Karl McFaul (right) together with Jonas Birgersson (left) and Peter Sunde (middle) giving a presentation at the Innovation in Mind conference, Lund 2011
Like to know something about me? I’m a social entrepreneur using my skills within communication, arts, science & innovation to organize, create and manage a venture to achieve social change (a social venture). While a business entrepreneur typically measures performance in profit and return, a social entrepreneur focuses on creating social capital. Thus, the main aim of social entrepreneurship is to further social and environmental goals. However, this can be achieved through technological innovation which leads to social innovation and this is where IT comes into my work. But innovation is not only about products. It can also deal with improving management, organisation, business models, the strategic and practical parts of communication. After 25 years working in the creative industries, these are my professional fields of interest.
We did the Myers-Briggs personality test at my current job, the European Spallation Source (ESS) , and my test result was not surprising to me. I could see my whole life flashing before my eyes when reviewing the results. I am a so called “ENTP” (extraversion, intuition, thinking, perception). Here is Personality Desk’s description of an ENTP:
ENTPs are inspired innovators, motivated to find new solutions to intellectually challenging problems. They are curious and clever, and seek to comprehend the people, systems, and principles that surround them. Open-minded and easygoing, Inventors want to understand other people: their motivations, behavior, and ideas—without applying judgment.
ENTPs are masters of re-inventing the wheel and often refuse to do a task the same way twice. They question norms and often ignore them altogether. Established procedures are uninspiring to the Inventor, who would much rather try a new method (or two) than go along with the standard.
ENTPs enjoy engaging others in debate, and can be perceived as argumentative due to their love of critical analysis. They are the classic devil’s advocate, rarely married to one position and able to argue anything convincingly. They like to maintain the upper hand, and often do, thanks to their ability to quickly respond to another’s ideas and behavior.
ENTPs are energized by challenge and are often inspired by a problem that others perceive as impossible to solve. They are confident in their ability to think creatively, and may assume that others are too tied to tradition to see a new way. The Inventor relies on their ingenuity to deal with the world around them, and rarely finds preparation necessary. They will often jump into a new situation and trust themselves to adapt as they go.
ENTP is one of the rarer types in the population. ENTPs make up:
3% of the general population
4% of men
2% of women
Popular hobbies for the ENTP include continuing education, writing, art appreciation, playing sports, computers and video games, travel, and cultural events.
Famous ENTPs include Walt Disney, Thomas Edison, Lewis Carroll, Alfred Hitchcock, John Malkovich, Nikola Tesla, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Benjamin Franklin, and Richard Feynman.
Research facts on ENTP:
- On personality trait scales, scored as Enterprising, Friendly, Resourceful, Headstrong, Self-Centered, and Independent
- Least likely of all types to suffer heart disease and hypertension
- Least likely of all types to report stress associated with family and health
- Scored among highest of all types in available resources for coping with stress
- Overrepresented among those with Type A behavior
- Among highest of all types on measures of creativity
- One of two types most frequent among violators of college alcohol policy
- Among types most dissatisfied with their work, despite being among the types with highest income
- Commonly found in careers in science, management, technology, and the arts
