Image via Wikipedia

Assessments by their very nature look at just one aspect of a human being. Even those that are broad based like those that measure emotional intelligence do not take into account values, motives, instincts.  Nor should they.  However, we don't coach parts of individuals; we coach the individual in his or her totality.

Embracing the Whole: The art of creating meaning with assessments.

This is the title of the article published by choice Magazine. You can read the full pdf on my blog by clicking here.  The title is not the one I originally submitted, but I do like it.  I like it because it focuses on the very thing I think we forget – that we are a complete entity as human beings but we are also a part of a greater system.  While each assessment may not be totally holistic, we as coaches must by both systemic and constantly looking at the bigger picture.

In the article I talk about three kinds of responses and experiences that clients will obtain from an assessment.  Each one takes greater competence from the coach.  Still the last one – wisdom is not guaranteed:

• Learning
• Understanding
• Wisdom

I hope you read and enjoy the article and I would appreciate your feedback.

I very pleased to announce that choice Magazine is now in circulation and this month's theme is on assessments.  Publisher Garry Schleifer asked me to submit an article and it was selected.  

"The assessment package is the coach’s palette and, in skilled hands, the beginning of the magic and mastery of coaching."  

Margie S.Heiler, MS, MCC, CEC

Quote from another colleague's article. You are welcome to read my full article below and I hope you enjoy it.

You can’t.  The best that you can do is be ever diligent of what is operating under the surface.  It might be a geographical cultural difference, language, organizational norms that are at play.  Differences are everywhere and are a piece of the puzzle.  Curiosity and an acceptance that cultural biases of your own and of others may be at play will help you through the quick sand.

Some tips:

·       Make a request of the person to share what his or her experience is

·       Validate each experience – if one person has it, others will too

·       Ask this person if they think any cultural issues are at play an to explain

·       Clarify even the simplest of terms in words that the other person can paraphrase

·       Accept everything and anything that they say – it is their reality

·       Be curious about how this might be a reflection of yourself

As crazy as it may sound, I don’t recommend “picking” any assessment for your client.  If you don’t know by now my mantra”  “Assessments are only tools, not the truth”; then you haven’t been a subscriber for long. There is one and only one question to begin: “What is your purpose of doing an assessment in the first place?”

In training – where I find the use of straight forward assessments the most suitable, their application should always be in service of a specific learning objective.  I often use it in understanding various styles – particularly communications. This can often be a great energizing opening activity for team building and / or relationship building.

I do think that some coaches can find using a simple and broadly generic assessment like the Platinum Rule, MBTI or DISC to set the stage and create a common neutral language.  While I am very pleased to help them use the tool the Platinum Rule, I see it only as a starting point of general information that might be useful in identifying behavioral tendencies for the coaching plan.

As for “picking” an instrument for an organization to use is not often required either.  Often the organization has a “favorite” or one that they have used in the past. There is no need to reinvent the wheel or confuse people with another set of jargon.  Go with what they know as long as it hasn’t been:

• Misused so that no one has any confidence in the tool (in which case the mistrust may be too great to introduce any new assessment)
• Watered down to have no meaning anymore – it is seen as something for “fun”
• Used for reasons beyond the tool’s scope – such as job placement

If you aren’t familiar with the tool that an organization uses or wants to use – read up on it.  If it requires certification – get a colleague involved.  If they do ask for your opinion, be sure to get a lot more information as to the outcomes that they expect to achieve and the investment in money and time they are prepared to provide. 

Finally, always go with something that resonates for you but don’t assume everyone will be as enamored.  At least 30% of people do not like assessments so why go try to swim upstream? Please contact me if you need any assistance in helping determine if an assessment really makes sense and where to look for the right one.

In any endeavor, it seems to me that setting the stage is
critical for success.  It lays the ground work of for clarify
expectations. 

A colleague and reader of my ezine put it this way in a
recent correspondence regarding how to approach the issue within a client
system:

I provide an overview of the types of
assessments, a discussion of some of them, some comments about how to determine
validity and value, the importance of how to know if an assessment is for you
in terms of resonance and common recognition within corporations, etc.

Perfect. The same holds true with the individual.  I
always like to ask in a light fashion what that person’s feelings are about
assessments.  From there I know how and if I want to proceed. In my
experience I find one third love them, one third hate them and one third
couldn’t care less.

I usually continue in a similar vein by asking what
assessments they have taken.  Reading the facial expressions quickly, I
may follow-up with:  "Are you familiar with the MBTI or DISC; they
are the most common assessments out there?"  My intention is to find
out more about attitudes AND what they may or may not remember. (How they
respond often tells me a lot about their own styles than what the results ever
could.)  Next, if they like assessments, I want to know what that data
meant to them and how they may have used it personally or professionally.
If they don’t like them, I want to listen more to find out why. At this
stage I have usually decided not to recommend any instrument.  I am sincerely
curious and often agree with why they dislike these sorts of tools.  My
advice? Never get into defending.  Once in awhile, if I have a good
relationship, I may ask if they would "do me a favor" and complete a
specific assessment that I think might be interesting. I am clear to
explain the purpose, benefits and my rational.  I don’t push it.

For those who are more neutral, it is easy to fall into the
trap of "selling".  Discuss what the client wants to achieve and
the various routes to get there. Remember, an assessment is one route and while
we may think it is the most direct, sometimes a more scenic route can be more
valuable.