What Value Do Assessments Bring to the Coaching Table?

 A common question in leadership development, especially when it relates to coaching, is how important are trait and theme-based assessments and psychometric tests as a value add to self and professional development. Neither coaches nor leadership development professionals are always convinced about the need.

 Look at it this way. Do we all know innately what we are good at, what our passions are, what our values and beliefs are? Do we know our personality? Anyone who believes we do not help in figuring these out is a narcissist or insane. We all have weaknesses and blind spots as well as strengths and passions. Some of these can be figured out through self-reflection, but for the most part, we need help with surveys and tests to know details of our mindset and behaviour, such as why, what and how.

 Assessments are generally classified as trait-based in terms of personality factors or theme-based as performance and goal orientation. Many assessments can with some experience be used for both.

 Three easy-to-use and easily accessed free-to-use that are at least 80% good enough for most purposes of personal and professional development are

·      Jungian Personality Test

·      Johari Window

·      360 Degree Feedback

The greatness of these tests is that an experienced coach can use them for most individual and team coaching situations.

 Psychometric tests have become an integral part of leadership development programs across various industries. These assessments provide valuable insights into an individual's personality traits, strengths, and potential areas for improvement. This review will examine some of the most popular theme and trait-based psychometric tests used in leadership development, discussing their theoretical foundations, key features, and practical applications.

Jungian Personality Test

 Jung's Personality theory provided 3 polarities of Extraversion E and Introversion I based on how we derive energy; Intuition I and Sensory S based on how we gather and process data; and Feeling F and Thinking T based on how we express in communication. Myers-Briggs added another fourth polarity of Judging J and Perceiving P based on how we decide.

 Jung viewed the 3 dual personalities he theorised as rigid and felt that if a thinking person tried to be a feeling person, it may lead to negative results. However, Jung's later-day writings consider them as integrable polarities, in line with modern neuroscience research.

 I use the Jungian approach extensively both in individual and team work to help people understand how to empathise with others with different traits. Simply put, IFP bosses can quite easily manage multiple personalities in their teams, whereas an STJ boss can be frustrated even if one report is a P.

 The Jungian Personality Test is best used for awareness, teamwork, relationships and communication, and should not be a hiring test.

Johari Window

 Johari Window is a powerful tool to create self-awareness through multiple perspectives. This is relevant to individual, team and organisation development and is extensively used in OD work. Its 4 Windows represent

·      Open Self, known by all

·      Blind Self, known by others and not oneself

·      Hidden self, known by oneself, hidden from others

·      Unknown Self, not known to oneself and others

Ideally one should be the Open Self.

 The original process has 55 adjectives. Colleagues, friends and others in the exercise who know each other well pick 5 to 10 adjectives about each other including oneself. Adjectives that one chooses and also by others form the Open Self; chosen by others and not oneself the Blind Self; chosen by oneself and not by others the Hidden Self; not chosen by anyone the Unknown Self.

 This test too best used for awareness, teamwork, relationships and communication, and should not be a hiring test.

360 Degree Feedback

 Though this has military origins, it is extensively used in corporate and life coaching for personal, team and organisational development through feedback assessment from stakeholders whom one impacts and who impact one.

 As a coach, learn to develop your 360-degree format customised to individuals, teams or organisations. It's not difficult. Coacharya can provide a simple template to use.

 I suggest limiting questions to about 20, in 5 themes of 4 questions in each, covering areas of feedback assessment on

·      Environmental/Systemic Orientation

·      Organisational/Family Orientation

·      People Orientation

·      Task/Performance Orientation

·      Self-Orientation

 The feedback provider also says what behaviours should be stopped, what should be newly developed and what should be continued, if possible citing evidence.

 This test can be used for feedback on engagement and assessment for development. Its advantage is that it can be administered anonymously, on the cloud, with simple tools that help integrate a large number of responses.

 A few fee-based tests I use when needed are

·      Big 5

·      Hogan

·      EUM

Big 5

 The Big 5 or Five Factor Model measures traits as OCEAN on

·      Openness,

·      Conscientiousness,

·      Extraversion,

·      Agreeableness, and

·      Neuroticism

 This is a multiple choice question-based test with 60 questions, measuring on a 10-point scale.

Hogan

 Hogan is a popular test, quite comprehensive, and has multiple test formats of

·      Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI),

·      Hogan Development Survey (HDS), and

·      Motives, Values, Preferences Inventory (MVPI)

These tests identify potential leadership strengths, derailers and dark side traits, assess the fit between individual values and organizational culture, and

provide targeted development recommendations using a mid-point optimum extreme on either side not being desirable.

EUM Lens

 EUM Lens is relatively unknown. It asks for a selection of adjectives from a list to answer questions about

·      How one views one's current situation/ organisation

·      How would one like it to be

·      What is the benchmark?

Ashok Malhotra created this model loosely based on Graves' model viewing it as multiple universes. The test has multiple versions. The Organisational EUM-O version I use assesses the individual and their relationship to the organisation and teams, providing powerful coaching reports of how the individual perceives with multiple Universe lenses, and what their strengths and blind spots are. When used with teams, the test provides an uncannily accurate picture of the organisational climate and culture.

Reflection

 This is a brief overview of some of the tools I use in assessment for coaching clients, mostly in a systemic team approach. There are dozens of such assessments on multiple traits and themes, which can be easily accessed if this blog creates an interest in the subject.

 If this article ignited your curiosity about how the Coacharya 12 S framework and systemic team coaching can support leadership development, share it with your network! Subscribe to my 'Coaching the Spirit' newsletter for more cutting-edge content on technology, spirituality, and leadership in today's dynamic workplace. Together, let's shape the future of leadership in the VUCA era!