Personality · Self-Knowledge
MBTI & the 16Personalities Test
Personal recommendation by Marshall Delpé. Not made by Marshalldelpe.com.
MBTI & the 16Personalities Test
Personality · Self-Knowledge·
Four letters that finally explain why your coworker schedules meetings for fun.
What it does: The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator sorts people into 16 four-letter types (INTJ, ENFP and so on) across four preferences: Introversion/Extraversion, Sensing/Intuition, Thinking/Feeling and Judging/Perceiving. The free 16Personalities test borrows those type codes but scores you on Big Five-style traits and adds a fifth letter — Assertive (-A) or Turbulent (-T) — for how you handle stress.
Who it's for: Anyone who wants a simple, memorable language for how they recharge, make decisions and organise their life — and for understanding why coworkers, partners and friends approach the same problem so differently.
Why I use it: It is a fast, free starting point for self-reflection. Knowing my type gives me a shorthand for my defaults — where I get energy, how I plan, what drains me — and it makes it easier to have patience with people who are wired differently. I treat the result as a mirror for a conversation with myself, not a label.
Tradeoffs: Neither test is a clinical tool. Forcing people into either/or boxes means anyone near the middle of a scale can get a different type on a retake, and the profiles are flattering enough to trigger the Barnum effect. 16Personalities is not the official MBTI, which is a paid assessment usually interpreted by a certified practitioner.
Alternatives: The Big Five (OCEAN) model, which has far stronger scientific support; the official MBTI assessment through a certified practitioner; the Enneagram; and CliftonStrengths for a work-focused view.
This is a personal recommendation, not a paid promotion.
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Alternatives: The Laws of Human Nature and Mastery by Robert Greene, How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie (the warmer approach), Influence by Robert Cialdini (the research-backed version).
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The Art of War
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Ancient battle advice that works surprisingly well on salary negotiations.
What it does: An ancient Chinese treatise on military strategy, traditionally credited to the general Sun Tzu, written around the 5th century BC. In 13 short chapters it covers planning, positioning, deception, intelligence and when to fight — and when not to. Its core idea: the best victory is the one won without fighting.
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As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. I only recommend what I actually use.