Powered by the MBTI tool Building Resilience Powered by the MBTI tool

Objectives Understand the definition of resilience and the impact of taking control Identify you at your best and examine what happens under pressure Understand the impact of type in managing pressure Develop an understanding of energisers and stressors Create strategies for building personal resilience

Module overview Resilience and taking control MBTI refresher You at your best... …and worst Exploring what happens under pressure and in distress Energisers and stressors Strategies to manage impact and build resilience Action planning

Introductions Introduce yourself to others in the room: Your name and role Your best-fit type and something you have learnt about yourself through working with type What do you hope to gain from participating? What are you bringing?

Setting the scene Notice your reactions, thoughts, feelings Understand and listen to others’ perspectives Notice others’ reactions and how their style differs Respect bounds of confidentiality Openness and curiosity Practicalities What else?

Resilience

Why Building Resilience?

Psychological resilience A definition of psychological resilience is therefore: “The ability for an individual to bounce back to a previous state of normal functioning, after experiencing pressure without negative effect.”

Optimal performance

Stressors affect people differently

Self-awareness “I am able to control only that which I am aware of. That which I am unaware of, controls me. Awareness empowers me.” Anon

You at your best…

You at your best...

Activity 1: At your best... Use page 4 of your stress report Read the description of ‘What your type is usually like’ and ‘How others describe your type’. What do you recognise in yourself? Compare this to your description of yourself at your best Discuss this in pairs Make notes in your workbook on page 3 ACTIVITY 1

MBTI refresher

Basic assumptions of type theory The MBTI questionnaire assesses preferences Preferences are not absolutes: everyone uses all eight Preferences are not abilities: MBTI preferences do not tell you what you can and can’t do There are no better or worse types: all types have potential People are the best judges of their own type: the MBTI questionnaire is an indicator, not a test

The four dimensions of type Where do you get your energy from? EXTRAVERSION INTROVERSION What kind of information do you prefer to use? SENSING INTUITION What process do you use to make decisions? THINKING FEELING How do you deal with the world around you? JUDGING PERCEIVING

Extraversion–Introversion Where do you get your energy from? External world Internal world E I

S N Sensing–iNtuition What kind of information do you prefer to use? Real and observable focus Big picture focus, possibilities S N

T F Thinking–Feeling What process do you use to make decisions? Steps out of problem Steps into problem T F

J P Judging–Perceiving How do you deal with the world around you? Gets things decided Keeps options open J P

Under pressure

The MBTI stress cycle

Under pressure

Activity 2: Under pressure and worse Look at: The bottom of page 4 and page 5 of your Stress Management Report The description for your type under pressure in your workbook (pages 7 to 14) Read the description of how others often see your type under pressure. What do you recognise in yourself? Discuss this in pairs Make notes in your workbook on page 5 ACTIVITY 2

Sensing – under pressure ESTP / ESFP Increased focus on wanting enjoyment and so possibly feeling bored Missing the big picture and struggling to anticipate the future More drawn towards things which are urgent (rather than important) Easily distracted and possibly failing to complete tasks ISTJ / ISFJ Resisting change and holding on to the status quo Taking on too much responsibility for others and their actions Very reluctant to make a decision without all the information Unable to see clearly beyond the immediate situation

iNtuition – under pressure ENTP / ENFP Lack of focus on the current reality and repeatedly drawn to future potential Taking on too much Enjoying new ideas at the expense of current demands A strong resistance to the constraints imposed by rules and processes INTJ / INFJ Becoming very reflective and spending too long thinking about ‘ideas’ Taking on too much alone Ignoring the practical realities of the current situation Keeping ideas to themselves and not sharing these sufficiently with others Reluctant to tell others about their inner ideas

Thinking – under pressure ENTJ / ESTJ Becoming overly controlling over tasks and people Impatient with others who are less efficient Driving self and others too hard Forgetting about the impact of actions on others Seeking closure in decisions too quickly ISTP / INTP Believing that everything has a logical answer Being indifferent to social values and needs of others Being too expedient in getting things done Discomfort with emotional expression – both self and others

Feeling – under pressure ESFJ / ENFJ Becoming overburdened with other people’s needs Avoiding conflict in order to emphasise harmony Being over-attached to values in the face of business needs Liable to take feedback too personally ISFP / INFP Believing that their values are the right ones Taking the problems of the world upon themselves Struggling to find an environment where they can be true to themselves Holding on to resentment

Understanding stressors and energisers

Identifying your stressors

MBTI types and stress triggers

Activity 3: Your stressors Look at the cards and choose three things that you identify as stressors for you In groups of three, discuss the words you’ve chosen and why; notice the differences with your group Review this alongside the information on page 6 of your report and the MBTI types and stress triggers in your workbook (page 17) Make notes in your workbook on pages 16 to 17 ACTIVITY 3

Activity 4: Your energisers Look at the cards and pick up three that show things that energise you In your group, discuss the words you’ve chosen and why you chose them Notice the differences within the group Make notes in your workbook on page 20 ACTIVITY 4

Developing strategies for handling pressure and building resilience

Building resilience

Three core strategies for resilience Accept the reality Willing to face what is happening Find a purpose Looking for the personal or wider meaning in the situation Improvise Trying out different ideas Using all available resources and adapting them Adapted from How Resilience works. Diane L. Coutu HBR.

Activities that build resilience Source: American Psychological Association

Activity 5: My current strategies With a partner, discuss: A stressful or tough situation you are faced with at the moment How are you managing yourself in this situation? What strategies are you using to manage the stress? Refer to your workbook and highlight any of those recommended by APA (page 21) Refer to pages 7 to 9 of your report What other, less helpful strategies are you using? How does this compare to how you usually deal with tough situations? Make notes in your workbook on pages 23 to 24 ACTIVITY 5

Activity 6: What else could help you? Make notes in your workbook (pages 27 to 28) of actions you will take to: Recognise when you are getting stressed Manage tough situations Build your resilience In your group, create a flipchart showing some key actions you will take Be prepared to share these with the rest of the group ACTIVITY 6

What next?

Summary Understand the definition of resilience and the impact of taking control Explore you at your best and what happens under pressure Understand the impact of type in managing pressure Develop an understanding of energisers and stressors Create strategies for building personal resilience

To close Everyone to share: One thing you have learned about yourself or others today

Thank you!