The good news about self-assessment tools like Hogan, DISC, Calipers, the Big Five, and MBTI, among many others, is that they provide an important lens into how we orient ourselves to the world.
100% agree. Although, a little piece of me dies each time I see Hogan or Big 5 next to MBTI, DISC, you name it. They're not cut from the same cloth. Big 5 personality assessments (Hogan's HPI is Big 5) were designed to predict leader effectiveness and career success. Unfortunately, as today's post indicates, most people like taking assessments that 'define' them instead of using them as a diagnostic to develop strategic self-awareness. Personality drives leadership - who you are determines how you lead. Knowing who you are is important. If you don't' know who you are or where you're going, any road will get you there. But it's just the first step. It's the second step that most people fail to take which makes all the difference in whether or not you will become an effective leader.
Another way to look at self assessments is to understand how they can inform the nature of your relationships with others. For example, if I understand I am a big picture person then I should be looking to work with a detail-oriented person. It's great to understand your own characteristics but inform yourself on how to identify what makes up the people around you. I would also include Values into this mix.
I agree. In my experienced these assessments are useful in that they demonstrate that there are different ways of being, and that it's OK to have different ways of working. I've used DiSC assessments to kick start team talks and leadership courses, and the results are a real eye opener for people that haven't been that self-reflective in the past.
My caveat is that although DiSC and similar tools are useful at a high level to generate discussion, delving too deeply into the detail is not a good use of time. It's important to stress that the different behavioral styles are preferences, and that we all have little bits of all of them. When to dial a behavioral style up or down and understanding what that means in terms of behavior is the key.
These tools are just that, tools and taking them as prescriptive rather than descriptive can be harmful. Way better to use assessment results as a jumping off point for discussion.
100% agree. Although, a little piece of me dies each time I see Hogan or Big 5 next to MBTI, DISC, you name it. They're not cut from the same cloth. Big 5 personality assessments (Hogan's HPI is Big 5) were designed to predict leader effectiveness and career success. Unfortunately, as today's post indicates, most people like taking assessments that 'define' them instead of using them as a diagnostic to develop strategic self-awareness. Personality drives leadership - who you are determines how you lead. Knowing who you are is important. If you don't' know who you are or where you're going, any road will get you there. But it's just the first step. It's the second step that most people fail to take which makes all the difference in whether or not you will become an effective leader.
Always appreciate your insight, David. Thank you.
Another way to look at self assessments is to understand how they can inform the nature of your relationships with others. For example, if I understand I am a big picture person then I should be looking to work with a detail-oriented person. It's great to understand your own characteristics but inform yourself on how to identify what makes up the people around you. I would also include Values into this mix.
I agree. In my experienced these assessments are useful in that they demonstrate that there are different ways of being, and that it's OK to have different ways of working. I've used DiSC assessments to kick start team talks and leadership courses, and the results are a real eye opener for people that haven't been that self-reflective in the past.
My caveat is that although DiSC and similar tools are useful at a high level to generate discussion, delving too deeply into the detail is not a good use of time. It's important to stress that the different behavioral styles are preferences, and that we all have little bits of all of them. When to dial a behavioral style up or down and understanding what that means in terms of behavior is the key.
These tools are just that, tools and taking them as prescriptive rather than descriptive can be harmful. Way better to use assessment results as a jumping off point for discussion.