Leading Resilient ISFP (Adventurer) Personalities

See how Evan the ISFP becomes more resilient when his boss fine-tunes their leadership style through visual idea-sharing, “What if” scenarios, and targeted recognition

Caption: Image from 16personalities.com

How to spot ISFPs (Adventurers):

ISFPs (Adventurers) share the Introverted, Observant, Feeling, and Prospecting personality traits. 

They often pour their hearts into their work, so when things don’t go as planned, you might see their mood visibly drop as they temporarily lose enthusiasm. While their flexibility does allow them to adapt and move forward, they may struggle with long-term resilience if setbacks persist, as they dislike dealing with too much negativity, conflict, or stress.

Short on time? Scroll to the bottom for a 2-minute TL;DR summary of today’s article.

Two weeks ago, you met Evan the Explorer on a not-so-very-good day at work. He was feeling unheard and undervalued by his boss. 

Then, we took a step back in time and played out an alternate version of this interaction with Evan the ESTP (Entrepreneur), where he had a better experience. 

Today, we’re going to narrow our focus again and imagine Evan as a different Explorer personality: an ISFP (Adventurer). 

If you recall, three main factors were contributing to Evan’s lack of resilience at work:

1. Feeling like his attempts to share ideas and collaborate were consistently dismissed

2. Struggling with stifled creativity, leading to self-doubt and a reluctance to contribute ideas

3. Losing confidence and motivation when his enthusiasm and quick thinking were undervalued 

Let’s turn back time again and see what happens when Evan the ISFP and his boss have more positive interactions in these three areas, shall we? You can apply today’s lessons with the ISFPs on your team to help them approach unwelcome challenges with greater resilience.

Story Time: Helping Evan the ISFP Develop Resilience

Let’s set the scene:

Evan the ISFP just had his augmented reality idea shot down by his boss due to a lack of detailed planning. 

Let’s go back in time and see how this could have played out differently. 

*roll film*

“My attempts to collaborate are welcomed.”

Our team meeting was wrapping up when I felt a spark of inspiration. “What if we use augmented reality to showcase the product features?” I suggested, my mind already racing with possibilities.

My boss turned to me with interest. “That’s an intriguing idea, Evan,” he said. “Can you show me how you envision it working?”

Those three simple words – “show me how” – made all the difference. Instead of shutting me down or asking for a detailed proposal, my boss invited me to demonstrate my idea in a tangible way.

Energized by this response, I quickly sketched out a rough prototype on a nearby whiteboard. As I drew, I found myself naturally explaining the concept, pointing out potential features and benefits. My boss and teammates gathered around, asking questions and building on the idea.

Suddenly, I felt more willing to share off-the-cuff thoughts in the future, knowing I’d have the opportunity to demonstrate them practically. I felt like my creative contributions were truly welcome and appreciated, and I knew this confidence would help me maintain my enthusiasm and innovative spirit, even if things didn’t go my way. Because even if my ideas weren’t always implemented, I now knew they would be given fair consideration. 

“My boss is encouraging my creativity.”