Utilizing Personality and Strength Assessments in Leadership Coaching

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Every leadership team can benefit from leadership coaching. At Pivot HR, we follow the Co-Active methodology. Co-Active coaching is an experiential training program that focuses on the individual, rather than the business as a whole. In a world where fitting in and going with the flow has been normalized and encouraged, Co-Active’s holistic approach flips that idea on its head. The world’s beauty is that every person is individually unique – even identical twins.

An incredible business that stands out from the crowd begins with the workers. Putting the work into building up each individual and setting them up for success means setting up the company for success. Vancouver is a diverse, multicultural city full of interesting, skilled people. Pivot HR’s leadership coaching is here to help your business hire and retain the best Vancouver offers.

One of the tools often used in Co-Active coaching sessions are personality tests and strength assessments. Read on to learn more and why HR professionals use them!

What is a personality test?

Personality tests and skill assessments are tools used in Psychology, as well as for businesses, to get a baseline understanding of who a person is. Organizations use these tests during the hiring, recruiting and training processes and enhance leadership coaching opportunities.

Getting information about a person’s capabilities through a personality test may seem silly; however, it is a fun, entertaining way to break the ice and learn more about what makes that person tick. These tests are valuable tools for understanding who someone is and how they will potentially fit within the workplace culture.

Commonly Used Personality Tests

  • Myers-Briggs 16 Personality
  • DiSC
  • Enneagram
  • Emotional Intelligence
  • CliftonStrengths

Why are they used?

Personality tests are not concrete, objective or conclusive data, but they can provide context on how a person may approach the job and how they handle stress and conflict. They are fantastic tools that give leadership insight into how best to lead and guide an individual. Depending on the job, a personality test can also provide a glimpse into a person’s abilities and likelihood of success in the role.

For example, a personality test could say that someone is deeply introverted and more likely to succeed in a role where they work alone and can focus on the task without distractions. This analysis means a profoundly introverted person would burn out faster in a customer-facing position rather than a solitary role like a computer programmer or an accountant.

A Word of Caution

According to many HR professionals, personality tests should be taken with a grain of salt. In fact, “practitioners place far less faith in intelligence and personality tests as predictors of employee performance than HR research would recommend” (source: Human Resource Management).

The most important takeaway from these assessments is that they are people, and people rarely exist within the black-and-white binary. Human resources is, at the end of the day, about human-to-human interaction. Keeping this fact at the forefront of the mind during hiring and/or coaching sessions is crucial. When conducting these tests, HR professionals need to assess the differences between the test’s results and their physical interactions with the person.

Usefulness Overall

Personality tests provide a window into how a potential employee will fit within the workplace culture and how they may impact it. With existing employees, these tests are helpful tools for gauging how they fit within the workplace culture. Knowing their results will clarify what type of person your company should look to hire.

Long-term employees are cheaper compared to the costs of hiring and onboarding. Providing leadership coaching to internal employees is a brilliant way to increase employee engagement and establish a work culture of possibility.

Are you a Vancouver business looking into bringing an HR consultant in for leadership training? Contact our team at Pivot HR today!

What Our Clients say about us

“Robin and Mia were both exceptionally professional and responsive and understood our needs. Their work was of great quality. We are a small non-profit organization and we found them very easy and wonderful to work with. Great value and highly recommend.”

~ Joy Masuhara , Co-Chair Women Transforming Cities International Society

“Cindy is a remarkable professional coach, who goes well beyond expectations in supporting her clients’ development. She knows how to ask the right questions and uncover the real and deep issues that contribute to the limitations we put on ourselves. This type of personal exploration is tough work to do alone and remain committed to necessary change. Cindy’s approach and support made this process one of the most impactful experiences of my life, professionally and personally.”

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~ Karim Abraham, CEO, Kambo Energy Solutions

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~ Robert Janes, QC, Managing Principal JFK Law Corporation

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