How 16 Personalities Can Help A Board, Without Turning It Into a Big Lift
Many boards aren’t struggling because people don’t care. They struggle because smart, committed people think differently, and we, as humans, don’t always realize how much that matters. And maybe that’s my Campaigner (ENFP) speaking, always seeing the people, the energy, and the intention in the room before the structure. After working with boards long enough, one thing is clear: when differences in how people think, communicate, and decide go unnamed, even the most well-intentioned boards can feel stuck.
Some board members are big-picture visionaries. Others are detail-driven protectors. Some speak quickly and process out loud. Others need time, quiet, and data before weighing in.
None of this is wrong.
But when those differences go unnamed, meetings can feel tense, inefficient, or quietly frustrating or out loud frustration.
That’s where using a personality test, like 16 Personalities, can be a surprisingly useful tool, without turning into a retreat-level overhaul. We prefer 16 Personalities, because it’s quick and easy to digest.
Below are three easy, low-lift ways to integrate 16 Personalities into your board work that build understanding, trust, and better decision-making.
1. Use Personality as a Lens, Not a Label
The value of 16 Personalities isn’t in boxing people in.
It’s in giving your board a shared language for how people naturally think, communicate, and decide.
Instead of:
“They always slow things down.”
“They never speak up.”
“They jump ahead without details.”
You get:
“This person is wired to look for risk.”
“This person needs time to process before speaking.”
“This person is oriented toward possibility and momentum.”
Low-lift way to do this:
Ask board members to take the free 16 Personalities assessment on their own.
Invite (don’t require) them to share their type.
Frame it clearly: This is about understanding preferences, not performance.
That shift alone reduces misinterpretation and defensiveness — two things that quietly drain board energy.
2. Normalize Different Ways of Participating
A hidden challenges on boards is how participation is defined.
Some members:
Talk to think
Ask questions in real time
Jump in quickly
Others:
Reflect before speaking
Prefer written input
Engage deeply but quietly
When boards don’t acknowledge these differences, quieter members can feel sidelined and louder members can feel misunderstood.
Low-lift way to integrate this:
Use personality insights to intentionally vary how input is gathered:
A few minutes of silent reflection before discussion
Asking for written follow-up after meetings
Naming when a decision needs brainstorming vs. analysis
This isn’t about accommodating personalities, it’s about getting the best thinking from everyone at the table.
3. Use It as a Trust-Building Tool, Not a Team-Building Exercise
Trust doesn’t mean agreeing.
It means understanding why someone sees things differently, and staying in a relationship anyway.
16 Personalities can help boards say:
“Ah — that’s why we approach this issue so differently.”
“We’re solving the same problem, just from different angles.”
Low-lift way to do this:
Spend 15–20 minutes in a meeting reviewing the group’s personality spread (no deep dives).
Ask one simple prompt:
“What does this group need to remember when we’re making hard decisions together?”
This reframes tension as diversity of thought, not conflict — and that’s where strong boards live.
Why This Works (Without the Big Lift)
You don’t need:
A full-day retreat
A complicated framework
You need:
Shared language
A little curiosity
Permission to name differences without judgment
When used lightly and intentionally, 16 Personalities helps boards move from assuming intent to understanding perspective, which leads to better conversations, stronger trust, and clearer decisions.
And that’s not fluff. That’s governance done well.
Want to Go a Step Further?
Add a 16 Personalities mini-workshop to your next board meeting.
Not feeling confident facilitating it yourself or worried it could feel awkward, forced, or overly “team-buildy”? You don’t have to do it alone.
We help boards use personality insights in a way that feels:
Grounded
Respectful
Practical
And actually useful for governance and decision-making
