As humans, we constantly search for the “why”—why some of us prefer individual work over teamwork, why we feel more creative outside of working hours, why not everyone seeks a managerial career path, etc. Personality tests are a fun way to learn more about your unique behavior patterns and why you are the way you are. Understanding your personal strengths and weaknesses is especially helpful when navigating the workplace since those insights can inform your work style, how to best interact with others, and how to solve problems. One of the most enlightening aspects of your personality to unpack is whether you’re a feeler, doer, or thinker.
We all feel, do, and think, but knowing which mode we default to helps us understand our decision-making and thought processes, our interpersonal skills, and how we approach conflict. Take a short quiz to find out if you’re a doer or a thinker or use your Myers-Briggs type to inform whether you sway more toward feeling, doing, or thinking. Once you have your result, find out your strengths and weaknesses and how your result affects your career below.
Read more: 8 Personality Tests That Can Tell You About Your Career Strengths & Weaknesses
If you’re a “feeler” type...
Who you are
Feelers are typical people-pleasers. When you walk into a room full of strangers, you want to walk out as everyone’s friend. When making decisions, feelers weigh every perspective in the room, and sometimes value the group’s happiness over the most logical answer. These types of people aim to establish and maintain harmony and find conflict very challenging. Because you desire to build relationships and connect emotionally with others, you’re often very concerned with self-image and invest energy in trying to validate your worth to others.
Strengths
Feelers are extremely empathetic—a skill that 90 percent of employees, CEOs, and human resources professionals say is important in the workplace—meaning you’re able to easily connect with coworkers, be open to different perspectives, and listen actively. You care about inclusivity and value building a cohesive, innovative team, making you a great candidate for a participative leadership style. If there’s a conflict in the workplace, feelers will act quickly to resolve issues without damaging egos or hurting feelings.
Weaknesses
Feelers are sensitive (which isn’t a weakness by itself), but in the workplace, it means that you take feedback and critique more personally and have a hard time standing up for yourself. As a leader, you can find it difficult to discipline people or manage differing opinions. Feelers tend to be more introverted, which again, isn’t a negative trait, but can become a roadblock for building valuable skills like public speaking and managing direct reports. You can also have a hard time saying “no,” which can cause you to overextend yourself and be at a higher risk for burnout and anxiety.
Read more: What Are the Best Jobs for Introverts?
If you’re a “doer” type...
Who you are
The name says it all here. Doers prefer to take action rather than think critically through the repercussions. For example, if designing a logo, doers would immediately start sketching before thinking through the message that the logo needs to convey. You are a hard worker who makes decisions based on initial gut instincts. People with this personality type are concerned with controlling their environment. You crave independence and setting boundaries with others. Crossing items off of a to-do list is a doer’s favorite activity, and SMART goals are your best friend.
Strengths
Doers are action-oriented, decisive, and energetic. When working on an assignment or project, you hit the ground running, take risks, and enjoy solving problems when something is awry in order to achieve your goals. You rarely procrastinate and thrive when faced with a new challenge. Taking action is exhilarating for doers, and you are able to help groups swiftly decide on next steps within a project.
Weaknesses
Doers tend to be impatient and dive into projects without considering the consequences first. Due to your nature of making quick, compulsive decisions, you can inadvertently rebel against your superiors when you think your own decisions are the right ones. You can tire quickly of long brainstorming discussions, making back-to-back meeting days especially hard for this type at work. You can fall victim to workaholism, a compulsion that leads to the exclusion of relaxation, hobbies, and relationships outside of work, and taking care of mental and physical health.
Read more: The Big 5: How These Personality Traits Affect Your Career & What You Can Do About It
If you’re the “thinker” type…
Who you are
Thinkers analyze the pros and cons of every situation and use those reasonings to be extremely logical and consistent when making decisions. When approaching problems, you spend time figuring out the “why” since you hate to be proven wrong. You try to remain unbiased, never allowing personal beliefs or outside influences to sway you. Because you make logic-based judgments, thinkers like you excel in analytical jobs related to science, mathematics, philosophy, computer science, or engineering.
Strengths
Thinkers value exploring new abstract concepts, breaking out of norms, and finding new solutions to old problems. You value discussion and debate, analyze things thoroughly and theoretically before taking action, and care about maintaining the utmost fairness. Because you value objectiveness, you make great mediators and can argue both sides of any situation.
Weaknesses
Thinkers can come across as emotionally detached since your main focus is rationality. You take your time before making decisions and can get flustered or annoyed when rushed or put on the spot. Because thinking quickly is an important required skill in fast-paced environments, these types tend to thrive better in more independent positions where you’re allowed time to do your own research in order to come to a valid conclusion. Thinkers can be less emotionally and socially intelligent and more blunt, leading to a lack in awareness of the impact of your tone in the workplace.
Read more: How to Stop Overthinking: 5 Ways to Shift Your Mindset
