Hampton University
The Marching Force
Pre-Drill Camp 2026 · Leadership Seminars · Day 1

Know Yourself
First

"Self-Awareness as the Starting Point of Leadership"
Dr. Thomas L. Jones, Jr.Director of University Bands · Saturday, August 1, 2026
The Hampton University Marching Force
Hampton's Heartbeat
Know Yourself First
The Hampton University Marching Force

Icebreaker

We all wear a different face for a different room. This seminar is about knowing the one underneath.
▶
Key and Peele — “Phone Call”
Key and Peele
youtu.be/qXH5CD3O7Oc
Watch · 0:48
Pre-Drill Camp 2026 · Leadership Seminars
02
The Premise
01
You cannot lead people you do not understand—and that begins with understanding yourself. Before you can read your section, you have to read your own wiring: your defaults, your strengths, and your blind spots. Self-awareness is not soft. It is the first skill of a leader.
Lead yourself first.
Know Yourself First
The Hampton University Marching Force

Why Self-Awareness Comes First

Your section reads you before they ever follow you.
  • Your people react to how you show up—your tone, your defaults, your moods—long before they hear your words.
  • A blind spot you cannot see becomes your section's problem to manage.
  • Know your own wiring and you lead on purpose, not by accident or by mood.
  • You can only adapt to the people you have once you know your own starting point.
Your move here: put language to how you are built—then use it to lead better, not to excuse yourself.
Pre-Drill Camp 2026 · Leadership Seminars
04
Know Yourself First
The Hampton University Marching Force

The Tool: Personality Type

The Myers-Briggs framework—a mirror, not a verdict.
  • It sorts your preferences across four dichotomies into one of 16 types—a shorthand for how you naturally operate.
  • We will use the free test at 16Personalities—quick, plain-language, and easy to discuss as a group.
  • No type is better than another. Every type has leadership strengths and blind spots.
  • Treat your result as a starting point for the conversation—a mirror to look into, never a box to hide in.
Sources: Jung, Psychological Types (1921); Myers and Myers, Gifts Differing (1980); Myers, McCaulley, Quenk, and Hammer, MBTI Manual, 3rd ed. (1998); NERIS Analytics, 16Personalities (2011–present).
Pre-Drill Camp 2026 · Leadership Seminars
05
Know Yourself First
The Hampton University Marching Force

The Four Preferences

Your type is four letters—one from each pair.
EExtraversion
Mind
Where you draw your energy
IntroversionI
SSensing
Information
What you notice and trust
IntuitionN
TThinking
Decisions
How you weigh a call
FeelingF
JJudging
Structure
How you approach the work
PerceivingP
A fifth letter: 16Personalities adds an Identity axis—Assertive (-A) or Turbulent (-T)—how steady versus self-questioning you tend to be under pressure.
Pre-Drill Camp 2026 · Leadership Seminars
06
Know Yourself First
The Hampton University Marching Force

Take the Test—Right Now

Ten honest minutes. Bring your four letters back to the room.
On your phone, go to
16personalities.com
Free · no account needed · about 10–12 minutes
1

Answer honestly

Respond as you really are, not as the leader you think you should be.

2

Get your type

You will land on a four-letter type plus an identity letter—for example, ENFJ-A.

3

Hold it

Write it down. We will read the results together and talk them through.

Pre-Drill Camp 2026 · Leadership Seminars
07
Know Yourself First
The Hampton University Marching Force

The 16 Types

Four families, grouped by what drives each one.
AnalystsIntuitive · Thinking
INTJArchitect
strategic, independent, long-view
INTPLogician
analytical, curious, idea-driven
ENTJCommander
decisive, driven, take-charge
ENTPDebater
quick, inventive, loves a challenge
DiplomatsIntuitive · Feeling
INFJAdvocate
principled, insightful, purpose-led
INFPMediator
idealistic, empathetic, values-first
ENFJProtagonist
inspiring, people-first, rallies others
ENFPCampaigner
enthusiastic, creative, connective
SentinelsObservant · Judging
ISTJLogistician
dependable, thorough, by the standard
ISFJDefender
loyal, supportive, protective
ESTJExecutive
organized, direct, runs the show
ESFJConsul
caring, social, the team's glue
ExplorersObservant · Prospecting
ISTPVirtuoso
practical, hands-on, cool under pressure
ISFPAdventurer
flexible, artistic, leads by example
ESTPEntrepreneur
bold, energetic, acts fast
ESFPEntertainer
spontaneous, warm, brings the energy
Find yours. We will go around the room—name your type and whether it feels true.
Pre-Drill Camp 2026 · Leadership Seminars
08
Know Yourself First
The Hampton University Marching Force

What Your Family Brings

Every family leads—each with a strength and a watch-out.
NT

Analysts — the Strategists

Strength: vision and systems. Watch-out: can run past people's feelings. Slow down and bring the section with you.

NF

Diplomats — the Motivators

Strength: inspiration and empathy. Watch-out: can avoid hard calls. Hold the standard even when it is uncomfortable.

SJ

Sentinels — the Anchors

Strength: reliability and order. Watch-out: can resist change. Stay open when the plan has to flex.

SP

Explorers — the Sparkplugs

Strength: energy and adaptability. Watch-out: can skip the details. Finish the follow-through, not just the start.

Pre-Drill Camp 2026 · Leadership Seminars
09
Know Yourself First
The Hampton University Marching Force

Lead Yourself, Then Flex

Know your default—then meet your people where they are.
  • If you lead by Thinking (T), remember a Feeling (F) member needs the why and the care, not just the logic.
  • If you run Judging (J) and structured, give a Perceiving (P) member room to get there their own way.
  • If you are Extraverted (E), make space for the Introverted (I) members who lead quietly and think before they speak.
  • Your job is not to change your type—it is to stretch past it for the good of the section.
Pre-Drill Camp 2026 · Leadership Seminars
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Know Yourself First
The Hampton University Marching Force

Open Discussion

Now that you have your four letters—let's talk.
  • What is your type, and does it feel true? Where is it off?
  • Where does your type show up in how you lead your section—for better and for worse?
  • Name one blind spot your type warns you about. How will you cover it?
  • Who on your line is your opposite—and how will you adjust to lead them well?
Pre-Drill Camp 2026 · Leadership Seminars
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A Word of Caution
02
Your type is a mirror, not a box—and never an excuse. "That's just my personality" is not a reason to skip the standard or dodge the hard conversation. People are more than four letters, and they grow. Use what you learn here to understand yourself and your people—then lead them all to the same bar.
A mirror, not a box.
Your Charge
Know Yourself.
Then Lead.
You cannot give your section what you have not found in yourself first. Know your wiring, own your blind spots, and stretch past your defaults—so you can lead every type of person on your line to the standard.
Serve First. Lead Always. — Drive the Legacy.
The Hampton University Marching Force
Hampton's Heartbeat