Research demonstrates that when managers clearly understand their values, they tend to act more consistently, helping to build trust with others.1 Self-understanding helps you create and select goals that matter to you and that can help you maximize your personal and professional influence and impact. Self-awareness can also help you develop a career path that builds upon your relevant skills and interests. More importantly, results from reliable standardized selfassessments often provide you with the vocabulary necessary to better articulate who you are and identify your focus. Being able to communicate this information will allow people to better assist you with your needs and career development. Self-assessments are not only critical for learning about yourself, but also provide you with a foundation for learning about others and developing yourself as a leader. As Peter Miller, former associate professor at the Southern Cross University Business School in Australia, states: “Self-understanding also provides a sound basis for understanding other people – how could a leader be conscious of another’s need or have empathy with others without first having awareness of their own self?” Understanding what you bring to a team and what your team’s strengths and limitations are, can help you learn to work together more effectively. Knowledge of how you and others on your team prefer to work or communicate can help you anticipate how to best overcome challenges and problems before they even arise.
SELF-ASSESSMENTS
There are many different types of self-assessments available, but here are a few to help you get started:
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
The MBTI is a psychometric questionnaire that was originally developed by Katherine Briggs and Isabel Myers to help make use of C.G. Jung’s theory of psychological types and assist new workers in identifying job “fit” during World War II in terms of comfort and effectiveness. The MBTI is one of the most wellknown self-assessments and personality tests. It is unique because it helps identify inborn predispositions (preferences), while other personality assessments often measure behavioural habits (traits). The MBTI measures four pairs of opposite preferences or dichotomies: Extraversion (E) or Introversion (I); Sensing (S) or Intuition (N); Thinking (T) or Feeling (F); and Judging (J) or Perceiving (P). For each pair of letters, one letter will score higher than the other, indicating your preference. The result is a four-letter type; these four preferences combine into 16 different patterns or types. The MBTI is available for a fee; however, there are other assessments listed in the references (TypeFocus and 16 Personalities) that are available online for free based on the same theory.
Life Styles Inventory (LSI)
The LSI is a paid test that is available as a self and/or 360-degree assessment, incorporating feedback from up to 12 colleagues/peers, managers and/or subordinates. The LSI assesses one’s behaviour, thinking styles, personal effectiveness and satisfaction, both at work and at home. The results are extremely thorough and provide information about known and unrecognized strengths, “blind spots” and potential “stumbling blocks” or areas for development. There is a corresponding Group Styles Inventory that helps measure and assess the particular styles of groups or teams following a real problem-solving session. The results also include research findings about groups with that particular style and suggestions and strategies for increasing or minimizing certain group styles and behaviours.
Personal Values Assessment (PVA)
The PVA provides you with insights about what is most important to you, what motivates you and what values drive your decisionmaking process. It requires you to select 10 words from a list of values and behaviours. The results include self-development exercises and prompts that help you gain a deeper understanding of how your values influence you.
Personal Values Assessment (PVA)
The PVA provides you with insights about what is most important to you, what motivates you and what values drive your decisionmaking process. It requires you to select 10 words from a list of values and behaviours. The results include self-development exercises and prompts that help you gain a deeper understanding of how your values influence you.
MY OWN EXPERIENCE WITH SELF-ASSESSMENTS
One of the most valuable outcomes in doing self-assessments is learning to recognize the impact of different personality types on communication styles and teamwork. An aspect of leadership that I have come to appreciate was the ability to fully engage people who may have different or even opposite preferences and values than their own. For example, consider a meeting with a team composed of mostly people who prefer extraversion and are therefore typically more outgoing and outspoken. What strategies can be taken to engage and incorporate the thoughts of those who have a preference for introversion and who may require more time to reflect upon the presented information?
The other primary insight I gained from self-assessments was learning to anticipate how others may receive information and respond or react to certain situations. This has not only made me more aware of whom I am communicating to, but also how I choose to communicate to others. For instance, while taking the course, Fundamentals of Leadership Effectiveness, there was a discussion about communication of updates to medical laboratory professionals (MLPs). Some individuals preferred weekly updates via email, while others mentioned that they were often busy because of the large workload and did not have time to check their emails on a regular and timely basis. Some preferred hearing about updates at laboratory meetings, while other MLPs mentioned their frustration with the lack of communication about these updates if they were working during off shifts. Team assessments can help laboratories address some of these potential communication issues by ensuring that communicated information is well-received and is tailored in a way that suits the preferences of those in your laboratory.
SELF-REFLECTION
While self-discovery and self-awareness are often interesting and helpful to learn, much of their value comes from putting this information in context through self-reflection. Reflective learning is a grounded theory based on an individual’s capacity to reflect upon their words, tone, body language and actions and, in doing so, to undergo a learning process. One strategy to help with this task is to engage in double-loop learning, which involves questioning your underlying values, assumptions and beliefs in order to understand why we do what we do. The path to genuine self-discovery and self-assessment depends on one’s ability to be open and honest with yourself and things that could be limiting you. Results from standardized self-assessments should be used as a stepping stone or tool to help you start a plan to develop yourself, both personally and professionally, and to help you reflect upon your career and yourself.
REFERENCES
1 Miller, P. (2012). Self-reflection: the key to effective leadership. Today’s Manager, 2011 Dec/2012 Jan.
16 Personalities. NERIS Analytics Limited. 2018. Accessed at www.16personalities.com
Official Myers Briggs Test. CPP. 2016. Accessed at
www.mbtionline.com/?utm_source=MBF&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=online
Personal Values Assessment (PVA). Barrett Values Centre. Accessed at
www.valuescentre.com/our-products/products-individuals/personalvalues-assessment-pva
Life Styles Inventory. Human Synergistics International. 2017. Accessed at www.humansynergistics.com/change-solutions/change-solutionsfor-individuals/assessments-for-individuals/life-styles-inventory
TypeFocus. Typefocus. 2018. Accessed at https://v6.typefocus.com/