Coaching and Personality Type:
Does Who You Are Influence
How You Coach?
Elliott Medrich, Ph.D.
Charles Territo, Ph. D.
Who You Are
• How well do you think you know yourself?
• Describe “who you are”
– Write 5 single words
– Share with your neighbor
The Keirsey Temperament Sorter
• What is it?
– How does it differ from Myers-Briggs
– How many of you have done MB??
• Do the Keirsey sort
• When you are done, read about your results
• Compare with what you wrote about yourself
The 16 Keirsey Types
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•
•
•
•
•
•
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ISTJ—Duty Fulfillers
ISFJ—Nurturers
ISTP—Mechanics
ESFP—Performers
ENTJ—Executives
ENTP—Visionaries
ENFJ—Givers
ENFP—Inspirers
ESTJ—Guardians
ESFJ—Caregivers
ESTP—Doers
ISFP—Artists
INTJ—Scientists
INTP—Thinkers
INFJ—Protectors
INFP--Idealists
General Population by Keirsey Type
TOTAL
E
45-53%
I
47-55%
S
66-74%
N
26-34%
T
40-50%
F
50-60%
J
54-60%
P
40-46%
ISTJ
11-14%
ISFJ
9-14%
INFJ
1-3%
INTJ
2-4%
ISTP
4-6%
ISFP
5-9%
INFP
4-5%
INTP
3-5%
ESTP
4-5%
ESFP
4-9%
ENFP
6-8%
ENTP
2-5%
ESTJ
8-12%
ESFJ
9-13%
ENFJ
2-5%
ENTJ
2-5%
You and Your Coaching Style
• Find your matches and talk about how your
sorter type functions as a coach
• Does your sorter type make a difference in
how you approach your role as a coach?
Opposite Pairings
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•
•
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ESTJ and INFP
ESFJ and INTP
ENTJ and ISFP
ENFJ and ISTP
•
•
•
•
ISTJ and ENFP
ISFJ and ENTP
INTJ and ESFP
INFJ and ESTP
Look at your opposite sorter type
• Find your opposite type and talk about
differences in how you each might approach
your work as a coach
• Highlight areas where you might do things the
same way and areas where you might do
things differently
Communicating with Different Styles
• We all feel most comfortable with people who
communicate the way we do. We are less
likely to misinterpret their messages or
motives and much quicker to connect with
and trust them. Given that, there are different
communication styles, most of the people we
interact with at work are likely to have a
different communications style from your
own. What does this mean to you as a coach?
Let’s try a scenario
• A high school leadership team looking to
improve student reading scores asks content
area teachers to increase their emphasis on
ELA—across the curriculum. Some subject
matter teachers are having difficulty thinking
of what that they can do to bolster their
efforts. The coach is asked to help.
What might this mean to you?
• Do you think this kind of inquiry is helpful to you
in your role as a coach. Why?
• Do you think it’s just kind of interesting to know
these things, but not helpful to you in your role
as a coach. Why?
• Now you have another way of thinking about
how you talk with your fellow coaches and
teachers!
Learn more
Interested in the Keirsey typology and scales?
www.keirsey.com
For the detailed Keirsey descriptions, contact me
elliottmedrich@gmail.com