Photo © Kris Vockler
Most of us know ourselves, kinda well. Be honest, how well do you know your behaviors and patterns? You really don't. How many times have you heard from your partner, "you always do that!"
But why would you want to know your inner workings better? Most important, if you aren't aware and you wish you behaved differently, it will be hard to make change. What about the idea of your career, if you knew yourself better, would you be in a job you liked better? How about communicating, if you knew how your natural ways to sabotage showed up, could you have better relationships? The answer is yes to all of these and more.
Kolbe Index Take a test & Learn More
Strength Finder 2.0 Take a test & Learn More
My Values Take a test & Learn More
Enneagram Take a test & Learn More
Predictive Index Business Level Tool/Talent Management
The purpose of this post isn't to go into each of them, just to make you aware that they are out there and you SHOULD explore them. However, I will summarize what I've learned about myself and even a few efforts of change.
This isn't about taking a test and "poof" you know get you. Each of these tests and topics take time to understand, you may want to read a book on the results or take a workshop. Just start somewhere, see what resonates with you and what doesn't. Talk to those you value and ask what you look like to them, in different situations. What will happen, over time, is you will gain insight and tools for performing better as you.
Ok, let's talk about what I've learned about myself. Some things I just learned over a lifetime and were backed up with these assessments.
I'm a strong leader who greatly cares about results and action, who uses persuasion and influence to bring people into the bigger picture. A visionary who is able to energize and lead people to a future. (Whew....) I've learned that most do not move as fast as I do, but I have learned to have patience (Well, work to have more) and let others work inside their speed so long as I frame their path if I'm leading/managing them. I like to initiate new things and act fast to start new programs, projects, or endeavors. If you want something to start-up, you get me excited about it. On the flip side, I have to surround myself with maintainers and finishers. I've also learned that I need to be learning, taking a class, synthesizing information; which dovetails well with my extraversion, and that I find pleasure in teaching or speaking to large groups of people. I process things internally at first and then I test my feelings and decisions by running them past others. Which is a great way to find blind-spots in my thinking. Feelings and emotion are not what I lead with and often have to process my own and others before I can make sense of them. So long as I'm experiencing a varied life, I'm happy. As much as I try to create a routine - to be more of a maintainer or finisher - there is a limit and a life without routine suits me better. I just have to make sure I get free-thinking and doing time over being structured.
In the end, these are just tools for gaining insight. Some things you will want to take action on, be it change or awareness. Changing who we are is difficult, don't expect to do it quickly. But if you do want to change your behavior, you can, these tools will help reveal some of the why behind it.
Perhaps, someday soon, we will talk about what self-limiting beliefs are and how those can be changed.
Remember that behaviors are part genetics and part nurturing, or how we were raised; with a big heaping of how we interpreted things as we walked through life to this point. Our view of reality is colored by our experiences. In turn, our brains installed ways of thinking in us as a way to save energy the next time it encounters the randomness of life.
How well do you know yourself? Ever try any of these?