About Myers-Briggs® and Personality Types: Managers in the U.S., Canada, England, and Mexico. Who are they?

 

People often wonder if they have the ability or personality type to become a manager. As before, the short answer is "yes." All types become managers. It's also true that "birds of a feather flock together," which means there are similarities among those who tend to become managers. In this instance, we'll look at managers from four countries to see how they compare.

Thinkers and Judgers are overrepresented in managers in many countries. You'll see the same is true in the data that follow.

ISTJ

• US: 17%
• Canada: 21.9%
• Mexico: 28.9%
• England: 23.8%

 

ISFJ

• US: 3.4%
• Canada: 2.9%
• Mexico: 0.3%
• England: 6.5%

 

INFJ

• US: 1.9%
• Canada: 1.6%
• Mexico: 0.3%
• England: 2.4%

 

INTJ

• US: 10%
• Canada: 11.8%
• Mexico: 8.3%
• England: 6.5%

 

ISTP

• US: 3.4%
• Canada: 4.6%
• Mexico: 4.2%
• England: 4.4%

 

ISFP

• US: 1.2%
• Canada: 1.2%
• Mexico: 0.1%
• England: 1.2%

 

INFP

• US: 2.7%
• Canda: 2.4%
• Mexico: 0.1%
• England: 3.1%

 

INTP

• US: 6.6%
• Canada: 8.3%
• Mexico: 3.2%
• England: 2.9%

 

ESTP

• US: 3.2%
• Canada: 3.9%
• Mexico: 4.5%
• England: 3.9%

 

ESFP

• US: 1.4%
• Canada: 1.0%
• Mexico: 0.3%
• England: 1.2%

 

ENFP

• US: 5.1%
• Canada: 3.6%
• Mexico: 0.1%
• England: 2.9%

 

ENTP

• US: 8.1%
• Canada: 6.7%
• Mexico: 4.1%
• England: 4.2%

 

ESTJ

• US: 15.8%
• Canada: 15.5%
• Mexico: 36.3%
• England: 20.7%

 

ESFJ

• US: 3.6%
• Canada: 1.9%
• Mexico: 0.3%
• England: 5.9%

 

ENFJ

• US: 3.4%
• Canada: 2.5%
• Mexico: 0.1%
• England: 1.6%

 

ENTJ

• US: 13.1%
• Canada: 10%
• Mexico: 9%
• England: 8.8%

 

What do you notice about the numbers? Well, the first thing is the pattern is similar in every country. The high and low numbers seem to be the same types, irrespective of the country. Secondly, managers are mostly Thinkers and Judgers. ISTJs are the largest group in three countries, with only Mexico different with ESTJ as the largest. The smallest group is ISFPs in the U.S. and England (1.2%), while it's ESFPs for Canada (1%), and Mexico has three types at 0.1% of the total.

In no country were Feelers highly represented, with the highest being ISFJs in England at 6.5%. Perceivers are similarly a small part of the total. Canadian INTPs were the largest at 8.3%. Introverts make up 46.2% of American managers, while Mexican managers were 54.7% Extraverts. The English were almost evenly divided at 50.8% Introverts, while Canadians were 54.7% Introverts, the opposite of the Mexican managers.

Again, a key point to remember is all types become managers. If you're an ISFP, you can become a manager. It's likely you will meet few other managers of your type, yet you can still do it. Likewise, if you're an ISTJ, INTJ, ENTJ, or ESTJ, there's no guarantee you'll become a manager, that you'll like it, or you'll be a good manager should you get such a job. It is likely many of the other managers you will meet will be your type. This is particularly interesting for rare types like INTJ and ENTJ who are less likely to meet others of their type.

Another point to remember for those types who are rare in the above list, such as ISFP, ESFP, INFP, and INFJ, is that it's okay if you don't want to manage. This might relieve you of the pressure to take a management position. You might discover it's not for you and that's fine. You don't have to be a manager if you don't want to.