Personality Testing is all the rage, but does it actually work for you?

I am one of ‘those’ people who does enjoy filling out a quick personality quiz.  Mostly, I like to see if the quiz contains insights into ‘who I might be and why I behave the way I do’ at a higher level than I understand myself.  (of course sometimes the motive is simply to put off what I should really be spending my time and energy on).

Often, I find the quizzes provide a quick validation for my behaviour and an opportunity to evaluate whether or not the behaviour serves me.  I am particularly fond of quizzes which provide insights on both the good and bad of one’s personality.  In other words, how I might behave when everything in my world is ticking along according to plan compared to how I behave when the stress is on.  Perhaps I am not alone in all of this and that most of us are at least a little curious about how others perceive us in this world.

Curiosity is fine, just don’t fall into the trap of taking a quiz and then using the results to justify your bad behaviours or lack of accountability.  I remember working with a man who used to use his profile as an excuse for not doing his job.  “I am a yellow and therefore cannot be expected to look after the details.”  Believe it or not, your co-workers have little interest in your whiney excuses, they are far more interested in what you positively contribute to the overall projects.  If your behaviour profile is standing in the way, they will be just as happy to have you evaluate what steps need to be taken to change all that!  Personality trait tests are not the be all and end all.

Many people who consider themselves introverts actually work well in jobs that have them interacting with the public on a regular basis. They simply put on their ‘extrovert’ hat at work. If you have to do something, you may just find that it’s not as scary as you imagined it would be. Your attitude also makes a huge difference. Rather than feeling apprehensive, tell yourself that you can do what is required and go ahead and do it, all the while patting yourself on the back for being such an incredible person who is up to any challenge (such as dealing with the public when you’d rather be hiding under your desk.

Once you have taken a personality test (or several), you can look at yourself through a different lens. “Aha,” you may say, “everyone always points out what a negative person I am, but I’m actually pragmatic!” Or “I have been accused of being a cynic, when I really just have a dry sense of humour.” Or “I am truly an empathetic person, I just am logical about my empathy.”

I recently took an online quiz based on the Eneagram at the urgings of one of my business clients who has considerable experience in its modality.  Wikipedia describes the Enneagram of Personality as mostly psychospiritual typology.  Now that likely means very little to most of us, but essentially it is just another personality quiz that identifies your typical patterns of behaviour.

Each time I take a personality quiz, I am often described with consistent behavioural tendencies.  In DISC, I am called a high D – dominant, driven and independent.  When I took the Insights profile quiz, it described me as a High Red:  Dominant, Independent, Blunt and Direct.  When I took the Gallop poll’s Strength Finder Quiz, it described me as someone with an ability to take control and be decisive, craves variety and can be restless and easily bored, confident and likes to be challenged – you get the idea.

Well, when I took the Eneagram, the results were very similar.  No new shocking revelations.  I was scored high on the 8 scale with a 7 wing – all very confusing if you ask me.   Esentially, it says that I am the type of person who is strong, assertive, resourceful, independent, determined, action-oriented, pragmatic, competitive, straight-talking, shrewd, and insistent.  The 7 wing encourages me to express myself through curiosity, spontanaiety, an eagerness that is outgoing, future-oriented, adventurous, variety-seeking, quick, and talkative.  Guess that’s why the practical Faith gets stuff done and the adventure seeker takes a Burlesque class!

So what have I learned through all these quizzes.  I actually like these parts of my personality and they serve me well as a behaviour strategist and coach – just don’t expect me to sugar coat my opinions!

“A man can become so accustomed to the thought of his own faults that he will begin to cherish them as charming little ‘personal characteristics.’”

Helen Rowland, English-American writer, 1876-1950