What's in a Letter?

I was walking down Pike yesterday afternoon and nearly got run over by a woman in her SUV who was in a hurry, it turns out, to nab a perfect parking spot so she could run into the 8 Limbs Yoga Studio. Apparently, she was late for class. I didn’t get any acknowledgment from her…like a “whoops” wave. Such are the dangers of city living I suppose!

It struck me as odd that she would be into yoga but be so utterly unaware of her surroundings and singly focused on “me, me, me.” Isn’t yoga supposed to make you all relaxed and groovy and in tune with other beings? And then I thought…maybe she needs yoga to calm her down. To burn off her aggression. And then I thought….well, maybe that’s how “type a” people do everything.

Taken from beloved Wikipedia, this is what they have to say about the Type A personality: “Type A individuals can be described as impatient, excessively time-conscious, insecure about their status, highly competitive, over-ambitious, business-like, hostile, aggressive, incapable of relaxation in taking the smallest issues too seriously; and are somewhat disliked for the way that they're always rushing and demanding other people to serve to their standards of satisfaction.”

I’ve had many assessments over the years – MBTI, FIRO-B, Leadership Derailers, DISC, PulsePoints, Enneagram, formal 360 degree feedback processes, etc, etc, etc. Fortunately, I’ve never been described quite like a “type A” personality. Not in a classic sense, at least.

It’s true, I used to run around like a maniac…I loved working in a fast paced environment…I often got frustrated and impatient if people didn’t move as quickly as me…or needed too much information to make decisions or weren’t willing to put in the necessary time to get things done. I’d like to think that I was just matching the pace of the business. That I was pushing for high performance. That I wanted everyone to be successful, because results (and fast results at that) were what mattered.

Does that make me Type A? To ground myself in other letters, I went back to my MBTI profile, which is an ENFP. The description taken from the MBTI Foundation’s website says this about my type:

"Warmly enthusiastic and imaginative. See life as full of possibilities. Make connections between events and information very quickly, and confidently proceed based on the patterns they see. Want a lot of affirmation from others, and readily give appreciation and support. Spontaneous and flexible, often rely on their ability to improvise and their verbal fluency."

That really doesn’t sound Type A, does it?! I have had bosses tell me that I can’t be a P, because I get so much done and I seem so on top of it. And a colleague once told me … “You can’t be an ENFP because I am,” as if to say there was no way in heck we were alike. (Turns out I do have some “T” tendencies). Perhaps , though, I’ve just learned to flex. To scan the environment and figure out what’s needed. Besides, I grew up with a “classic,” work-a-holic type A father. So maybe some of that rubbed off on me. But it doesn’t mean that it is me.

What’s in a letter, anyway? Most assessments identify preferences. It doesn’t mean people can’t be adaptable to their situation or learn what works and what doesn’t in any given circumstance. In my new world – working 40 hours a month vs. 70 a week – I think I’m pretty type “B” at the moment. Easy-going, patient and pretty darn relaxed. Though, I'll admit, my husband and I have made a choice. I’m kicking back a little for the summer. When the leaves start to turn colors, it’s likely I’ll put things in high gear again. But, I promise, to all of you pedestrians, colleagues and friends, I will never run you over to get where I am going.