Assessments Today

Just For Fun - Celebrity Voice Overs

If you score well - you listen well.  I don't think so.  If you can figure out who is who, you are knowledgeable.  No again.  OK maybe this isn't related to the use of assessments by coaches or trainers but have fun anyway. Go ahead, test yourself with this fun celebrity voice-over quiz. In this Slate video, ten famous actors anonymously lend their voice talent—guess their identities. If it means anything - which I doubt, I only got the last one.

Assessments have more in common with games than tests.

Image via Wikipedia

Over the years I have learned a lot about myself from both the types of games I enjoy playing AND how I behave when I play games. I like strategy games and have always enjoyed chess. I have difficulty playing a game for fun and easily get very competitive.  If you are experienced with either the MBTI or DISC - then this should share some insights into my own "personality".  Would studying the results from either of these assessments help me more than the questions around these behaviours and interests?  I don't think so.  However, we generally don't ask these types of questions.  Nor do sit usually sit down with a client and play a game with them.

In my previous post, I talked about the dangers of bad design in tests.  Some 'tests" don't pretend to be scientific then I don't have any objections  Many of these are meant to be fun and entertaining.  If they can create some awareness and possibly a change in behaviour - all the better.  Normally I don't include them here on any regular basis but I may refer to them on occasion and I haven't considered"games" in this category.  Earlier this year, The New York Times posted an interactive game on "Gauging Your Distraction".   I liked that they called it a game - it implied fun and not truth.  I must admit, figuring out how the interactive elements made me feel rather dunce.

Here is how they described it:

New studies show that drivers overestimate their ability to multitask behind the wheel. This game measures how your reaction time is affected by external distractions. Regardless of your results, experts say, you should not attempt to text when driving.

They go on to say " as with all games, intense levels of concentration or repetition can lead to more successful outcomes."  I love this because this is true of the kinds of assessments we use in coaching and training engagements.  Tests do have a right and wrong.  They are used by different types of professionals for different purposes.  As a coach, I believe that assessments should only be used in developmental contexts.  Some individuals may have additional education and certifications that they use for different specialties.  These types of tests are for the most part beyond the scope and intention of this blog.

Meanwhile, maybe as coaches we could be even more effective if we were more playful with our clients. (And I certainly do not men "played games" with them!)

The Dangers of Comparing Personality Types to The New World of Work

This summer I read an article in Business Week which asked the question: "Is There a Virtual Worker Personality?"  What a great question I pondered.  The article points out that when Pearn Kandola began studied hundreds of workers at Cisco as well as other employees at global client companies around the world, they discovered the opposite to what they expected to find.

It turns out it's the gregarious types who thrive in virtual work setups, since they connect nonetheless. It's the shy types who feel isolated.

I have no desire to take exception with the study or some of the recommendations - which make sense for any virtual off site employee regardless of personality.  I am concerned about the stereo typing that is bound to occur.  I raised a similar issue in the Spring: The introvert / extrovert perefernce in MBTI and networking  We have to be careful not to draw conclusions or make assumptions. 

Image via Wikipedia

Brad Cope has a rather lengthy and humourous look at this issue in Southwest Airlines' magazine: "I'll Be Switched".  This is in response to whether you should or could try to change your personality for your career advancement.  Apparently if you are into the MBTI, studies from CPP Inc suggest that the ESTJ type is the most coveted in senior management. (i.e. there are more ESTJ's in executive and management positions than any other for the 16 types.)  In Canada I would suggest it might be ISTJ and coming from a research industry maybe even INTJ's.  In Europe I believe that "introverts" are also more valued.  Perhaps this is my own bias as a gregarious introvert myself.

The whole discussion raises the old debate - are you drawn to a career based on your "personality" or are you more successful because of said "personality"?  I am of the view that it is irrelevant.  We need to have variety in all roles to ensure innovation and prevent cloning.  And children need to stop being told that they can't do something because they don't have the right makeup for it. Besides . . . the times they are a changing.

The work place is shifitng in ways that we really can't predict.  We are told that emotional intelligence will be more necessary but if it is true that we will become more virtual and isolated - will we?  I believe so as the old norms of understanding are replaced the skill of reading people and responding based on their perspective will be in greater demand.  As the world of work diversifies and becomes even more global, the cues will become more confusing and complex.  It is not a question of which personality is better suited to these changes.  We are all capable of adjusting as long as we understand our own tendencies and preferences.  Then and only then will we be in a position to identify what we can do that fits with our own integrity and makes up happy and successful in our lives.  For these reasons taking a reputable assessment (be it MBTI, DISC, EQ or a myriad of others) is a great starting point - not a death sentence on our journey.

The Power of Self-Assessment Tools

Here is another great article by my friend and guest author Mary Jo Asmus, President of Aspire Collaborative Services LLC.

The Power of Self-Assessment Tools

There are many assessment tools available for "getting to know yourself". They may be electronic or hand-written. They can provide you with information about your behavior, your personality, your preferences, and many, many other facets of "you".
 
Use Only High Quality Tools
 
Most of the assessments that you find for free on the internet are either "knockoffs" of the real thing or are there for fun. If you are serious about your self development using professional assessments that have had some scientific testing to back them up (always a good thing), I suggest you consult a professional.
 
This advice is not just self interest (since I administer several professional assessments), it is provided to you in your best interest in "you getting to know yourself" using tools that have been thoroughly tested and can be trusted to provide you with the most accurate results possible. Your human resources professional should be able to find consultants and coaches who are qualified to administer high-quality assessments.
 
Now What?
 
Once you complete the questionnaire for your assessment, you will receive a report. Ok, now what? If you are working with a conultant or coach you should expect that they will walk you through your report. If they are qualified to administer the assessment, they have received some training to help you interpret your results properly (another advantage of using a professionally- administered assessment).
 
Once you have received your interpretation, you will want to spend some time with the results, on your own. There may be a workbook that comes with your report - I highly recomment you set aside the time complete it. Even if there is not a workbook, this is your chance to have a great conversation with yourself and ask: 

• What does this information tell me about myself
• What surprised me?
• What do I disagree with?
• What did I already know?
• What am I willing to change?
• What do I want to stay the same?

At this point, a professional coach can assist you in setting goals and creating an action plan.  A coach can also help you figure out how to achieve those goals and hold you accountable for doing so.

Mary Jo Asmus is a credentialed executive coach, speaker, and president of Aspire Collaborative Services, a leadership solutions firm. Her blog, "Intentional Leadership", furthers the dialog of the importance of healthy, sustainable relationships to leadership.

Copyright 2009 From the Aspire Collaborative Services Monthly Newsletter, August 2009. Reprinted with permission.  For an online version of click here.

Online Experiments not based on preferences or styles - for a nice change

In a quick follow-up to another post on "The Implicit Test", here is an excellent article by Sandra Klune for PsychCentral:  Top Ten Online Psychology Experiments. The author has chosen to focus on experiments that are long-term, or if data is no longer collected you can still do the experiment for fun. And they are fun!

The Marketing Clarity Test - How this applies to clarity for clients as well.

Many readers of this blog are independent  professionals and so I thought that I would share a small "test" from someone who I have enjoyed reading over the years:  Robert Middleton's More Clients.  Middleton has some wonderful resources of which quite a few are free at Action Plan Marketing.

While there is no scientific validity to these kinds of checklists, they can be very useful in focusing attention and then action items not only for ourselves but our clients.  Like more rigorous assessments, they present data in an accessible form that can be analyzed and applied.  If you are considering using any assessment I encourage you to ask yourselves how intuitive is it.  Complexity and the need to professional interpretation is not as useful for clients if the administrator is doing the work.  The individual where ever possible should be creating his or her own meaning.   

The problem with using assessments is not in understanding the "results" so much as application and the question: "What does this mean for me, here today, now AND what do I need (if anything) to do with this new knowledge.?"  Most of the time people generally agree with what comes out from the instrument but never take the time to analyze it in a practical manner.  As a coach, this might mean integrating the information from a tool over a number of sessions and drawing connections back to the data.

Meanwhile enjoy this little test:

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The Marketing Clarity Test

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How well do you do on the "Marketing Clarity Test"? Score yourself five points for excellent, four for good, three for fair, two for poor and one for abysmal. Highest possible score is 25.

1. Your service (or product) is so clearly defined that you can explain what it is and the need for it, in one or two sentences, when someone asks you what you do.

2. You can clearly define who your ideal clients are, both demographically and psychographically. You know who they are and how you can reach them.

3. Your marketing messages (such as an Audio Logo, headlines on your web site, titles of articles, names of talks, etc,) all clearly communicate what your service is and who it is for.

4. All of your marketing materials, from your business card to your web site, expand on your marketing message and explain in more detail the benefits and advantages of your services.

5. Through your marketing messages and materials, you make a "call-to-action" or offer that clearly directs a prospect to take an action that will lead them to purchasing your services.

Interpreting your score:

25 - 21 - Excellent - You have clients on a waiting list

20 - 16 - Good - You are attracting good clients consistently

15 - 11 - Fair - Getting clients is somewhat of a struggle

10 - 6 - Poor - You find it very hard to attract clients

1 - 5 - Abysmal - Clients are running away from you

 

How do you score and what are you going to do about it?

The More Clients Bottom Line: To a great degree, your success in attracting clients is correlated to how clearly and consistently you communicate about your business.

How clear are you when communicating about your business?
What do you need to improve? If you dare, list your score. Please share on the More Clients Blog.

http://www.actionplan.blogs.com

 

© 2007 Robert Middleton, All rights reserved. By Robert Middleton of Action Plan Marketing. Please visit Robert's web site at www.actionplan.com for additional marketing articles and resources on marketing for professional service businesses.