Cynthia Cleveland on Isabel Myers and Katharine Briggs

“She helped millions of people understand themselves and have better lives.”

CEO/President/Entrepreneur and all-around innovative leader Cynthia Cleveland tells us the story of the remarkable mother-daughter team who created the single most impactful personality test ever designed. Still used world-wide by both major corporations and individuals, The Myers-Briggs instrument makes Jung’s personality types understandable and useful in people’s lives. The idea came from the mother, Katharine Briggs, then the daughter, Isabel Briggs-Myers, built it into a reality… devising a tool that has lasted for decades, helping people understand who they are and how to work together. What type are you???

Storyteller

Cynthia Cleveland

Ms. Cleveland is an expert in developing, translating and monetizing intellectual property rights into major global consumer brands and new businesses across diverse industries. A 5-time CEO-President, Cynthia has led companies ranging from Fortune 500s to private for profit companies to start-ups. Companies Cynthia has led have generated over $4 billion in worldwide sales across consumer product, entertainment, and publishing brands. Her career has spanned well-known companies including Universal Studios, Mattel Toys, Teleflora Gifts and Carnation Foods. She advocates for diversity especially supporting more women in business leadership.

Featured Woman

Katharine Cook Briggs and Isabel Briggs Meyers

Katharine Cook Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs Meyers were the co-creators of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (or MBTI). Their work was based on the conceptual theory proposed by Carl Jung who had speculated that humans experience the world using four principal psychological functions – sensation, intuition, feeling, and thinking – and that one of these four functions is dominant for a person most of the time.