I have an observation. Rarely do most of us disagree on the endgame or final destination, but there are a lot of different approaches to getting there. For example, all of us can probably agree that it is good to ‘be nice’, but each of us have very different approaches to how to show kindness. People process ideas and details in different ways, too. Here is a simple and free exercise you can practice to try to gain some insights into your own head.
Take a personality test. While we offer a specific assessment for our clients, our team stumbled upon other assessments such as Myers Briggs test offered at 16personalities.com, DISC, Kolbe, and StrengthsFinder 2.0. We also know about the buzz circling around Enneagram. Go to these sites and take the tests. Play with the results.
Now if you really want to get more insights, look up your personality type in Google and see what comes up. Just type in your letters or words associated from the test and you’ll find lots of resources including Wikipedia articles. Explore these. I found that someone wrote a 300-page book just on my own personality type. I purchased the book and have learned a lot about how I work.
Then I shared the results with my coworkers and they did the same thing. It led to some great conversation and has changed the way we work together for the better. We have common language and can have more grace for each other because we know where some people may struggle, while others can thrive.
WARNING: While it is fun to create this unity and discussion, it is also important to keep people out of boxes and recognize that each of us are unique in our gifts, talents, and insights. Be weary of making assumptions and stereotyping the people within the organization.
