Personality Assessments: Helpful Tool or Culture Fixer?
Personality assessments have become a popular activity in organizations, often used for team building or self-awareness. At Slingshot25, we believe they have their place in helping people understand themselves and others, but it’s important to set realistic expectations. Personality assessments, while insightful, won’t solve deeper issues like culture problems or performance gaps.
Take StrengthsFinder, for example—a tool we use and are certified in. It offers a valuable framework for identifying individual strengths, but there’s a caveat that often gets overlooked: any strength, when dialed up too high, can become a weakness. A leader who leans too heavily on their strategic thinking might miss opportunities to collaborate or show empathy. This is why it’s crucial to maintain balance and flexibility when using your strengths.
What we’ve also seen too many times is leaders using personality assessments as an excuse for their own or their team’s behavior. “That’s just how I am,” or “It’s my strength,” becomes a way to avoid dealing with challenges or behaviors that need adjustment. Personality assessments are not a free pass for tolerating unproductive or disruptive behavior; they’re simply a tool to understand different perspectives and preferences, not a solution to cultural dysfunction.
At their best, assessments provide a shared language for teams to discuss how they work together, but it’s up to leaders to foster an environment of accountability, growth, and continuous improvement. Tools don’t change culture—leaders do.
If you’re using assessments like StrenthsFinder in your organization, remember to leverage them as a guide to better conversations and deeper understanding. But don’t expect them to do the hard work of fixing performance or creating a collaborative culture. That takes leadership, intentionality, and real engagement with your team.
For more on how to lead effectively and create meaningful change in your organization, reach out to Slingshot25 for a consultation at Slingshot25.com/contact.
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