The Myers-Briggs ISFP Personality Type

Those with Introverted-Sensing-Feeling-Perceiving personality traits are known as ISFPs, and sometimes referred to as The Chameleon. ISFPs are creative people, not necessarily in terms of careers, but in how they see and react to the world around them. ISFPs are open minded, welcoming new experiences, change and more, always seeking to relish the moment and extract the most from everything they experience.

While they share some personality traits, ISFPs are unique individuals, each having their own sense of curiosity. They embrace multiple new things, so each will have a range of passions and interests that make them interesting to be around in their own right, regardless of the emotional intelligence grouping they may be a part of.  They are flexible, taking things as they come without worry, and tend to love life in a way that others may struggle to do.

How ISFPs Use Emotional Intelligence in Teams or Groups- Strengths & Challenges

When looking at how people work in a team environment, emotional intelligence is one of the major influences in the way they both interact with others and deal with the challenges encountered in day-to-day activities.

When interacting with other team members, ISFPs are very good at delivering clear and precise communications. They are often able to instinctively find the right way to make others feel supported. They are sincere in wanting to ensure the wellbeing of team members. Not only in words, but also actions, while retaining an open mind even in challenging situations,  adapting to changing needs.

However, ISFPs emotional Intelligence makes them reluctant communicators, with their living in the moment style often leaving them overlooking implications of ideas in the long term. They prefer to get along, taking a flexible approach rather than seeking conflict with others when ideas or visions are incompatible. This can be a negative for the ISFPs though, seeing their ideas dismissed in some situations.

In accordance with the ISFPs Emotional Intelligence, this unwillingness to challenge others can be a problem in leadership as well. While ISFPs can excel in leadership roles, focusing on cooperation and encouraging input from all, they often struggle with providing harsher feedback where it is necessary, and this can be problematic. They are good at supporting others though, giving them space to work their own way. In general, when dealing with others as a team member or leader, ISFPs tend to downplay their own abilities and contributions, which can cause problems as it leads to others not knowing the skills they have.

Within a team environment, it is the difficult times when our emotional intelligence really makes a difference, and for ISFPs this is no different. Whether facing challenges, dealing with conflict within the team or coping with stressful situations, ISFPs are notable for their compassion. They are very empathetic towards others and treat them with courtesy and respect in even the most difficult situations. Importantly, they have a genuine interest in other people’s points of view and experiences, which makes ISFPs great mediators in conflict situations.

However, that need to get along with others and avoid conflict can cause problems. In times of stress, ISFPs Emotional Intelligence has them   focus on harmony and pleasantries which can lead to irritation and worse from other team members, and constantly backing down on points can mean opportunities are lost to worse ideas. ISFPs can also be overly sensitive, reacting badly to criticism, which in turn fuels further disharmony within the team.

Change is something we must all adapt to eventually, and The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator ISFPs are notably adept at dealing with change of any kind. Because they live in the moment, they take a flexible approach to the introduction of new things, readily adapting to change as it occurs while providing support and understanding to others during the process. That focus on the moment does mean that they don’t look ahead though, and so the implications of a change may not be understood until they are reality.

This ties into the avoidance of risk, where a fear of making mistakes can lead to change paralysis, where nothing happens at all unless pushed by external forces. ISFPs then, are extremely adaptable to change, but are unlikely to initiate change themselves.

There is a theme throughout this examination of the emotional intelligence of ISFPs, and that is an unwillingness to be challenged. ISFPs always seek harmony, which is great for team culture, but causes issues when a vision or value is the correct one but is overruled simply because the ISFP will not defend it enough. Being more assertive, having confidence in their beliefs and defending those ideals are essential, and a crucial thing that ISFPs must work on and improve.