We all took a personality test so now what?
This article is part of our Life at Work Series — where we explore the practices, challenges, and lessons that shape our professional lives.
I was asked this question in training
A Customer Service Manager asked me this during a training program on coaching.
“We all took a personality test and I am like this ___ and my colleague is like that ___, So how do we bring the results of our personality tests into the quality coaching conversation?”
That’s a fair question.
One I hear now and then in our coaching classes.
So I asked this question in return – about the personality test
I usually advise folks to not answer a question with a question. It can be considered rude – even aggressive.
But my intention was to use this question to get us to dig deeper into what the answer might be. Here’s what I asked –
“Before we get into the coaching conversation, can you talk to each other about the ways you’re already using what you learned from the personality test in all of the other conversations that you’re having with the people around you?”
I continued…
“Because the quality coaching conversation is only one of a dozen possible conversations you’re having with your people throughout the course of the day.
For example, you observed something good, you observed something not so good, you praised something, you provided guidance on a task, you asked someone to stay late if they could. Maybe you even gave a performance review.
How have you used what you learned about someone else – via the personality tests – in these other conversations?”
Then I concluded by saying –
“Your answers here are clues to how you can apply what you know about someone in a coaching conversation.”
The room got quiet and I bet you can guess why
It turned out that taking the personality test was kind of fun.
And learning about what kind of people we were was also kind of fun.
But what folks had learned about each other hadn’t been put into any kind of formal practice.
It had been treated like a parlor game. And wasn’t appearing in any of the conversations that people had with each other.
Get to know the people you work with on an individual level
As you learn about the people you work with and they learn about you, the decisions you mutually make about working together end up applying to the entire relationship.
To all conversations. Not just the coaching conversation.
https://www.omnitouchinternational.com/dear-trainers-engagement-shouldnt-be-the-goal
Thank you for reading!
I regularly share stories, strategies, and insights from our work across Contact Centers, Customer Service, and Customer Experience. If this resonates, I’d love to stay connected.
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Daniel Ord
[email protected]
www.omnitouchinternational.com
