Are Certain "Types" More Likely to Get Promoted at Work?

Do you like to go above and beyond for your work? Do you like to extend beyond the bare minimum to establish yourself as a good employee? Maybe you like to push your work out of the box to get noticed?

As we have established already, certain personality types are naturally drawn to certain industries and interests.

It’s also true that certain types are more likely to rise to the top of traditionally structured businesses and companies. Traits such as objectivity, punctuality, and accountability are qualities that are often seen in those who are classified as “overachievers”. 

And this often gets promoted. 

Overachievers are often very successful in their careers leading to promotion, raises, etc. 

What’s interesting, though, is that although overachievers like to extend themselves for their work, the irony is that these same “achievers” may be far less successful in other parts of the organization - sales, training, or research and development, for example. 

It takes a village to make a successful business run.

So….who specifically are these “go-getters”?
What “types” tend to make up the promoted “over-achieving” groups that often get recognized the most for promotions and advances in their careers?

Traits such as Thinking and Judging tend to be types that are naturally promoted, and other types tend to be harder to find represented in upper level leadership, the higher up you go in a company. 

Though any one of the sixteen types can and does make it to the executive level, those not sharing the Thinking and Judging preferences, that make it to the executive level, tend to be the exception, not the rule. 

To give you some perspective, according to “tested type”, at the executive level upward of 90% of all executives are Thinking-Judgers. 

Crazy, huh?

Based on this, here are a few insights about what we can learn from the personality type makeup of the higher levels of the workplace:

• As long as management is predominantly Thinking/Judging preference dominated, women are statistically destined to be in the minority; there are simply just fewer “true type” Thinking women in the population.
• Most of the women achieving top-level positions will look typologically like their male counterparts. More than likely they will be Thinking/Judgers.
• The few Feeling-Perceptive types who make it to the top typically do so for one of two reasons: (1) simply to prove to themselves that they can do it or (2) because they have a missionary zeal to change the organization.
• The Feeling-Perceptive types that get there, do so not because the system accepted them so much as because of their ability to play the Thinking/Judging preference game.

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While at the top, the idealists do have some impact, as soon as they leave, their programs are often obliterated with the sweep of a pen.

Diversity in the executive circles of any organization typically is pretty fleeting and over the long term has low impact on organizational effectiveness.  

So what does this mean for you if you are not a Thinking or Judging type? 

Here’s the good news: Especially now, workplace culture is continually changing. 

In some industries, especially up and coming industries like tech, there is more of an openness to diversity in leadership styles than we often see in the typical, traditional corporate world.

You can be a great employee and be an “overachiever” no matter your type. 

The great news about being an entrepreneur and business owner is that you have far more freedom and opportunity to challenge the traditional ways of doing business. 

You get to decide how your business will be structured, what kinds of diversity you will include and how to get the results you strive for in your business. 

This starts by leveraging knowledge about who you are and how you operate into creating an environment in which everyone can thrive.. 

No matter if you are an entrepreneur or working in the corporate world, you can leverage yourself to be successful no matter your personality type.

By understanding your personality types and how you can use it to your advantage in the workplace will go MILES. Get the raise or promotion. Expand your business.

Let’s talk today about your MBTI and how you can get those promotions you deserve at your work. 

Here's To Your Success,
Kate