Develop Yourself and Your Team

Many of us have taken at least one personality test during a college class, like the Myers Briggs test, to see how we work and interact with others. I remember the first time that I took the Myers Briggs in an MBA class, I was either an INTJ or an ENTP. I thought this was very flexible of me to be able to switch from I to E and from J to P, depending on the situation. My professor walked by, heard this comment, and said that actually meant that I am hard for others to read...

It is funny to me that most people I have met have only ever taken the Myers Briggs test, which seemed accurate to me, but not very helpful in explaining me and how I work most effectively and process thoughts and feelings to contribute to a team. It was a good tool years ago, but limited to 16 personality types.

Last year, I completed the HELM Senior Leadership Program through Goodwill Industries International and I completed the RightPath Self-Assessment for the first time. What a life-changer! I completely understood myself, my strengths and weaknesses, and my team members' same traits; plus we used this information to work more effectively as a team together. I have also used this assessment to help me in my marriage and family interactions. http://www.rightpath.com/

Before this, I could not figure out what it was about me that always made me the first choice of team members to lead teams. It turns out, others sense your strengths, sometimes before you do. In team interactions, we tend to look at everyone else, but fail to know ourselves well enough to improve ourselves and function well within a team. Start with yourself, then work with others!