Posts for tag: psychometric

What Makes Them Tick?

Psychologists now agree that our personalities are hard wired by the time we are just four years old!

This may sound ridiculous but if we compare two young siblings, with the same parents and a very similar upbringing, the chances are that they will have quite different personalities. One may be outgoing and gregarious while the other is reserved and prefers to read a good book. One might be cautious while the other embraces risk. One might be competitive while the other prefers to collaborate. Despite coming from the same home, siblings rarely share the same core motivations.
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The Future Of Psychometric Tests?

Thirty years ago psychometric tests were largely administered by men in white coats and viewed by most managers with a healthy dose of scepticism. Now, most people in senior business roles will have completed a psychometric questionnaire either as part of a recruitment process or within a leadership development programme.

In recent years the number of psychometric tools has increased significantly. Quality varies hugely along with cost. A quick search on line or flick through a magazine will provide access to numerous free questionnaires, all claiming to unveil your hidden abilities and confirm your suitability to a given job role. At the other end of the spectrum you can pay several hundred pounds for a tool that will generate a ‘personal report’ an inch thick full of psychological terminology and coloured charts. Both have their place and probably contain some useful insights, if you are able to find them….

Team Psychometrics What Are They?

Despite the scary sounding name, users of psychometrics often report that they enjoy the process and feel encouraged by the output.

Psychometrics are not the daunting prospect many think they are. Facilitated properly they can be quite the opposite

In simple terms a psychometric is a questionnaire that helps the user better understand themselves. In a team this is an excellent way to identify colleagues’ strengths and preferences. For instance a questionnaire might say that Sue is creative and sociable who works best when given regular feedback by her manager whilst Dave is disciplined and analytical, preferring to be set a task and left alone to get on until he’s completed the work….

Management lessons from Masterchef

As the hit BBC series builds towards the final, I find myself in a cluster of  Derbyshire holiday cottages with a team of bright young managers about to discover more about their management style through the medium of cooking.

The original team building activity

This group have given up two days of their hectic schedules to invest time in getting to know each other better and to take time out as a team.  By combining proven tools such as the psychometric Strengths Deployment Inventory along with team exercises the group will begin to bond as friends rather than colleagues.

Eating together is probably the original team building activity and when those around the table have all contributed to the feast, each mouthful is all the more satisfying.  All too often we separate our behaviour at work from our behaviour with friends more than is necessary.  Given we spend up to 60% of our waking lives with our work colleagues shouldn’t we make time to build friendships.  After all these are the people that influence our health, wealth and happiness more than any other.