Adam RicoYou’ve probably heard of or have taken the Myers-Briggs or DISC or some other personality instrument out there.
However, sometimes it can feel like personality assessments raise more questions than provide answers.
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Which is the best one to take? Is it going to say I have the worst personality you can have? How in the world will this help me get a better job? Don’t circumstances dictate how I behave sometimes?
In 2005 I was really struggling with not enjoying my job (actually I was struggling prior to that but I didn’t take any action until 2005) so I quit. I went to see a career coach and one of the things she had me do was take the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI).
The results showed my type as INFJ and after a lot of thought and self-observation I determined the INFJ type fit me exactly.
Taking the MBTI was the cornerstone I needed to begin to figure out who I was, my strengths, my weaknesses and how I could apply those in a work setting.
Now I provide all my clients with a personality assessment depending on their needs. It may be the MBTI, DISC, or Strengthsfinder 2.0. Sometimes all three.
If you’re struggling to figure out the kind of work you’ll love I really recommend starting with a personality assessment.
Even if you’re not struggling with your work I highly recommend taking a personality assessment.
Here are five reasons you should take a personality assessment:
1. It will increase your self-awareness. Self-awareness is the key to unlocking the type of work that fits you best. In addition, self-awareness allows you to be able to more effectively communicate with and influence others. Those who lead truly successful lives, and not just at work, are highly self-aware. They’ve taken the time to figure out exactly who they are and how to leverage their design in all aspects of their lives.
2. It will help you know your strengths. We live in a culture that promotes improving things you’re not very good at. Don’t believe me? Ask any elementary school student what gets pointed out on their papers? Their mistakes or their correct answers? Yet, we are all good at something or many things. If we know what those things are we can put our energy and time into being exceptional in those areas instead of being mediocre in an area we struggle with.
3. It will help you know your weaknesses. We all have blind spots. No matter how you slice it, we just aren’t good at everything and we aren’t always objective in judging our own actions. When you know your weaknesses you can avoid situations, jobs, and relationships that prevent you from using the very best parts of you. Then you can find others who excel in the area of your weaknesses to help you out.
4. It will help you create a filter to find the right type of work for you. Knowing your personality helps you edit and filter the infinite number of opportunities and paths you can choose in your work. Although we may not be able to be anything we want to be we can be more of who we already are. Having the results of a personality assessment is like having a compass. It doesn’t tell you where to go but you can use it to make sure you’re heading in the right direction.
5. You will be better able to read other people. The first step is to understand yourself. The next step is to understand others. When you begin to understand how other personality types operate you can communicate more effectively with them, predict their typical behavior, and understand why they do that thing that drives you crazy (hint: it’s not personal).
Although a personality assessment can’t explain everything you’d want to know about yourself it can explain a lot. The path to enjoying your work begins with understanding who you are. A personality assessment is a great tool to help you do just that.
Question: What other benefits do you think a personality assessment might provide?
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