A "User Manual" for Creating Job Satisfaction!

How Knowing Your MBTI Personality Type or Striving Style Can Boost Your Job Satisfaction

In 2022, job satisfaction in the U.S. hit an all-time high, with 62.3% of employees reporting they feel content at work, according to The Conference Board. That’s a great improvement, but when you break down the numbers, you’ll see a disparity: 65% of men reported being satisfied with their jobs, compared to only 60% of women. So, while overall satisfaction is up, there’s still work to do to ensure everyone feels fulfilled in their roles.

But why are some of us more satisfied than others? Beyond company perks and paychecks, job satisfaction is deeply personal and tied to individual motivations, values, and personality traits. This is where tools like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator? (MBTI?) and the Striving Styles? Personality System (SSPS?) come in. These tools offer valuable insights into how our personality traits and intrinsic motivations affect our approach to work, our engagement levels, and what we need to truly be satisfied in our role or job. By understanding your MBTI type or Striving Style, you can make more informed career decisions, adapt your work environment, and ultimately boost your own job satisfaction.

Job Satisfaction: It’s More Than Just a Paycheck

For most of us, job satisfaction goes beyond salary. It’s about finding meaning, growth, and alignment between what we do and who we are. Satisfaction encompasses a variety of factors, including engagement, career growth opportunities, recognition, and whether we feel aligned with the company’s mission. Research consistently shows that job satisfaction is linked to higher productivity, commitment, and retention rates—making it a critical area of focus for both employees and organizations.

Why Personality Matters for Job Satisfaction

The reality is that job satisfaction is different for everyone, and that’s largely because we all bring our own unique personality traits to the table. Understanding your personality can unlock insights into what makes you feel fulfilled, motivated, and genuinely satisfied in a role. This is where MBTI and the SSPS can make a real difference.

The MBTI: Your Personality Blueprint

The MBTI is based on Carl Jung’s psychological types and categorizes individuals into 16 personality types. Each type represents unique preferences for how we perceive the world and make decisions. Here’s a quick example of how different MBTI types can influence job satisfaction:

• ENTJs thrive in leadership roles where they can strategize and make decisions, while ISFJs prefer roles that involve helping others in a structured environment.
• INFPs find satisfaction in creative fields that allow for self-expression, while ESTJs are often drawn to roles involving managing people and resources.

Understanding your MBTI type can clarify why certain tasks or work environments feel energizing and fulfilling while others feel frustrating or even draining. By aligning your career choices and work environments with your MBTI preferences, you can set yourself up for greater satisfaction.

The Striving Styles Personality System: Understanding What Drives You

While the MBTI helps you understand your preferences, the Striving Styles Personality System (SSPS) goes deeper by focusing on the brain’s innate needs and drives. Each Striving Style corresponds to an MBTI type but also delves into the core psychological needs that shape behavior. While the MBTI tells you what your preferences are, the SSPS explains why you need certain types of environments and work to feel fulfilled. The MBTI tells you what behaviors you use, and the SSPS explains what drives you to use them.

The SSPS highlights eight primary needs, each linked to a specific MBTI type and Striving Style :

1. ENTJ, ESTJ (Leader Striving Style) Need to be in Control. Driven by a desire to take charge, make decisions, and influence outcomes, individuals with this need thrive in roles where they can direct others and implement their vision, often gravitating toward leadership or management positions.
2. INTJ, INTP (Intellectual Striving Style) Need to be Knowledgeable A pursuit of knowledge and understanding fuels those with this need. They value expertise and intellectual challenge, thriving in roles that allow them to analyze, strategize, and solve complex problems independently.
3. ESFJ, ENFJ (Socializer Striving Style) Need to be Connected This need drives individuals to seek deep connections with others. They are motivated by meaningful relationships, collaboration, and helping others, often excelling in roles that involve teamwork, support, or mentoring.
4. INFP, ISFP (Artist Striving Style) Need to be Creative. Individuals with this need are driven by self-expression and innovation. They flourish in roles where they can generate ideas, design, or craft unique solutions, preferring flexibility and autonomy over rigid structures.
5. ENTP, ENFP (Performer Striving Style) Need to be Recognized. Recognition-driven individuals seek acknowledgment and appreciation from others. They enjoy being seen for their contributions and often excel in roles that allow them to showcase their talents, connect with people, and receive positive feedback.
6. INFJ, ENTP (Visionary Striving Style)?Need to be Perceptive.?Those with this need to focus on insight and understanding patterns. They are motivated by big-picture thinking, excelling in environments where they can envision possibilities, innovate, and guide others toward a shared vision.
7. ESTP, ISTP (Adventurer Striving Style) Need to be Spontaneous. These individuals are energized by action, novelty, and flexibility. They prefer roles that allow for hands-on engagement, adaptability, and quick decision-making, often excelling in dynamic, ever-changing environments.
8. ISFJ, ISTJ (Stabilizer Striving Style) Need to be Secure. Those with a need for security value predictability and stability. They are most satisfied in structured, dependable environments, often thriving in roles that provide clear expectations, routine, and a sense of continuity.

By understanding your core needs, you can identify which career paths and work environments align best with your intrinsic motivations, leading to higher job satisfaction and fulfillment.

How Knowing Your Personality Type or Striving Style Can Increase Job Satisfaction

1. Career Alignment Understanding your personality type or Striving Style enables you to align your career with your natural strengths. For example, if you’re an ISTJ, you may thrive in roles that involve attention to detail and structure, like accounting or project management. An ENFP, however, might find joy in roles that allow for creativity and interaction with others, such as marketing or event planning.
2. Improving Workplace Relationships Knowing your personality type can improve workplace relationships by clarifying your communication style and interpersonal needs. For example, an INTJ’s direct communication style may seem blunt to an ESFJ, who values harmony. Recognizing these differences helps employees adapt their communication and manage relationships effectively.
3. Self-Advocacy When you understand what you need to feel fulfilled, you can advocate for these conditions. For instance, if you’re an INTP who values autonomy, you might request more flexibility in your role. Or, if you’re an ESFP who thrives on social connection, you might seek opportunities to work collaboratively.
4. Navigating Work Stress and Challenges Knowing your Striving Style helps you recognize stress triggers and develop coping strategies. For example, a J-type personality may feel stressed by last-minute changes, while a P-type may struggle in rigid environments. Understanding these stressors helps you make adjustments to maintain satisfaction.
5. Tailoring Professional Development Personality insights can guide you in setting realistic, fulfilling professional goals. An ENFJ might prioritize goals around team-building and mentoring, while an ISTP might focus on developing technical skills. Tailoring professional development to your type leads to more sustained satisfaction.

Creating Your Team’s Collective “User Manual”

The idea of a "user manual" for yourself is empowering—it’s a tool for understanding your own needs, preferences, and growth areas, leading to better self-management and collaboration. Managers who understand their team members’ personality types can make informed decisions about assigning roles, creating motivating environments, and fostering a culture of empathy and respect.

Taking Charge of Job Satisfaction with MBTI and Striving Styles

The MBTI and SSPS provide the self-awareness needed to build a meaningful and satisfying career. By understanding your personality type or Striving Style, you can take charge of getting your needs met at work, reducing complaining and demotivation, and increasing job satisfaction. ?

When you take the time to understand your personality, you can unlock a more fulfilling, harmonious, and productive work life.

Anne Dranitsaris, Ph.D.

Author of Who Are You Meant to Be? and co-creator of the Striving Styles Personality System.

If you're ready to take charge of your job satisfaction and unlock your full potential, understanding your MBTI? personality type or Striving Style? is a powerful step forward. These insights can guide you to find a career path that truly aligns with your strengths, values, and intrinsic motivations, making each day at work more fulfilling.

Don’t leave your job or career satisfaction to chance. Contact us at info@caliberleadership today to take your MBTI? or Striving Styles? assessment and start building a work life that resonates with who you are.

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