Two Approaches to Understanding People
When individuals and organizations seek self-knowledge and team insights, they often find both the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and the Core Values Index (CVI). Both assessments offer valuable perspectives on human nature, but they take fundamentally different approaches—and understanding these differences can help you choose the right tool for your needs.
Myers-Briggs has been widely used since its development and offers a framework of 16 personality types based on four dimensions. The Core Values Index takes a different approach, focusing on just four core values that combine in unique proportions within each person.
The Power of Simplicity: Four Core Values
One of the most distinctive features of the CVI is its elegant simplicity. Rather than sorting people into one of 16 categories, the CVI recognizes that everyone possesses all four core values—Builder, Merchant, Innovator, and Banker—in different proportions unique to them.
This approach offers several advantages:
- Easier to understand and remember – Four values are simpler to grasp than 16 types or complex letter combinations
- More nuanced individual profiles – Your specific combination of the four values creates a unique fingerprint, not a category you share with millions of others
- Immediately actionable – Understanding your primary and secondary values gives you clear direction for career decisions and team dynamics
- Quick to complete – The CVI takes just 8-10 minutes, making it practical for busy professionals
What the CVI Measures: Your Unchanging Nature
The Core Values Index is the only assessment that characterizes the unchanging nature of a person. Abraham Maslow called this inner self the “unchanging real self.” It contains your natural ways of thinking, feeling, making decisions, and connecting with others.
Maslow proposed that this inner nature stays the same from childhood until death. His key insight was that this real you determines where you fit best in the world.
At Taylor Protocols, multiple test/retest studies have shown 97.7% repeat reliability for the CVI. This extraordinary consistency can only be achieved when measuring something that is genuinely stable over time—your core values.
The Four Core Values Explained
Builder
Core Energy: Power catalyzed by Faith
Builders are driven to take action and create tangible results. They think in terms of “What needs to be done?” and move decisively to make things happen.
Merchant
Core Energy: Love catalyzed by Truth
Merchants excel at building relationships and inspiring others. They create environments where everyone can thrive and connect.
Innovator
Core Energy: Wisdom catalyzed by Compassion
Innovators see patterns others miss and solve complex problems. They never give up until they find the right solution.
Banker
Core Energy: Knowledge catalyzed by Justice
Bankers value accuracy, data, and systematic approaches. They ensure quality and maintain the standards that keep organizations running smoothly.
Proportional Measurement vs. Categories
Another key difference is how results are expressed. Myers-Briggs places you into one of 16 distinct types—you’re either an INTJ or you’re not. The CVI measures the proportion of each core value within you, recognizing that we all contain all four values.
For example, you might be 28 Builder, 24 Merchant, 14 Innovator, and 12 Banker. This proportional approach captures the nuance of human nature better than binary categories. Two people who are both “high Builder” might have very different secondary values, leading to very different contribution styles.
The combination of who you are (your unchanging inner self) and what you are (your personality, skills, and talents) determines where you will find work that is fully engaging and fulfilling—work that puts you in the flow.
Developed in the Real World
Lynn Taylor developed the CVI by applying principles from his work building speech recognition software—where precision and accuracy are essential. This engineering approach provides measurement consistency that ensures reliable, repeatable results.
The Core Values Index was developed through real business turnaround projects, validated against actual workplace performance across hundreds of companies and thousands of positions. This real-world foundation means the insights translate directly into practical applications for hiring, team building, and personal development.
Using Both Assessments
It’s worth noting that these assessments aren’t mutually exclusive. Many organizations and individuals find value in both. Myers-Briggs can provide insights into communication preferences and information processing styles, while the CVI reveals your core motivational drivers and contribution style.
However, for decisions that require consistency over time—like hiring for long-term fit, career direction, or understanding your fundamental nature—an assessment that measures stable, unchanging qualities provides a more reliable foundation.
What you don’t know about yourself controls your life. If you don’t know who you are at the deepest level, you cannot fully understand how you operate, what motivates you, what work engages you, or what your highest contribution should be.
The Right Tool for the Right Purpose
Both the Core Values Index and Myers-Briggs have helped millions of people gain self-knowledge. The right choice depends on what you’re trying to accomplish.
If you want a quick, simple framework that reveals your core motivational drivers and remains consistent over your lifetime, the CVI offers a focused approach. Its four-value system is easy to understand, remember, and apply—whether you’re making career decisions, building a team, or simply seeking to understand yourself better.
Thousands of people who have taken the CVI assessment found it provides the best picture of the real me. That clarity and consistency makes this assessment a powerful foundation for individual and organizational development.
Discover Your Core Values
Experience an assessment designed to reveal your unchanging core nature. In just 8-10 minutes, the CVI provides insights that will remain true throughout your lifetime.