Why I Don’t Hate ALL Personality Assessments
“Personality and work style assessments should be used as tools - not weapons.”
Personality assessments get a bad rap. I follow a few threads on social media that inevitably trip into the “no personality assessments are good” pit of negative energy. There’s no shortage of anecdotes from people who are justifiably angry, frustrated, and confused about why or how an assessment was used at work or during the hiring process. Here’s why: There are a lot of fly-by-night assessments out there that are basically just fun games and conversation starters. They have no business being used as anything other than a fun conversation piece. There are also assessments that are misused, such as using something as part of the hiring & selection process that wasn’t designed for that purpose. (This can be a hot mess legally, but that’s another post.)
There are also great assessments out there that are based on science and yield valid, helpful data - as long as they are used the way they are intended. Personality and workstyle assessments are tools, not weapons. As tools, their effectiveness depends, in part, on the user to understand how and when to use them. We need to make sure we’re using the “right” tool for the right reason – at the right time and with the right training.
A few years ago, I came across a “new and improved” version of DiSC, called Everything DiSC®. It was linked to another tool I was using, called Five Behaviors® of a Cohesive Team. I had used earlier versions of DiSC way-back-when but didn’t much care for them. When I saw this “new” assessment, I was immediately impressed by the clear, engaging, and informative reports and training materials. It was obvious straight-away that this DiSC was simple enough to be understood quickly and easily by employees new to assessments, yet had enough content backed by research to provide nuanced training for more advanced learners. Including executive teams. While there are many DiSC assessments out there, this specific solution owned by Wiley Publishing is what I believe is the best on the market. When I saw the new tool, backed up by excellent research, robust instructional design, and modern, easy-to-use resources for participants and facilitators, I was impressed and #notahater.
If you are familiar with DiSC, you might associate “Inscape Publishing” with DiSC. In 2012, John Wiley & Sons acquired Inscape Publishing and immediately dove into enhancing the product. Wiley Learning Solutions launched research, product development, technical solutions, and training program offerings. Everything DiSC products and services cannot be purchased directly through Wiley. Authorized Partners and their companies work directly with clients providing what clients need, whether it is full-service assessments, training, coaching, and consulting, or providing administrative access for clients to run their assessments and debriefs in-house. Wilson Foxen Coaching and Consulting is an Authorized Partner for Everything DiSC. Our clients include individuals, organizations, and other coaches & consultants.
“Everything DiSC has a 97% satisfaction rating.”
The Everything DiSC® Difference
Everything DiSC is based on the belief that an organization’s true potential lies within its people. It offers end-to-end learning experiences that have an immediate and lasting impact on the performance of people and the cultures of organizations.
The Assessment: Powered by 40+ years of research, each Everything DiSC personality assessment combines adaptive testing and sophisticated algorithms to deliver precise insights to each participant. The experience for each individual is unique – a key distinction for Everything DiSC.
The Profile: The personalized content in the profile deepens self-understanding through the Everything DiSC model. People gain insight into their own preferences and tendencies, learn more about relating to others and receive actionable strategies to help them improve their interactions and ultimately, their performance.
The Learning Space: The profile comes to life in many ways that reflect our new virtual, digital and hybrid worlds. Content can be delivered in person, virtually, and now even via a hands-on digital platform called “Catalyst” that is changing the way people learn about themselves and their teams.
The Support Tools: Wiley’s team excels in the tools they provide for facilitation, training, and even 1:1 coaching or consulting. Their easy-to-use tools include suggested outlines, modular design, scripted content, contemporary videos, and impactful activities that can be customized to meet the specific needs of your people and your organization.
The Follow-Up Tools: A suite of follow-up resources makes lasting behavior change possible by keeping Everything DiSC alive in the workplace. Participants can go deeper into their DiSC style, get real-world tips for connecting with colleagues, and gain insight into their team’s or department’s DiSC culture.
Transformational Learning that Works: Everything DiSC® has a 97% satisfaction rating among organizations and learners worldwide. The insights and “a-ha” moments in an Everything DiSC learning experience don’t happen by accident. They’re the result of the Everything DiSC model combined with our transformational learning approach that drives meaningful behavior change.
A Growth Mindset: Wiley continuously invests in research to improve their understanding of today’s modern workforce. They share that research and improve the tools and products to add value to the workforce.
So…why don’t I hate ALL personality & work style assessments? Because some are actually really effective – especially when they are backed by robust design, ongoing research, and practical tools that make it easy to use them effectively. Everything DiSC® is just one of the tools I use, but it’s a darn good one with a suite of offerings that meets the needs of organizations and teams of all sizes in any industry.
If you’d like to learn more, follow this link. If you’d like to chat about what other assessments I use, or don’t use, and why, let’s connect!