McCormick Institute for Early Childhood

BY Marleen Barrett | March 7, 2023

This document may be printed, photocopied, and disseminated freely with attribution. All content is the property of the McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership.

Early childhood leaders are in the “people business.” Our profession is unique because we work with people of all ages. Engaging effectively with people who exhibit a variety of differences can be messy and challenging. Differences in perspectives, feelings, beliefs, and communication styles are just a few of the differences we manage every day. Despite the messiness of working with people, it can also be rewarding to come alongside them, get to know them, and learn to value the individual uniqueness that makes up the diversity of the people you work with. Working well with a variety of people is a leadership skill that can be learned and improved upon. As with other leadership skills, we can improve through experience, reflection, and practice.


Where to Start


Understanding yourself is key to working well with others. One way to understand yourself is to look at your own personality and behavioral preferences. Research has been conducted for many years on this topic, and it has resulted in a variety of tools developed to assist in knowing and understanding our individual preferences. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)®, DiSC, and the Enneagram are a few tools used to help us understand ourselves and others. These tools have been widely used in business and organizations to help individuals understand their preferences and the preferences of those they work with. The McCormick Center has utilized the MBTI for many years with its employees. It allows us to have a greater understanding of our colleagues as well as ourselves.


In the past, I have used the assessments and had co-workers and family members complete them so we could reflect on them together to understand our unique personalities and differences. I utilized both the MBTI and DiSC assessments, as mentioned above. I found them insightful and helpful. I especially liked the tools from DiSC about how to effectively communicate and relate to each of the behaviors.


Over the past several years, those tools have been on my “back shelf,” and I have not been applying what I learned from them with the same amount of enthusiasm I once did. With the start of a new calendar year, I have committed to reviewing, reflecting, and incorporating the information in my work and personal relationships in 2023.


If you have yet to utilize any personality assessments, or it has been some time since you last completed one, consider doing one now. If you have access to any you previously completed, consider comparing the results and reflecting on any changes you might be noticing.


Resources and a Bit of History


Carl Jung was a Swiss-born psychiatrist whose research in the 1800s centered on the concept that human behavior was not random but was predictable and classifiable. His research was incorporated into the work of two women, Katharine Briggs and her daughter, Isabel Briggs Myers, who developed the MBTI.1 This link, Jung Typology, is a shortened version of the more complex MBTI and is a free resource. After completing all the questions, click on the “self-awareness and personal growth” box to read your profile and download the results.


Another resource is this article which ranks, from one person’s view, the “23 Best Personality Tests.” I knew there were several personality assessments out there, but I was surprised by the number mentioned in the article. However, I would also mention that the term “test,” which the author uses, is not what many of the researchers or product owners prefer to call them. I was a trained facilitator for the DiSC profile, and the instructions on the cover of the Personal Profile System read, “The Personal Profile System is not a test. You cannot pass or fail….” Assessment is a more accurate term, as there are no right or wrong answers to the questions asked in the tools. When we hear the word “test,” we tend to think there is only one correct answer. The article includes both paid and free assessments in case you want to explore more than just the Jung Typology.


There are many books available for a more in-depth look at personality styles. Here are three which I have found helpful:


Type Talk by Otto Kroeger and Janet M. Thuesen

The Enneagram Made Easy by Elizabeth Wagele and Renee Baron

Wired That Way by Marita Littauer


Importance to Leadership


At the McCormick Center, our mission is to support early childhood administrators of center and home-based programs to improve skills that will increase their effectiveness as leaders. In our leadership academies, we deliver training sessions specific to the topic of appreciating individual differences. Research has shown that those who focused on understanding themselves and those they worked with enjoyed improvements in their communications skills, relationships, and team-building efforts.1


Knowing your personality style and preferences will help you better understand yourself and your behavioral tendencies. You may also see these types of benefits as well:


  • Understanding the differences between yourself and others
  • Learning to appreciate and value the differences in people
  • Increased collaboration with colleagues
  • Improved relationships with friends and family members


Program leaders could consider adding an activity about understanding others to an upcoming staff meeting. For example, each staff member could complete the Jung Typology prior to the meeting and then debrief during the staff meeting. Staff may come away with a greater understanding of their colleagues.

I encourage you to join me in 2023 to discover your personality style and incorporate the knowledge gained to increase your appreciation of others and their differences.



1 Kroeger, O. and Thuesen, J. (1988). Type Talk. New York, New York: Dell Publishing.

Marleen Barrett, M.S., serves as Leadership Training Specialist for the McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership at National Louis University (NLU), where she delivers, develops, and coordinates training materials for the McCormick Center Leadership Academies. She serves as a coach for academy participants. She holds a master’s degree in training and development from Loyola University. Prior to working at NLU, she was the Director of Leadership Development for the American Farm Bureau Federation, where she conducted training programs on strategic planning, organizational skills, and team building throughout the United States.

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The AI-Enabled Administrator: Reclaim Valuable Time

By Dr. Neal Green • February 8, 2026
Tools: Gemini Gems, NotebookLM, Perplexity Spaces Overview The evidence is clear that early childhood professionals' most significant challenge is a lack of time. Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, when used strategically, can give administrators some of the time they desperately need, allowing them to focus more on their staff and the children and families in their care. This approach aligns with the foundational goal of strengthening leadership effectiveness and program impact (Abel, Talan, & Masterson, 2023). When I scan the AI landscape of available products and platforms, it becomes overwhelming. There are so many options that it is impossible to keep up with every new development. Focusing on a limited number of AI tools backed by organizations with strong infrastructure and fiscal stability is a wise place to start your AI journey. McCormick Institute for Early Childhood’s (MIEC’s) upcoming professional development sessions will focus on three AI tools. These include Gemini Gems, NotebookLM, and Perplexity Spaces. Think of Gemini Gems as your customized AI assistant that you "train" to follow your rules and meet your goals. Gemini Gems are the right tool to tackle Internal Operations . NotebookLM is perfect for creating Family Support resources that stick. NotebookLM is a powerful AI tool that uses only the documents or other resources you add to generate specific, focused output. Perplexity Spaces is a fantastic choice to address Marketing demands. Like many AI tools, you can toggle back and forth between open web searches and focused documents that are specific to your work. Gemini Gems: The “Specialist Teammate” Gemini Gems allow you to create templates you can use repeatedly for agendas, HR policies, and more. If you have used AI in the past, you know that writing an effective prompt takes time, and they can easily get "lost" if you use AI often. Gems removes that challenge and lets you save your most effective prompts without having to rewrite them every time you use Gemini. It is up to you to decide if you want to create several smaller Gems to tackle common challenges you face or create larger Gems that encompass large swaths of your work. For our purposes, we will focus our Gem work on Internal Operations, addressing Program Administration Scale (PAS) Item 9: Internal Communications (Talan & Bloom, 2011). Imagine using a Gem to turn messy staff meeting notes into professional minutes with clear action plans in minutes or less! NotebookLM: The "Walled Garden" NotebookLM is an excellent tool for Family Support for your center, addressing PAS Item 17: Family Support and Involvement (Talan & Bloom, 2011). After uploading documents and resources, such as your parent handbook or community referral lists, to your Notebook, you can create several resources that parents/guardians of your center students will love. Just a few of the impressive features available with NotebookLM include audio (podcast) summaries, video summaries, and reporting functions with templates or the option to create your own report with metrics that matter most to you. Perplexity Spaces: The "Research Librarian" Perplexity Spaces is a perfect AI partner for Marketing your early childhood education (ECE) program, addressing PAS Item 18: External Communications (Talan & Bloom, 2011). You can build your own centralized repository, with control over branding to ensure consistency and present a professional, current image. Adding specific instructions to your space eliminates the need to format documents constantly and saves valuable time. The consistency that a Perplexity Space offers in this regard allows you to upload messages that are the "voice” of your brand. Your marketing efforts are not only more aesthetically pleasing but also enable you to track trends at similar centers in your area, helping you assess the competition. Strategies for Success: Audit your Internal Communications: Identify one repetitive task, such as creating staff meeting agendas (PAS Item 9), and automate it with a Gemini Gem. Curate your Family Resources: Gather three to five existing documents to "feed" a NotebookLM project for more responsive family support (PAS Item 17). Standardize your Brand: Use a Perplexity Space to ensure all public relations tools project a consistent, professional image (PAS Item 18). Reflection Questions: Which administrative task takes the most time away from your interactions with staff and families? How might centralizing marketing materials (branding) impact the professional image to prospective families? Table 1: AI Tools for ECE Professionals
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