Common Craft Blog
Knowing Myself
By leelefever on September 27, 2004 - 9:13am
Last week I attended a five day leadership training course. I was there to observe, but participated in the course as if I was a leader in the company. Throughout the week, we did various exercises, simulations, assessments, etc. I wasn’t sure what to think going into it, but looking back it was an awesome experience because I got to know myself a little better.
I took a lot from the DiSC Classic Personal Profiling System, as did many others in the class. This assessment asks you to rate yourself across a number of descriptive terms.
Then, you tally up the scores to see on which profile you ranked the highest. I found that I am a strong “I†for Influence. The other profiles were: “D†Dominance, “C†Contentiousness and “S†for Steadiness.
As an “Iâ€, the workbook says I seek social recognition and put an emphasis on shaping the environment by influencing or persuading others. I’s are outgoing, optimistic, enthusiastic and good at motivating people. Fair enough- I knew that stuff about me.
What taught me most was learning what I’s need help with. I looked at the weaknesses of I’s and saw my past. I saw myself doing poorly at math because of careless mistakes. I saw myself getting in trouble because I didn’t check the facts. I saw myself being a poor bookkeeper. These are traits of the I’s and I could see the connection.
What became apparent to me was that I have been an “I†all my life and will continue to be- there is little i can do about it. My first inclination whenever I discover something that needs improvement is to fix it- to be a better bookkeeper, fact checker, etc.
What I’m learning is that I don’t have to constantly fix myself to fit every strength. What I do need to do is be aware of my weaknesses and surround myself with people and tools that help me address the areas in which I consistently fall short. I may waste time fighting against the something that is an innate part of me. I don’t need fixing, I need support.
Lastly, I also looked at the assessment in terms of being a blogger. I’ll bet that the “I†profile is strong among bloggers and I’m proud to count myself as one.
Knowing Myself
Lee, these assessments are interesting. However, recently I've come across The Cult of Personality by Annie Murphy Paul, and heard her interviewed on WNYC. As a result, I'm much more skeptical of the scientific bases of several of these assessments. On the other hand, a work group I was in did use the DiSC assessment with some success.
P.S. it's DisC not DiSK.
Knowing Myself
Hey Bill.
Thanks the links and the correction. I realize these tests deserve some scrunity, but what can I say, I'm an optimist.
Knowing Myself
Lee --
Assessment tools can come in handy. The key point to remember with them is that they are "just tools." Their purpose is to help you learn about yourself and enable you to understand more so you can communicate better with others. way too many people put too much stock in them. It's only a tool.
One of my favorite tools is the I-OPT. I like it because it "is not" a personality assessment. It measures how people process information. We all do things in predictable ways and the I-OPT can help us understand more about it. It has the strongest face value of any tool I've used with individuals and groups over the years. If you'd like to try it out (gratis, of course), send me an email and I'll send you a special link that bypasses the billing system.
If you just want to take a look -- and download a sample report -- pay a visit to http://www.teambuildingtips.com/iopt.html
Best regards,
Denise O'Berry
Small Business Expert