The Last Straw: Testing a Sentinel’s Resilience

Part 4 of 5 in our Developing Resilience Challenge: Uncover the common leadership behaviors that undermine Sentinels’ resilience and drive them to the brink

Image from 16personalities.com

Do you lead a Sentinel (ISTJ | ISFJ | ESTJ | ESFJ)? 

Sentinels include all personality types who share the Observant and Judging personality traits. They’re cooperative and highly practical, embracing and creating order, security, and stability wherever they go. They’re hardworking, meticulous, and traditional, but they can also be inflexible and reluctant to accept different points of view.

Welcome to Day 4 of our five-day Developing Resilience Challenge. Today, we’ll look at things from Sarah the Sentinel’s perspective on a day that just isn’t going to plan. You’ll discover what situations test her ability to bounce back from setbacks the most. 

(For solutions on building resilience, stay tuned for upcoming articles on each Sentinel personality type.)

Real quick, here’s a recap of your five-day Developing Resilience Challenge: 

• Day 1: Building Everyday Resilience 

• Day 2: Testing Resilience in Analysts 

• Day 3: Testing Resilience in Diplomats 

• Day 4: Testing Resilience in Sentinels (You are here) 

• Day 5: Testing Resilience in Explorers

Story Time: Sarah the Sentinel’s Breaking Point

My fingers trembled as I gripped my tablet, my carefully prepared presentation forgotten. The conference room, usually a bastion of order and productivity, had descended into chaos. My boss had just upended weeks of meticulous planning with a few careless words: “Forget the old plan. I’ve got some new ideas that are going to shake things up!”

As a project manager, I prided myself on maintaining efficiency and structure within my team. But now, watching my colleagues’ bewildered faces as my boss rambled about his half-formed concepts, I felt my world crumbling. This felt like a direct assault on the very principles that guide my work and define my value to the company.

*Pause story*

Say hello to Sarah the Sentinel. Today is yet another day that hasn’t gone as planned, leaving her feeling frustrated. But what exactly about this experience has left her feeling so deflated, and what’s stopping her from moving past it? Let’s take a closer look through her eyes.

*Resume story*

“My boss doesn’t care about established processes.”

The sudden overhaul of my carefully crafted project timeline felt like a personal affront. I had invested significant time and energy into creating efficient systems and processes, only for them to now be abruptly discarded or altered. This is making me question my sense of value within this organization.

I’ve built my professional identity around being dependable, organized, and efficient. When my boss casually dismisses these core values, it feels like he’s dismissing a fundamental part of who I am. I’m struggling to bounce back from this because my resilience is closely tied to my sense of control and predictability. The established processes provided a framework that allowed me to anticipate challenges, plan accordingly, and feel confident in my ability to deliver results. Without them, I feel exposed and vulnerable, unsure of how to proceed or what standards I’ll be judged by.

“My boss doesn’t provide clear direction or structure.”

My boss’s vague instructions and nebulous ideas left me feeling adrift in a sea of uncertainty. “Just run with it,” he had said, waving off my questions about specifics. I thrive on clear guidelines and expectations, so this lack of structure is distressing to me. 

Without concrete goals or specific instructions, I struggled to envision how to move forward or how to guide my team effectively. This is very frustrating because I take my responsibilities seriously and feel a strong sense of duty to my colleagues and organization. I want to help them through this, but I just don’t know how to do it without a clear roadmap detailing where we’re trying to go. 

I’m finding it difficult to bounce back from this because my sense of competence and self-worth is closely tied to my ability to understand and meet expectations. Without clear direction, I’m left second-guessing every decision, worried that I might be veering off course or misinterpreting my boss’s intentions. This constant state of uncertainty is draining and erodes my confidence.

“My boss doesn’t respect the chain of command.”

Perhaps most unsettling for me was the way my boss’s actions undermined my authority as project manager. By bypassing me and directly reshaping the project without consultation, he had effectively dismissed the established chain of command. I deeply respect the hierarchies within this organization, so my boss’s actions rattled me. Why couldn’t he have brought this to me first? 

I take pride in my expertise and position, so being sidelined in this important decision feels like a personal slight – like my professional capabilities and insights are being ignored. This undermines my confidence and makes it harder for me to assert myself in future situations.

I’m now questioning my faith (and my place) in this organization. My resilience is closely tied to my sense of belonging and my clear understanding of my role and responsibilities. When the chain of command is bypassed, I’m left feeling uncertain about my position, my authority, and even my value to the team.

*End story*

Story Debrief