When you are looking in the mirror, you are looking at the problem. But, remember, you are also looking at the solution.
At JFD Performance Solutions, we use a variety of individual, group, and organizational assessments in our business coaching and consulting. Individual assessments (or self-assessments), increase your awareness of your own individuality. Among other things, they help you be more conscious of who you are, what motivates you, and what you’re good at while acknowledging what you still have yet to learn.
Two individual assessments that we’d like to focus on today are 1) DISC/Behaviors and 2) Motivators/Values.
DISC/Behaviors
A person’s behavior or manner of doing things is a necessary and integral part of who they are. In other words, much of our behavior comes from "nature" (inherent) and much comes from "nurture" (our upbringing). DISC is the universal language of "how we act" (our observable human behavior).
Behavioral research suggests that the most effective people are those who understand themselves, both their strengths and weaknesses, so they can develop strategies to meet the demands of their environment. The ability to interact effectively with people may be the difference between success and failure in one’s work and personal life. Effective interaction starts with an accurate perception of oneself.
The DISC assessment interprets the universal language of "how we act" around four dimensions:
- How we tend to respond to problems and challenges and make decisions
- How we interact with others, share opinions, and influence others to our point of view
- How we respond to the pace of the environment
- Our preference for established protocols and standards, including rules and procedures set by others.
It is important to understand that all people exhibit all four behavioral factors in varying degrees of intensity. A person’s DISC/Behaviors assessment report explores these dimensions in depth, identifying a person’s value to the organization, improvement areas, communication tips, and elements of their preferred working environment.
Motivators/Values
Knowledge of an individual’s motivators and values help to tell us WHY they do things. Values help to initiate one’s behavior and are sometimes called the hidden motivators because they are often not readily observed. The Motivators assessment measures the relative prominence of six basic interests or values:
- Theoretical – the attainment of knowledge and understanding, the discovery of truth, an appetite for learning and exposure to new things, and the desire for continuing education and intellectual growth.
- Utilitarian/Economic – valuing money, the bottom-line, that which is efficient and practical, return on one’s investment, and what is useful (utility).
- Individualistic/Political – desire for personal recognition and renown, freedom, personal power, to advance, and to have control over one’s own destiny and that of others.
- Traditional/Regulatory – valuing methodologies and order, seeking a system of living, and traditions inherent in social structure, rules, regulations and principles.
- Aesthetic – the drive for balance in their lives, an appreciation of form and harmony, creative self-expression, the love of beauty and nature.
- Social – valuing helpfulness, opportunities to be of service to others and to develop others, to be selfless and generous (with little or no expectation of a return), and to contribute to the progress and well-being of society.
As with the DISC, it is important to understand that all people exhibit all six motivators/values in varying degrees of intensity (from strong/passionate to weak/indifferent). A person’s assessment report explores these factors in regards to one’s value to the organization, keys to motivating and managing, personal and professional development, and areas for improvement.
From our perspective, the use of individual assessments continues to grow as managers and employees become more informed about their benefits and realize tangible results. If you’d like to learn more, about these two assessments or others, please contact us.