Behavioral Assessment Tools

Behavioral assessments have long been used to hire, develop, and train people and teams. It's not about which tool you use, it's about the consistency and deployment of that tool. I believe tools like these can be leveraged for individual and team cohesion as well as individual performance, but for everything, you must explore your options, choose what works best for your culture, understand the purpose and invest and intend to adopt the tool 100% of time (be all in). Herre is a Diagnostic Summary Comparison of Birkman vs DiSC vs. Myers-Briggs (MBTI) vs. ELI (Energy Leadership Index) Underlying issue: These tools are often treated as interchangeable, but they actually sit on very different rungs of depth, scientific rigor, and actionability. Clarity here prevents wasted spend and eye-rolling from employees. Overall Snapshot DiSC → Simple, practical, team-friendly Birkman → Deep, diagnostic, coach-driven MBTI → Popular, identity-based, less predictive ELI → Coaching-centric, mindset & energy focused DiSC – Behavior & Communication Focus: How people behave at work Best for: Team communication, onboarding, collaboration Strength: Easy language, quick adoption Limitation: Doesn’t explain why behavior changes under stress Birkman – Motivation, Needs & Stress Focus: Why people behave the way they do Best for: Leadership development, conflict, burnout risk Strength: Extremely rich insight Limitation: Requires facilitation to unlock value Myers-Briggs (MBTI) – Personality Preferences Focus: How people prefer to think and perceive the world Best for: Self-reflection, team bonding, workshops Strength: High engagement and memorability Limitations: Not predictive of performance Binary typing (you’re “one or the other”) Weaker scientific backing than newer tools MBTI is best treated as a conversation starter, not a decision-making tool. ELI (Energy Leadership Index) – Mindset & Stress Response Focus: How people show up energetically, especially under stress Best for: Executive coaching, resilience, change leadership Strength: Excellent for mindset shifts and self-awareness Limitation: Less useful at scale, not designed for team operations or hiring Tips -🔴 Avoid using MBTI or ELI for hiring or performance decisions — they’re not designed for that level of rigor. 🛠️ Use DiSC org-wide + Birkman or ELI for leaders only 🛠️ Train managers on how to reference assessment insights in real conversations 💡 Pro Tip ⚠️ The biggest failure mode isn’t picking the wrong assessment it’s picking too many. One tool, used consistently, will outperform four tools that live in PDFs no one revisits.

I've taken every assessment tool known to corporate mankind. MBTI. DiSC. Hogan. Enneagram. StrengthsFinder. If there's a scantron involved, I've filled it out. Clients always ask which one is the best. Here's what I actually think after fifteen years of using these things on myself and others: Myers-Briggs has the brand recognition and the staying power, but the science is shaky at best. Test-retest reliability is poor – you can be an INFJ on Monday and an ENFP by Friday. It's fine for breaking the ice at offsites. Just don't build your succession plan around it. Or...well...anything else. DiSC is simple, which is its strength and its limit. Four quadrants. Easy to remember. It won't tell you why someone behaves a certain way, but it gives you a shorthand for how to email them without starting a war. Useful. Shallow. Enneagram has zero psychometric validity – its origins are spiritual, not scientific. Is it useful for introspection. Hmm maybe. It gives leaders language for their core fears and motivations, even if the "types" aren't clinically distinct. Conversation starter, not diagnosis. CliftonStrengths comes out of positive psychology and it's genuinely solid. Corporate culture obsesses over fixing gaps – this tool forces you to lean into what you're already good at. Great for morale. But it completely ignores the dark side traits that actually get leaders fired. But it's a useful tool below the exec level. Hogan is the one I trust when stakes are high. It's built on the Big Five model, it actually predicts performance, and it focuses on your derailers – the shadow side of your personality that emerges under stress. It's humbling. It's scientific. It's the only one on this list that functions as an actual map rather than a fun mirror. Honorable mentions: Social Styles focuses on observable behavior rather than self-reported personality, which I appreciate. The science is decent – not Hogan-level, but better than MBTI. It's particularly useful for sales teams and client-facing roles where reading the room matters more than deep self-awareness. Leadership Circle Profile is genuinely comprehensive – A+++. It maps reactive versus creative leadership tendencies and shows you how your inner operating system drives your outer behaviors. The problem is that it requires real time and attention span to debrief properly. If you and your leadership team have endless hours to frolic through your results together, it's fantastic. If you're looking for something you can action in a 90-minute session, keep walking. The pattern I see: leaders love collecting these acronyms like badges. ENTJ. High D. Enneagram 8. But the point isn't to find a label that explains you. It's to understand your default settings well enough to override them when it matters. What's your love-to-hate assessment? I know everyone has one. #ExecutiveCoaching #Leadership #NeurodivergentLeadership

Your personality is your most valuable professional asset - and your biggest potential liability. The difference? Understanding how to leverage it effectively. Many professionals struggle to understand their strengths and weaknesses, leading to missed opportunities and stalled careers. You've probably tried self-reflection or asked for feedback, but these methods often fall short. That's where personality assessments come in. But not all assessments are created equal. ---Class A Assessments--- ▪ Used for psychiatric or mental health evaluations ▪ Highly validated and reliable for clinical use ▪ Example: MMPI (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory) ---Class B Assessments--- ▪ Trait-based assessments used in professional settings ▪ Validated for use in hiring, development, and team building ▪ Examples: Hogan Assessment, Birkman Method, Winslow Profile ---Class C Assessments--- ▪ Personal development focused ▪ Used for self-awareness and team dynamics ▪ Examples: MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator), DiSC, EQ assessments Many assessments are built on the foundation of the Big Five personality factors, also known as OCEAN: 🔸Openness to experience 🔸Conscientiousness 🔸Extraversion 🔸Agreeableness 🔸Neuroticism (or emotional stability) These five factors are considered the fundamental building blocks of personality. Understanding where you fall on each of these dimensions can provide powerful insights into your behavior, preferences, and potential career fit. Over 20 years ago, I took the Hogan Assessment. It was like someone handed me a user manual for my own brain. I discovered strengths I hadn't recognized and blind spots that were holding me back. I didn't just file it away. I reviewed it annually, using it as a roadmap for my personal and professional growth. Each year, I'd focus on leveraging a strength or addressing a weakness. The result? A more intentional and successful career path. You might be thinking, "So what?" ----Here's how you can apply this---- 1. Choose the right assessment for your needs (Highly recommend Class B) 2. Take it with an open mind 3. Review the results with a certified interpreter 4. Create an action plan based on your insights 5. Revisit and revise annually It's not about changing who you are. It's about understanding yourself better so you can make informed decisions about your career and relationships. Here's a question to ponder: If you had a clear map of your personality traits and tendencies, what would you do differently in your career? Share your thoughts below. And if you've had experiences with personality assessments, I'd love to hear about them!  

So many assessments! Don't they accomplish the same goals? Assessments are widely used in professional development, but not all assessments serve the same purpose. Some introduce self-awareness, others help leaders apply insights to behavior, and a select few drive deep transformation. We’ve mapped key psychometric tools against Erikson’s Identity-Connection-Contribution model and Bloom’s/Kegan’s developmental frameworks to provide a clearer understanding of how different assessments align with leadership growth. Having personally taken most of the popular assessments, I understand their strengths, limitations, and how they can be best applied to leadership and team development. 📊 Key Insights from the Graphic: Early-Stage Awareness Tools (16Personalities, Indigo, MBTI, DISC) Help individuals understand leadership tendencies but often focus on categorization rather than deep development. They are primarily useful for exploration, self-labeling, and foundational leadership awareness. Developmental Growth Tools (CliftonStrengths, EQ-i 2.0) Move beyond awareness into applied leadership development, measuring strengths, emotional intelligence, and interpersonal skills. EQ-i 2.0 is scientifically validated to measure emotional intelligence competencies that can be developed over time. Advanced Transformational Tools (MSCEIT 2.0, EQ-i 2.0 at deeper application levels) Assess higher-order leadership competencies, including decision-making, emotional intelligence ability, and strategic leadership agility. MSCEIT 2.0 is ability-based. It measures how well leaders actually process emotions in real-world situations rather than their self-perception. Why Does This Matter for Leader Development? We should know the purpose of each assessment. Some provide insights, others drive action, and a few catalyze transformation. Assessments are not the final step. They might even be the beginning step. Leadership growth happens through reflection, coaching, and continuous development (Mezirow, 1991). Which assessments have had the biggest impact on your leadership journey? Educators and coaches, what do you think? Let’s discuss in the comments! #Leadership, #Innovation, #Management Multi-Health Systems Inc. (MHS), International Coaching Federation, SHRM 👇

Behind every great team is an equally great hiring process. Here's why incorporating DISC assessments has been a game-changer for our hiring: Hard Truth: Skills can be taught, but personality alignment is make-or-break. How we use DISC in hiring: D (Dominance) Perfect for: Team leads who need to drive results Red Flag: Could overshadow junior team members I (Influence) Perfect for: Client-facing roles & relationship building Red Flag: Might prioritize socializing over task completion S (Steadiness) Perfect for: Project managers & operational roles Red Flag: Might resist rapid change or pivots C (Conscientiousness) Perfect for: Detail-oriented positions & quality control Red Flag: Could get stuck in analysis paralysis Pro Tip: The magic isn't in finding "perfect" DISC scores - it's in building teams with complementary profiles. Real Example: Our best-performing marketing team combines: Strategic Director (High D) Creative Lead (High I) Project Manager (High S) Data Analyst (High C) Remember: DISC isn't about right or wrong personalities - it's about right or wrong fits for specific roles. What personality assessment tools have you found most valuable in your hiring process?