Do What You Are

1. Personality Type is Key to Career Fulfillment

The right job enhances your life.

Beyond Skills and Interests. While abilities, interests, and values are important, they don't paint the whole picture. Personality type adds crucial dimensions, such as how much social interaction you need, the kind of information you naturally notice, how you make decisions, and your preference for structure versus spontaneity.

Handedness Analogy. Just as using your preferred hand feels natural and effortless, aligning your work with your personality type allows you to operate from a position of strength. Trying to force yourself into a role that doesn't suit your type is like writing with your non-dominant hand – possible, but draining and less skillful.

The Sixteen Types. The book introduces a system based on Carl Jung's work, refined by Katharine Briggs and Isabel Briggs Myers, identifying sixteen distinct personality types. Each type has unique strengths, weaknesses, and preferences, making certain work environments and tasks more fulfilling than others.

2. The "Fourmula" for Career Satisfaction: A Holistic Approach

As a general rule, the more aspects of your personality you match to your work, the more satisfied you’ll be on the job.

Beyond the "Big Three". Traditional career counseling focuses on abilities, interests, and values. This book introduces a more comprehensive "Fourmula" that includes temperament, dominant functions, extraversion/introversion, and type development.

The Four Components:

• Temperament: Your core values and motivations (Traditionalist, Experiencer, Idealist, Conceptualizer).
• Dominant Function: Your strongest mental process (Sensing, Intuition, Thinking, Feeling).
• Extraversion/Introversion: How you direct your energy (outward or inward).
• Type Development: Your stage in integrating your personality preferences.

A Personalized Approach. By understanding these four components, you can identify work that aligns with your natural strengths and preferences, leading to greater job satisfaction and a more fulfilling career.

3. Temperament Reveals Your Core Values

Usually Extraverts are interested in many things, but not necessarily at a very deep level. Introverts have fewer interests, but they pursue them in much greater depth.

Four Basic Natures. Throughout history, observers have identified four distinct temperaments: Traditionalists (SJs), Experiencers (SPs), Idealists (NFs), and Conceptualizers (NTs). Each temperament shares core values and motivations that influence career choices.

Temperament and Type. Each of the sixteen personality types falls into one of these four temperament categories, based on their preferred functions (Sensing, Intuition, Thinking, Feeling) and attitudes (Judging, Perceiving).

The Right Fit. Understanding your temperament can help you identify work environments and tasks that align with your core values, leading to greater job satisfaction and a sense of purpose.

4. Harness Your Dominant and Auxiliary Functions

The secret of career satisfaction lies in doing what you enjoy most.

The Hierarchy of Functions. Each personality type has a hierarchy of four functions: dominant, auxiliary, tertiary, and inferior. The dominant function is your strongest mental process, while the auxiliary function supports and balances it.

Operating from Strength. To maximize career satisfaction, it's crucial to identify and leverage your dominant and auxiliary functions. This means seeking work that allows you to use your natural strengths and minimize your exposure to your weaker functions.

The Four Functions:

• Sensing: Gathering data through the five senses.
• Intuition: Perceiving patterns, relationships, and possibilities.
• Thinking: Making decisions based on logic and analysis.
• Feeling: Making decisions based on personal values and empathy.

5. Extraversion/Introversion Influences Function Use

If you don’t know what an Extravert is thinking… you haven’t been listening, because he or she will tell you. If you don’t know what an Introvert is thinking… you haven’t asked, or, in some cases, you haven’t waited long enough for an answer.

Outer vs. Inner World. Extraverts direct their dominant function outward, engaging with the external world. Introverts, on the other hand, direct their dominant function inward, focusing on their internal world of thoughts and ideas.

The Typogram. The book uses a "Typogram" to illustrate how each type uses their dominant and auxiliary functions. Extraverts have their dominant function in the foreground, while Introverts have it in the background.

Maximizing Effectiveness. To achieve maximum satisfaction and effectiveness, it's essential to use your dominant function in your preferred world. This means Extraverts should seek work that allows them to engage with others, while Introverts should prioritize work that allows for independent thought and reflection.

6. Type Development: A Lifelong Journey

Each one of us has a distinct personality, like an innate blueprint that stays with us for life.

Beyond the Blueprint. While your personality type remains constant throughout your life, you can develop and integrate your weaker functions over time. This process, known as type development, can lead to greater personal growth and career satisfaction.

Stages of Development:

• Childhood: Strengthening the dominant function.
• Adolescence: Developing the auxiliary function.
• Mid-life: Integrating the tertiary function.
• Later Life: Accessing the inferior function.

The Mid-life Reevaluation. Mid-life often marks a turning point, as individuals seek to integrate their less-developed functions and find new meaning in their work and personal lives.

7. The Traditionalist (SJ) - Value Structure and Service

Traditionalists are the most traditional of the four temperaments.

Guardians of Tradition. Traditionalists (SJs) value law and order, security, propriety, rules, and conformity. They are driven by a strong motivation to serve society's needs and respect authority.

Strengths: Practical, organized, thorough, systematic, and detail-oriented. They excel at guarding, monitoring, and regulating.

Potential Weaknesses: Not particularly interested in theories or abstractions, and the future doesn’t attract their attention as much as the present. They sometimes make decisions too quickly.

Ideal Careers: Thriving in structured environments with clear expectations, Traditionalists often excel in roles such as administrators, managers, accountants, and law enforcement officers.

8. The Experiencer (SP) - Thrive on Action and Impulse

They live for action, impulse, and the present moment.

Seizing the Moment. Experiencers (SPs) are adventurous, adaptable, easygoing, and pragmatic. They value freedom and spontaneity and are drawn to action-oriented roles.

Strengths: Resourceful, flexible, courageous, and skilled at recognizing and seizing opportunities. They excel at troubleshooting and improvising.

Potential Weaknesses: Impulsive, unpredictable, and may struggle with long-term planning and commitment. They can be easily bored and may lack follow-through.

Ideal Careers: Experiencers often thrive in roles that offer autonomy, variety, and action, such as entrepreneurs, athletes, performers, and first responders.

9. The Idealist (NF) - Seek Meaning and Connection

They are the most spiritually philosophical of the four temperaments.

Driven by Values. Idealists (NFs) are passionate, empathetic, and driven by a strong sense of purpose. They seek meaning and connection in their work and are often drawn to helping others grow and develop.

Strengths: Excellent communicators, motivators, and conflict resolvers. They are skilled at bringing out the best in others and creating harmonious relationships.

Potential Weaknesses: Overly idealistic, sensitive to criticism, and may struggle with practical details and logical analysis.

Ideal Careers: Idealists often excel in roles that involve helping others, such as counselors, teachers, social workers, and religious leaders.

10. The Conceptualizer (NT) - Driven by Competence and Innovation

ENTJs are great leaders and decision makers.

Architects of Change. Conceptualizers (NTs) are intellectual, analytical, and driven by a strong need for competence. They are visionary leaders who enjoy solving complex problems and creating innovative solutions.

Strengths: Logical, strategic, and skilled at identifying flaws and designing improvements. They are independent thinkers who value knowledge and truth.

Potential Weaknesses: Can be critical, insensitive, and impatient with others. They may struggle with emotions and may overlook practical details.

Ideal Careers: Conceptualizers often thrive in leadership positions in fields such as science, technology, law, and business, where they can use their intellect and vision to drive innovation and achieve ambitious goals.

Last updated: April 12, 2025