and delightful to be with. They live for the moment, and know how to make the most of each moment. They are genuinely, warmly interested in people, and love to make others happy. They're usually very kind-hearted and generous, and are always going out of their way to do something nice for someone. Their affection is simple, straight-forward and honest. They dislike theory and complexities. They often resist forming relationships which require them to function on a high Intuitive or Thinking level. They prefer for things to be light and happy, although their warmth and affection runs deep. Their potential downfall is the tendency to live entirely for the present moment, and therefore to sometimes be unaware of the direction that their relationship is heading, or to be easily distracted from long-term commitments.

From http://www.personalitypage.com/html/index.shtml