My Sharpest Type Tools

In my 20 years of using and teaching Type, three tools or approaches have emerged as most useful:

• Type Dynamics and Balance
• Type Development
• Portraits of Jung Type Behavior

Type Dynamics and Balance

To understand and make useful the dynamic building blocks of Type (Dominant, Auxiliary, Tertiary and Inferior), OKA derived the “Car Model”, which physically displays the functions with a type as if riders in a car. This physical representation of Type dynamics makes Type complexities not only relevant but easy to apply and has become an OKA hallmark.

Type Development

While Type development is natural and can happen automatically, we can also be deliberate in our Type growth. As you can with any muscle, you can exercise Sensing or Thinking or any of the rest. OKA has become particularly good at moving beyond simple awareness to crafting the activities and exercises that actually build and grow Type.

Portraits of Jung Type Behavior

At its heart, Type is about hard-wired preferences, but people often think and want to talk in terms of behavior—what they do and how they act, which are often in ways outside of their preferences. To this end, I have co-authored The Portraits of Jung Type Behavior, an instrument designed to use Type concepts to create a behavioral portrait to help the Type conversation pivot from preference (how I’m wired) to behavior (what I do and how I act).

Come join me at OKA for an advanced Type workshop, Using Type in Coaching and Development, an interactive class rooted in all three of these Type tools and applications.