Understanding Good Works

Wisdom is the principal thing…

and with all thy getting,

get understanding.

(Proverbs 4:7)

I have had the pleasure of taking a plethora of personality tests. The premise was that people who did not know me would have me answer a battery of questions, and based on my responses, he or she could assess how I might fit and function within an organizational culture. Off the top of my head, I recall tools used like the Meyers-Briggs type indicator (where I was classified as an INTJ, which stood for introverted, intuitive, thinking, judging personality type); the DISC assessment (for which I do not remember whether I was a more dominant, influential, steady, or conscientious type); and the CORE multi-dimensional awareness profile.

For the sake of time and space, I will not debate the pros and cons of any of these assessment tools. I will, however, use CORE to provide a summary of what each personality type may indicate. For example, words used to describe:
Commanders are ambitious, focused and extremely task-driven.
Organizers tend to be linear and logical.
Relators are loyal, trustworthy and caring.
Entertainers are enthusiastic, charismatic and energetic.

To learn more, visit https://www.coremap.com/

In looking at the descriptors, it is easy to understand that no one is all of any of the above all the time. My resentment with these tools was that I never accepted an assignment to a particular box or quadrant. I adjusted my fit and performance contributions to the situation. In my current season as a business owner, I can transform into any and all of these personality types in one meeting, depending on what I am attempting to accomplish!

I used the example of personality test to illustrate what I am learning on this journey of discovering my purposed work. The tools that worked successfully before may be irrelevant in new dimensions of work. In the past, I thought people sought my help because of my technical competency in manufacturing and my work ethic as the “go-to girl” who knew all the details that no one else considered important. These days, neither of these matter as I find myself doing more creative type of works than I ever imagined. Information requires revelation, so when I prayed, I received the spiritual instruction to stop seeking the external perspective of how others saw me and expected me to work. Instead, I am discovering new skills and talents. Wisdom helps me to see new possibilities.

Carl Jung’s work is the architecture from which many of these personality tests are derived, so it is only fitting that I use one of his quotes about the importance of understanding self in discovering your good works. What’s hidden inside of you waiting to be awakened for you to live in your purposed work? Feel free to comment, or, send me an email at latanyua.robinson@gmail.com. If you like this post and want to catch up on some of my previous discussions, please visit the full Purposed Work blog at http://ltr-latrobe-mfg.blogspot.com/.