Finding Team Strengths from Different Personality Types

I recently formed a new cross-functional engineering team here at Vinted: 12 people, plus a couple of additional engineers from a peer team who are helping new members onboard. Everyone who joined so far is already moving quickly and contributing to team initiatives. But as with any fresh team, every new hire brings something different - age, gender, seniority, opinions, and personalities.

When I started planning team-building activities, I wanted something deeper than just icebreakers. I wanted the team to better understand each other's strengths, working styles, and preferences. That's why I built a workshop around the 16Personalities test. I asked each team member to complete it in advance, and then designed a session where we could explore the results together.

Workshop and the 16Personalities Theory

The 16Personalities test is based on five broad aspects of personality: Mind, Energy, Nature, Tactics, and Identity. Together, these combine into 16 types like "Commander," "Mediator," or "Architect." The test gives a structured way to reflect on yourself and others.

That said, it's important to treat it as a lens, not a label. Personality tests aren't 100% accurate, and the results can depend on how honestly you answer - or how much you answer in the way you'd like to be perceived. In other words: use it as input for reflection and conversation, not a fixed definition of who you are.

With this in mind, I prepared a short introduction for the workshop to set the stage. The goal wasn't to convince anyone of their type, but to spark curiosity and make space for self - reflection.

Putting the Team on a Personality Map

After the introduction, we reviewed a map showing all team members' results. Each person was represented by a colored bubble.

What stood out immediately was the clustering: the team leaned strongly toward the "intuitive" side people who are curious, open-minded, and eager to explore possibilities. The most common roles were Commanders and Mediators, which already hinted at a mix of strategic direction-setting and strong empathy.

Moving into Team Discussions

The heart of the workshop was about conversation. We split into rotating groups of three and discussed a set of topics designed to surface both individual and collective insights.

1. Your Main Strengths

Each person shared their key strength - the quality they feel others can rely on. We first collected a wide range of ideas, then asked everyone to choose the one strength they felt had the biggest impact on the team. This sparked good discussions about overlaps, contrasts, and how certain strengths -like strategic thinking, creativity, or persistence - complement one another.

2. Your Main Weaknesses

We then flipped the question. Everyone reflected on their weaknesses - the habits or traits they want to improve, or that teammates should be aware of. These included things like being overly self-critical, struggling with patience (my personal one), or communicating too bluntly. By acknowledging these openly, we created a shared understanding of where we might need to support or challenge each other.

3. How You Prefer to Communicate and Receive Feedback

Finally, we tackled communication preferences. Our setup is flexible, with no strict office requirements, though most of the team still comes into HQ in Vilnius. This means we rely on both quick in-person chats and clear, asynchronous written communication.

We discussed what each person values most when receiving feedback - whether immediate and direct, or more reflective and detailed. Having this on the table helps prevent misunderstandings and makes feedback more actionable.

One Takeaway from the Workshop

We closed with a simple reflection: What's your one takeaway from today?

For many team members, the best part was having honest, in-depth discussions about their personal strengths and growth areas. For me, as the team manager, it was equally valuable - I got to practice facilitation, learn more about each engineer, and understand how to approach them in a way that fits their personality.

Workshops like this don't provide all the answers, but they open the door to stronger collaboration, empathy, and trust. And that's exactly the foundation I want this new team to be built on.