I love taking self-assessments – those quizzes and instruments that help you learn about yourself and understand the meaning and implications of your preferences and behaviors. Today I took a short quiz, based on the book, The Self-Made Billionaire Effect: How Extreme Producers Create Massive Value by John Sviokla and Mitch Cohen, to see whether I am a producer or a performer. Performers work with what exists and what is known and make it better and more effective. Producers prefer to conceive new ideas and get involved in new opportunities. Turns out that I am more in the middle but lean toward being a producer which, according to the quiz results, means that I tend to exhibit:

  • Empathetic imagination: seeing blockbuster potential in the needs and wants of others
  • Patient urgency: operating simultaneously at multiple speeds and time frames
  • Inventive execution: bringing together creative thinking and operational prowess
  • Taking a relative view of risk: accepting immediate losses if they lead to a better future
  • Leadership partnership: looking for others with complementary skills that enhance their own

It was a good reminder that I have to take time to feed my creative thinking and look for new opportunities to get me excited. I know that I can get bored or frustrated when things get too mundane or drag out too long. And it’s important for me to think about what that means for how I work and how I interact with others. In the end, it’s about increasing my self-awareness and using that information to make choices that fit best for me and to have a better understanding of how my behaviors and reactions impact others.

In our work at Chatsworth Consulting Group, we use assessments with our clients regularly. The results from tools such as DiSC®, MBTI®, CDP®, Hogan, Team Dimensions Profile, etc. often leave people amazed at how spot-on they are and how much they resonate with how they see themselves – the good and the not-so-good. Armed with that information, they are then able to notice when they are tapping into their strengths and when they are doing “that thing” that makes them less effective. The more you know, the more effective you can be.

What are your favorite self-assessments and what have you learned about yourself?
Click here to comment.

If you enjoyed this post, you can read more like it in our book, The Power of Thoughtful Leadership: 101 Minutes To Being the Leader You Want To Be, available on Amazon.


To learn more about our favorite assessments and how you can take one, contact Robyn at rmcleod@chatsworthconsulting.com.

Click here to receive The Thoughtful Leaders™ Blog posts via e-mail and receive a copy of “Ending Leadership Frenzy: 5 Steps to Becoming a More Thoughtful and Effective Leader.”

Photo Credit: Rawpixel.com/Bigstock.com

New York: 212.537.6897 | Pennsylvania: 610.254.0244