Behavioral Assessments in the Workplace

In this week's episode, Scott and Tammy discuss the ways organizations abuse behavioral assessments-- and discuss how they truly should be used.

Do you want to check out your predictive index personality type? Or maybe have someone at work who should? Take the assessment here, and we'd love to give you a free readback!

https://assessment.predictiveindex.com/bo/E0N/CSGWebsite#page0

Do you want more information on Predictive Index? Check it out, here!

https://www.creativesolutionsgp.com/predictive-index

Questions or topic suggestions? Let us know!
podcast@creativesolutionsgp.com
podcast@aveeapartners.com

Connect with us!
https://www.linkedin.com/company/creativesolutionsgp
https://www.linkedin.com/company/aveea-partners

Meet your hosts:
Tammy K Rogers
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tammerarogers

Scott Burgmeyer
https://www.linkedin.com/in/burgy

Other Resources:
http://www.creativesolutionsgp.com
http://www.aveeapartners.com
http://chiefoptimizationofficer.com/

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Welcome to The Leadership Line, a podcast that covers everyday work issues. From dealing with jerks at work to feeling burnt out, Tammy and Scott's experience, along with their different perspectives, help listeners grow, examine realistic options and alternatives, and identify those actionable solutions to the tough issues we face every day at work. So today I want to talk about behavioral assessments and ways that companies both abuse them and use them correctly.

Tammy 0:31

You know, Courtney brings up a really good point. There are organizations and people who use personality profiles, use kind of this new artificial intelligence data that's out there as a weapon instead of how it's intended to be used. And so I think that's actually a really, a really good question and a good thing for us to talk about. Scott, what have you seen? You know, what have you experienced with your customers, with your clients?

SPEAKER_02 1:03

I think we have to just absolutely set aside there will be some percent of the population that they just don't buy into it. They think, no, that that's that's magic, it's BS, it's whatever. They're probably not going to be our clients anymore.

Tammy 1:17

No, it's true. I mean, if you think of conspiracy theories, right? It's like, hey, you know, they're using this to screw me, or they're or this is not valid, or it will keep me from being successful. So I mean, there's always going to be a group of people that say, no, let's not use them. So yeah, I get that.

SPEAKER_02 1:34

And then I think there's a couple ways that people can look at it. And and I would describe it, are you using it for good or using it for evil? So let's talk about are you using it for good? You have some some tool, whatever tool it is. Like most people know we are predictive index fans. That's what we would always recommend. There are several others out there that you could pick. Sure. So you pick that and people take it. And then it really is about a conversation to say, what about this? Are you aligned with? What do you think might be a gap? And then it's really the conversation about how does this align with your role and and what's what's good about your performance and and the direction you're going in your career, etc. And what about this actually is not helping? And that is going to be true with every single profile. Now, the the am I using it for evil part? Is I think there's kind of two ways that can be done. One is saying, oh, Mary's uh ENTJ, INFP, they're an I, they're an Enneagram, they're whatever. And that's why they're like that. They suck. And you put them in the box, that is super unfair.

Tammy 2:56

Do you know, Scott? I have to tell you, for years and years and years, in the state of Iowa, um uh one of the tools is called DISC, and it has four initials, D-I-S-C. And I remember being in organization after organization that said, unless you're a high D, you're not a leader. Just that statement alone. The the issue that I have with that is one, somebody arbitrarily has decided that a leader is fill in the blank, and that if you don't have these characteristics, that you can't lead. And I have to tell you, that particular kind of point of view angers me. And it angers me because it says that one size fits all is the way to go, and that's just not accurate. You and I are not alike, and yet I think we actually are pretty decent leaders. I would also say that I know people who have personality profiles very differently from us. We have another individual who works with us that has um a profile that is almost bipolar opposite, and she is an amazing leader. She leads differently, she's quieter, she asks more questions, she's thoughtful, she is someone who wants to spend a little bit more time analyzing before she makes some decisions. It doesn't mean that she's a bad leader, she leads differently. So when you use any profile, I don't care if it's disk, strength finders, predictive index, Enneagram, any of them coming in and saying this equals leadership, and this means that you're not eligible, that is so diminishing and so very wrong. And I see that as evil. I do. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 4:52

And I think there's a there's a second side of that that I could project that to someone. I think the other side is I hide behind it. I am this, therefore, that justifies my behavior that is not helpful for the team or the organization. I've had that experience a few times over the last few years. And in my mind, in both of those scenarios, that is that is really using it for evil, and it's weak sauce. I mean, it is weak to say, Oh, I can't, nothing I can do about it. That's that's kind of like saying, Well, apparently I'm a mass murderer and nothing I can do about it.

Tammy 5:35

So I have to tell a story. This is this is a true story. Um, I love to golf, and I have gone on golf trips many times with uh girlfriends and groups of women that I know. And on this one particular golf trip, they introduced me to um somebody I didn't know very well, and she introduced herself, and then she said, Hey, um, you know, this is who I am. And by the way, I'm a golf bitch. And those were her exact words. And I remember going, that's such an interesting way to describe yourself. Okay. So over the course of this long weekend, we're golfing, and there's actually some conflict that comes up among the team. And you know me, I'm trying to make everybody get along. So I end up getting in the middle of the conflict, playing mediator, maybe not the smartest thing that I've ever done in my life, but literally trying to solve this so that we all can still have a good time and not let this conflict overtake us. And that night, this woman who called herself a golf bitch said, Can I talk to you, Tammy? And I said, Sure. And we sat down and had a conversation. And she said, I just need to let you know I am what I am. And there's, I'm not gonna change. It is truly, I was born this way, I was made this way, and I am just this way. And I remember thinking at that moment, that is the saddest thing that I have ever heard. Because what you've done is you've labeled yourself and you're saying, I have no potential, I have no opportunity to grow, I have no opportunity to become more. And I remember at that moment saying to her, I am in the life-changing business. I help people make decisions about what they want to be or what teams want to be or what organizations want to be, and then we figure out how to get from here to there. I don't believe people are stuck. So, any more than someone else labeling you and saying that you can't, the idea of a human being telling themselves that they can't, that may be the saddest thing I've ever heard. And to me, it's not can't, it's they've made the decision that they either don't trust themselves to become more or they see no value in becoming more.

SPEAKER_02 8:05

Yeah, and there maybe and in fairness, maybe there's a third one they don't know how. But I think if they're at the point saying I am what I am, then I think they're well past the I don't know how. It may have started as I don't know how, and then it got to I'm stuck, I'm just here, yeah.

Tammy 8:25

And and that spot, that kind of individual who is going to use a profile type as justification for their bad behavior, or a boss or a leader in an organization who uses that as a place to keep people in a box and not let them to expand. That truly is not the intention of these profiles, not the intention of understanding who we are, what our strengths are, what are the things that we do in a way that comes to us naturally that we are gifted at. Where are we superheroes? As well as what are the things that are hard for us, that we are not as gifted at, that we have to put more effort and energy into. That's not, you know, the intention is not to use it as an excuse, as a shield, as a reason why to keep someone down. It's to actually help them grow, to actually become more, to decide for themselves what are those particular areas. And the research says it's easier to grow in places where we already have strength in that. And that's great, but it does not mean we can't grow in those other areas either. It just takes a little bit more effort and energy. You can become what you want to become. How much work do you want to put into it? What do you want to be? Who do you want to be? And what are you going to do to achieve it? I think that's one, just one tiny cool thing about the right tool, right? There are a whole lot of other things about great tools, but that is one of my very favorites. It's finding out that you are good right now, and there's more.

SPEAKER_02 10:17

Once you do that, then you can make an organizational decision to say, how do we want to use this people data? Whether it's building relationships, whether it's coaching, whether it's hiring, whatever it is, it's then building the momentum of using that data more than just saying, Oh, yeah, I'm a whatever.

Tammy 10:43

You know, Scott, I think that's true. And I think the tools are getting better and better, right? And in that particular spot, it's recognizing that it truly is with the right tool, it is people data. And it is about, yes, me personally, but it is also about how do I lead others so that I'm doing that in a way that helps them maximize who they are. It is helping the organization say, how do we really have diverse teams? And in that spot, by diverse, I mean different thought patterns, different experiences, different ways of seeing the world, so that we are actually coming up with bigger and broader solutions. It really does mean, hey, let's find the right fit for this person in the right kind of job so that we get the best out of them and they are engaged at work because we found the right kind of work for them. It helps us with succession planning. It helps us with identifying really what kind of folks would be really great in different roles throughout the organization. There's so many ways that people data can help. And if you think about it, our salaries and benefits are typically maybe the number one expenses most or in most organizations. And we use data to make a decision about whether we should buy a piece of equipment. Why wouldn't we use data to help us determine hiring, placement, the best job fit, succession planning? Why wouldn't we use data in our most expensive category inside the organization? And I think as we look at where this thing is going, that people data is going to become more and more and more beneficial to the organization. And I think it's taking bias out of the system. What do you think?

SPEAKER_02 12:40

Oh, absolutely. I mean, it really is, it allows us to be thoughtful about what we need today or what we need six months or 12 months from now. And the you know, the more we lean on those, the I believe the better aligned we can be as an organization and the stronger relationships we can have with each other.

Tammy 13:08

I think, I think that is very true, Scott. We can look at where we're going and start this process of making decisions and plugging, you know, personnel into those particular spots. And I think it also helps us be able to say, what is it that I'm looking for before I meet people and find out? Because I can meet someone and like you, and I can be completely biased because I you're like me and put you in that position without recognizing that bias. Versus if I know ahead of time what it is that I'm looking for, it's not that I meet someone and I like you, it's that you match what this job requires. And that has nothing to do with whether or not you're like me. It has to do with the job itself. So it helps us make more even-tempered decision organ decisions organizationally, but it also helps take bias out of the hiring process. And I do think that we need to be more and more and more and more aware of that and to let the science help us with that instead of my very flawed decision-making process as a human being.

SPEAKER_00 14:14

And that wraps up this week's episode of the leadership line. We mentioned personality or behavioral assessments a lot in this podcast, and we want you guys to check out the predictive index. Feel free to use the link in our bio to take the personality assessment and reach out to us for a free readback. Thanks for tuning in. We'll see you next week.