There are plenty of wise words about the power of knowing oneself, such as:
“Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom.”
– Lao Tzu“We see the world as we are; not as it is.”
– Anais Nin“Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.”
– Carl Jung
However, seeing yourself realistically is not always easy, as there may be parts of yourself that are unconscious or that you choose not to see. Triggers that cause stress or upset you are often signs of unresolved challenges you’re working through or potentially aspects of yourself that are incongruent with who you wish to be.
Tap into assessments, human design, and inner work to turn insight into action.
Finding your path requires introspection to appreciate who you are and what makes you feel like the real you. This is an active exercise to recognize what lights you up and what depletes your energy, providing you with the clarity and impetus to shift your mindset and forge a path forward.
Acting as mirrors, assessment reports highlight elements of your persona based on what you’re assessing, e.g., preferences or inherent traits. The content that is relevant to you in your current state of mind will stand out and differ potentially from what might have elicited your attention previously or will so in the future. Observe what resonates and what does not, as both provide valuable information.
As William James wrote, “Seek out that particular mental attribute which makes you feel most deeply and vitally alive, along with which comes the inner voice which says, ‘This is the real me,’ and when you have found that attitude, follow it.”
Pinpoint assets, advance skillsets, and leave behind what is no longer supportive.
Personality and skills-based assessments can help you identify strengths, preferences, and communication styles across personal and professional domains. With clarity, you can align with who you are and who you want to be, to better manage your career, strengthen interpersonal connections, handle stress, and make more informed decisions.
Additionally, assessments can liberate you from being too attached to one way of thinking, feeling, or acting by helping you embrace alternative options and incorporate new strategies. Further, they can raise your situational awareness and shed light on how your word choices, behaviors, and actions affect how others respond to you.
Here are six methods to elevate your self-knowledge and knowledge of others in a team or group setting.
#1 Emotional Intelligence (EQ) Inventories
The EQ-i 2.0® and EQ-360® inventories provide details and strategies to help you use your emotional intelligence skills more effectively across five composites with three specific competencies per area: (1) Self-Perception: Self-Regard, Self-Actualization, Emotional Self-Awareness; (2) Self-Expression: Emotional Expression, Assertiveness, Independence; (3) Interpersonal: Interpersonal Relationships, Empathy, Social Responsibility; (4) Decision Making: Problem Solving, Reality Testing, Impulse Control; and (5) Stress Management: Flexibility, Stress Tolerance, Optimism. The analysis offers ways to optimize these capabilities to enhance your communication approach, elevate your performance, and strengthen interpersonal relationships. Learn more about EQ applications through previous blog posts.
#2 Enneagram
The Enneagram framework offers an in-depth look at why you may act and react as you do. Each of the nine numbers represents a worldview and archetype that connects with your core motivation and explains how you think, act, and feel. Additionally, it highlights your instinctual pattern and how it influences your type, which can automatically surface in response to stress or external triggers. Knowing this information can help you adopt techniques to offer you relief, prioritize self-care, and improve your relationship dynamics. Read more about the Enneagram uses.
#3 Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation™ (FIRO®)
William Schutz, Ph.D., developed the FIRO® instrument based on the theory that your distinctive interpersonal needs (Inclusion/Involvement, Control/Influence, Affection/Connection) strongly motivate you and influence your communication style and behaviors. It measures your Expressed Needs (i.e., behaviors you demonstrate toward others) and your Wanted Needs (the extent to which you want those behaviors exhibited toward you). Learning how to express yourself more authentically, and aligning with your needs, can increase transparency and collaboration in partnership and help to minimize sending mixed messages. View previous blogs on FIRO®.
#4 Myers-Briggs® Type Indicator (MBTI®)
The MBTI® was developed by the mother-daughter team, Katherine Briggs and Isabel Myers, based on Carl Jung’s theory of psychological type. Jung believed that our preferences are innate and shaped by environmental influences. He observed that we all live in two worlds: (1) the outer world of things, people, and events and (2) the inner world of thoughts, feelings, and reflections. Determining your preferences can help you strengthen relationships through open dialogue and inclusion of diverse thoughts, actions, and behavior to improve interpersonal communication, make better decisions, manage your career, and handle stress more effectively. Learn more about the MBTI®.
#5 Quantum Human Design™
Human Design is a form of personality typing based on a fusion of modern science and ancient wisdom, created by Ra Uru Hu. It integrates the chakra system, astrology, quantum physics, and knowledge from the I Ching and Kabbalah. Quantum Human Design™, created by Karen Curry Parker, uses updated, more expressive, and empowering language. Using your exact birth date, year, and time, you receive a personalized body graph that visually represents information about who you are, your personality traits, tendencies, energy blueprint, and your soul and life purpose. By understanding your system and recognizing conditioning and limiting beliefs holding you back from operating at your highest expression. View previous blogs on Quantum Human Design™.
#6 Sparketype®
The Sparketype® was created in 2018 by Jonathan Fields and helps you discover the work that makes you feel alive, as well as activities that deplete your energy. There are ten types, each with its own impulses, tendencies, behaviors, and preferences that show up uniquely based on your experiences and personality. Through an interactive exercise, this assessment will determine what ignites your passion and identify the orientations, preferences, and values you need to feel engaged, at ease, and comfortable at work or when collaborating with others. During the session, you’ll create a one-pager, known as the “Spark Canvas™” that will support you in career planning. Check out additional Sparketype® content.
Self-exploration and discovery can be less daunting—albeit even fun.
So don’t go it alone. Reach out and connect with an advocate rooting for your success. Grab a trusted friend, partner, or colleague and reach out to a certified coach who can help distill the data into something meaningful that you can learn from. Contact me to schedule a free consultation. It would be a privilege to help guide you.
Activate your best with those around you.
Self-leadership is about getting to know yourself better and applying that knowledge to how you interact with others. As a lifelong student, master certified coach, and consultant, activating the best in others through self-leadership, interpersonal relations, and team dynamics are passions of mine. My approach centers on you and is customized to your needs, tapping into various assessments, disciplines, modalities, and techniques.