Yer an ISTP, Harry

Tiger Beat, Cosmo, Harry Potter, Carl Jung, and Iron Horse Brewery all have something in common: our mutual love for dissecting the individual traits and drives of the personality.

As some of you may be aware, Iron Horse Brewery will send personality inventories to potential hires and new employees, to see where they fall in comparison with the rest of their department and company. The inventory we use as a company is called the DISC personality test. It measures the Dominance, Influence, Compliance, and Steadiness of the individual. This test also adjusts for “adapted” and “natural” state. We have been using this test for about 3 years for its usefulness in communication recommendations, pinpointing generalized strengths of the individual, and sometimes as a means to make fun of each other (ask Tyson about the 3 foot rule).

The personalities the test produces can be eerily accurate. For example, I am classified as an adapted Promoting Relater, and natural Supporting Relater. Basically, it’s telling my bosses that I am going to be a huggy feely cheerleader type. Definitely doesn’t fit the role for the Director of Optimism, no sir. It also tells my bosses how to approach situations, like yearly reviews, in case I just begin hysterically crying for absolutely no reason (which totally didn’t happen…).

A year or so ago, our Connie embarked on a project to determine the personality of the brewery as a whole and of the drinkers of our beer, using both the DISC and Myers-Briggs inventories (for reference on the MBTI, I am an ENFJ). Through her research, we found that the brewery’s voice is basically Ross and Greg‘s DISC profiles (imagine that!), while our core customers fit one of 3 genres: The Hipster (personified as an ENFP or ENTP), the Blue Collar Attitude (ISTJ or ISFJ), and the Nerd (INTP or INTJ). The labels themselves are geared towards what actually motivates the customer, based on her research. The Hipster is motivated by innovation, social interactions, and nostalgia. The Blue Collar Attitude folks may not always be found behind a desk at work, but they as a group are motivated by achievement from hard work, a balance of social and family life, and finding comfort in the day to day activities. The Nerd is motivated by learning, active problem solving, and developing strong interpersonal relationships. This has helped us greatly in our marketing and sales decisions, though we still are going to ignore many conventions and rules people may have (see here).

By this point most of the cousins have taken the two different tests, comparing ourselves with each other, celebrating our differences and similarities. Our embracement of categorization (though not in beer styles) in a world full of chaos is fun, and makes me think it is about time we take a third test. We need one that is truly applicable in the real world. Specifically, the Harry Potter sorting hat quiz**. You can take this at Pottermore (and give your email), or another version here.

As a company, IHB encourages individual thinking and collective action from its cousins. What better way to embrace that with an Iron Horse House beer boot (aka house cup)! The sorting hat can split us in a method that doesn’t keep us with our arm of business. Example- Morgan and Jake are Gryffindors, Tyson is a Ravenclaw, and they are all production managers. The friendly competition can involve everyone, encouraging what we do best, insulting others and making fools of ourselves. Competitions can include Quidditch beer pong, air guitar, feats of strength, wort chugging contest, keg toss, and more! In reality, the point of this blog is to beg Greg to let us have a loosely Harry Potter themed ongoing competition at the brewery, and to find more Hufflepuffs out there. Hufflepuff for life, yo! #IronHorseBeerBootChallengeNeedsToHappen #GregLovesHashtags #Hashtag #PoundSign #Octothorp
**Anyone surprised it wasn’t a Muppet test I was going to propose? I haven’t found a detailed enough test yet, not for lack of trying! Alas, that idea will have to wait for another blog.