The BBC Science and Nature Homepage has a wonderful selection of tests. I have mentioned a few of them before. The latest one that I have tried out is The Senses Challenge.
While they are not about personality , I suppose that it is a reflection on my personality that I like them so much. If you do too – enjoy.
Well I hope that is what I have created with my Assess Yourself Now Portal. You can now connect through a Community Network, FaceBook Page and / or Blog. Membership in the community is free. If you are a trainer, coach, consultant or HR professional, I encourage you to register and join.. There is no charge for joining and you will have access to more resources. Up until the end of July you can enjoy extra resources as a Charter Member – then you will revert back to the Community Network.
Register no obligation at: www.AssessmentsHere.com
I love it when I get to take an assessment – any kind but especially those that are fun. Thanks to Patsi Krakoff I discovered Sally Hogshead's website where you to answer 28 quickie questions and
get back instant results on your fascination score (or F
Score as she calls it) and how to use it in your marketing. Hogshead has written a whole book "Fascinate" on the subject that apparently is based on her national research. Her premise is that there are 7 triggers and we use to influence and captivate. Of course, we have our favourites and once we know them – we can leverage them to our advantage.
While I find the concept interesting I did not completely agree with my own results. I simply do not believe that Vice is my primary trigger. I think this was time sensitive or my frame of reference was off when I completed it. "Mystique" is definitely up there but "trust" last. Yuck. If you know me – tell me what you think.
MEET My TRIGGERSYour primary fascination is VICE. (Nicely done,
you.) Even without realizing it, you’re already instinctively applying
this trigger when trying to persuade others. Your secondary trigger is MYSTIQUE,
and your dormant trigger (the one you’re least likely to
apply in your personality and behavior) is TRUST.
That said, this seems has a new and fun way of looking at some of these issues from a branding perspective. Check out the overview of these triggers in the presentation below.
Image by Getty Images via Daylife
If you have read any of my articles (here or in other publications), you will know that I am not a advocate of the use of employment tests by coaches and trainers. Personally, I don't think that is our area of experts; nor should it be. Consequently I don't write about them here. However, I do reorganize that there may be a place of this kind of testing and since I get asked questions about hem, I do occasionally refer to this category of assessments. And if I come across an article that I find enlightening and worthwhile I like to share it. Below is one such article. It is short. It is simple. It is good. I want to thank Shawn, the author , for allowing me to post it here.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By Shawn Bakker
Using assessments to evaluate job candidates is very different from using assessments for developmental purposes. Avoiding the following common mistakes will help
you get the greatest benefit from pre-employment testing.
Mistake
1 – Using the wrong assessments
There are
assessments designed for selection, assessments designed for
development, and some assessments that can be used in both arenas. When
evaluating your assessment options, make sure the tool has been
validated for selection.
Mistake 2 – Choosing
an assessment before carefully analyzing the job
To choose
an assessment that will be useful for evaluating candidates you need to
know what is important to measure. If you are considering a
pre-employment assessment, start by carefully analyzing the job. When
you have determined what an employee needs in order to be successful you
can then look for assessments that measure those needs.
Mistake
3 – Making hiring decisions based on what seems good,
rather than what is needed.
There can be a significant
difference between what you like and what is needed to do a job
effectively. It is the later that you need to focus on if you are to use
assessments effectively. While a sociable candidate might seem more
attractive, he/she might struggle with a job that does not involve
interpersonal contact. In a similar vein, someone with a high level of
flexibility might sound great, but if their job involves a lot of
standard procedures that must be followed he/she will be less effective.
Mistake
4 – Exclusively relying on assessments
Assessments
can provide useful information about a job candidate’s skills and
potential. However, they are only one source of information and should
be used in conjunction with other evaluation techniques including
interviews, reference checks, and work samples.
Reprinted with permission.
Psychometrics Canada provides assessment tools and consulting for the selection
and development of people. They are the Canadian distributor/trainer of Myers-Briggs
Tool. Follow them on Twitter – @PsychometricsCA
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I recently "trashed" learning style assessments on Twitter and now I am feeling a little bit badly about it. Don't get me wrong, I am still of the opinion that in most instances the use of learning style inventories are more beneficial to the "teacher" than the actual "learner". In a previous post from 2007, I discuss my concerns and refer to another harsher critic than myself.
@LeaderTalk put up an interesting post yesterday: Teams and Learning Styles. Becky is using Kolb's learning styles and the inventory with her students. Now don't get me wrong . . . I love Kolb's work as well as that of Honey and Mumford. Peter Honey and Alan Mumford developed their learning styles system
as a variation on the Kolb model while working on a project for the
Chloride
corporation in the 1970's. Their models and theories are invaluable. In fact, I first offered teleclasses on learning styles back in 2001. I think there is a place for studying learning styles in a "classroom setting" and I am sure that Becky is providing a very valuable learning opportunity. She is so right when she says:
Differences in the way we prefer to learn and organize our work
often leads to conflict on teams. Increased understanding of
ourselves and others may lead to increased appreciation and cooperation
among team members.
Many different assessment tools or models can provide this kind of insight: MBTI, DISC, Social Styles, KBDI, Birkman , I could go on and on. I have found using Thinking Styles InQ and the Kolbe particularly useful in this way. Some of these models are more applicable in the work environment. Some are more "sticky" than others. In my experience (generally speaking), learning styles (whether it is Kolb or VAK or others) are much lest applicable in the moment and certainly not as easily remembered.
In summary, I remain unconvinced that knowing the learning styles of team members has any practical application. However, appreciating our different preferences – in learning, thinking, communicating is extremely valuable. And ensuring that a variety of styles is represented is critical to high performing teams.
While a little dated, I still find the following a great summary resource on the topic: Conner, M. L.
"Introduction to Learning Styles." Ageless Learner,
1997-2007.
agelesslearner.com/intros/lstyleintro.html
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I recently wrote a post on my Eclectic Change blog about my own personal work in progress of Eccentricity being a slippery slope. I created a non serious quiz as part of the post. Here is an excerpt and the quiz.
In popular usage, eccentricity refers to unusual or odd behavior on
the part of an individual. It could be construed as a personality
that is bizarre: conspicuously or grossly unconventional or unusual.
But there is another far more powerful meaning: out of center or having
an axis or point of support that is not centrally placed. Off
center means that being eccentric can show up in different
extremes. The word extreme is a clue. Here are some questions to help
you decided your own eccentricity.
Eccentricity Quiz
Scoring
Give yourself a point for each question that you answered yes
except for questions 1, 3 and 5. Give yourself a point for question
1, 3 and 5, if you answered no. If you have a score of
6 or more, you may be eccentric. (By the way, these questions and the
scoring is totally off the top of my head and is meant for amusement
purposes only.)
Here is another view of the top five indicators of an eccentric personality taken from Martin Howard's recent article on "Why we need eccentricity". Source is Dr. David Weeks*.
•
A non-conforming attitude• Creativity
•
Curiosity• Idealism
• An obsession with a
hobby or hobbies
In Eccentrics, David Weeks & Jamie James summarize findings
from
a systematic study of "eccentrics": highly talented and unusual
people. They infuse comedy and entertainment into the often barren
landscape of
social science research while investigating the fascinating characters.
Eccentrics vary between genuine geniuses and charming crackpots. Their
defining
features are a refusal to hold commonly held beliefs and/or refusal to
act
according to the norms of society.
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Over the years, I have observed that if one truly understands, appreciates and "respects" another persons values around time, almost all communication problems and differences can be resolved. I am not saying that this is an easy task at all. How we view time is deeply ingrained not only in our personalities but in our cultural upbringing as well.
Robert Rohm, Ph.D.uses the DISC Model to explain Expectations About Being On Time but the exact same thing applies to The Platinum Rule, Social Styles, and True Colors. Each of the four styles has a unique and often different perception of time.
Here is another take on the subject as Professor Philip Zimbardo promoting his book describes the affects of present and future orientation in children.
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This is probably the best introduction to the MBTI I have seen and it comes in at under 2 minutes. While it probably takes at least a few viewings to grasp all the content, I found it to be a nice overview to the MBTI. I am quite surprised at how few views it has received:
Blog Radio is another interesting place to find some resources – especially if you are an auditory learner. Here is an interesting show from Career Success Radio with Cynthia Kivland (a LinkedIn connection of mine) Cynthia is President and author at Coaching Smart
People and discusses EQ:
Creating High Performing Teams using MBTI, DISC & EQ
In the above hour long broadcast, hosts Annemarie Cross and Keith Keller interview 3 guests on how to
build a high performing team through using key personality type and
behaviourial profiling tools MBTI and DISC. They’ll also be discussing
emotional intelligence/quotient (EQ ) and the impact that both high and
low levels of EQ of a leader can either support or derail their own and
their team’s career.
Finally for a little lightness on the subject, here is a short video by Richard Wiseman from Quirkology.
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This is the last short video I took during Tilt 360 Leadership Predictor™ Certification
with Pam Boney, CEO of Tilt Inc. She spent some time teaching participants how to debrief an assessment
properly. This is Step 3 of 10 and discusses the importance of going over the rater groups – who is in, who was included and who might be missing.
This is the second short video I took during Tilt 360 Leadership Predictor™ Certification
with Pam Boney, CEO of Tilt Inc. She spent some time teaching participants how to debrief an assessment
properly. This is Step 2 of 10 and discusses the importance of fit – values, culture and role. Pam specifically covers
the aspect of role fit in this video.