Tools, Assessments And Personal Success

I love assessments!

Whether it’s a physical assessment like Functional Movement Screening, emotional assessment like Virtues in Action or mental assessments like Personality Style Indicator, I think assessments and other tools help in exposing areas for improvement as well as our strong areas.

Tools and assessments are used to support us in understanding a little more about ourselves. They do not tell us everything about who we are, but rather are used to identify specific characteristics or to assess certain measure such as knowledge or skills, attitudes or beliefs that will assist us in achieving our personal goals and personal success.

There are two types of assessments, educational assessments or psychometric assessments.

Educational assessment is the process of documenting, usually in measurable terms, knowledge, skills, attitudes and beliefs. Assessment can focus on the individual learner, the learning community (class, workshop, or other organized group of learners), the institution, or the educational system as a whole.

According to the Academic Exchange Quarterly: “Studies of a theoretical or empirical nature (including case studies, portfolio studies, exploratory, or experimental work) addressing the assessment of learner aptitude and preparation, motivation and learning styles, learning outcomes in achievement and satisfaction in different educational contexts are all welcome, as are studies addressing issues of measurable standards and benchmarks,”

It is important to notice that the final purposes and assessment practices in education depends on the theoretical framework of the practitioners and researchers, their assumptions and beliefs about the nature of human mind, the origin of knowledge and the process of learning. (Wikipedia)

Psychometrics is the field of study concerned with the theory and technique of educational and psychological measurement, which includes the measurement of knowledge, abilities, attitudes, and personality traits.

The field is primarily concerned with the construction and validation of measurement instruments, such as questionnaires, tests, and personality assessments. It involves two major research tasks, namely: (i) the construction of instruments and procedures for measurement; and (ii) the development and refinement of theoretical approaches to measurement.

Those who practice psychometrics are known as psychometricians and although they may also be clinical psychologists, they are not obliged to be so and could instead be (for example) human resources or learning and development professionals. Either way specific, separate, qualifications in psychometrics are required. (Wikipedia)

In addition, tools are a range of resources available for you to use to help you reach personal success. The varieties of tools are exhaustive ranging from worksheets to questionnaires to certain practices.

One of the important practices that must be adhered to when using assessments or tools is to recognize that they are designed to provide information around a certain area of a person. They are not conclusive and a process to be used in coaching, consulting, human resources, management or other areas.

The best way to use an assessment is to determine first what you are wanting to measure. Once you have decided then you can do a search on the internet…or as me. Once you find the right assessment for you, complete the assessment and then you are provided with a report.

Some assessments on the internet are free and some have a fee attached. Assessments that are free are more like completing a quiz of a short assessment and don’t usually provide a comprehensive report. They are more used for fun in learning a little about yourself in a range of different areas.

Paid assessments that have been tested and measured are more professional and valuable to use. Assessments are developed using a range of theories and designs. A great deal of work and thought goes into the design of each assessment.

Some assessments do not require you to be accredited to use them. However it is important that you know all about how the assessment works before you use it on yourself or someone else.

The best way to know how assessments work and what specific areas they cover is to assess yourself. Take as many assessments in different areas as possible. Look at the assessments that you feel most aligned with in terms of the design and beliefs upon which is was constructed.

Application

When was the last time you took and assessment and what was the impact of it?  It is a great opportunity to observe yourself through the language of assessments. It also provides an opportunity to distance yourself from the language as it is not someone’s opinion of you. This allows for greater observation. Taking assessments gives you insight.

Contemplation

Consider an area that you would like to observe more about yourself and take an assessment in this? Design a set of action steps to take as a result of seeing the outcome of the assessment that will help you achieve your personal goals.

Coaching Application

Assessments are used in my success coaching in two ways. The first is at the beginning when I am starting to work with a client. An assessment at the starting point provides me with more information about my client.

Part of my success coaching is about identifying behaviors that my clients have. Identifying behaviors can be done through the coaching conversation. It is through this that standards or distinctions can be made. Observations can also be discussed as an assessment. When a client carries out an assessment it provides them with an insight into a part of them, allowing them to observe it through the language of the assessment.

Once a client has taken an assessment then the next step is to understand the structure of how the client interprets the assessment. To skip over this is to lose the value of the assessment and the process of including it.

The opportunity for me to better understand my client can also be lost here too. In coaching, an assessment is like a reference. I work with my client to really see how they are interpreting the assessment results and what they have learned about themselves.

Remember no assessment can ever fully capture all details of a person such as their feelings, thoughts, potential, etc. The use of assessments to label people is also brings in judgment.

I work at removing any expectations I may have created from seeing the results of my client’s assessment, as this could influence my client’s behavior and create a perception for me that is not correct. An assessment gives form and shape to what a I can observe about the my client without limiting the client to the parameters of the assessment.

Assessments give us language in which to speak about a person, they are not the person. In addition remember that as humans we change and adapt. Labeling a person would be detrimental to them and any relationship you may have with that person.

As I have moved through my coaching I have found other ways to use assessments. A client may be looking at wanting to develop a particular area or may want to gather language to understand a particular aspect of themselves a little further. An appropriate assessment at this point is useful and discussing the outcome of it and the client’s interpretation makes a coaching session very productive.

Every assessment you take must lead to action steps. Being able to observe yourself through the language of assessment you will form certain conclusions about how the assessment will inform how you want to develop or move forward. Creating action steps will support you in this process.

At any stage throughout success coaching, a coach can use a range of tools or resources. This completely depends on the areas the client wants to work towards. Tools and assessments do not define the success coaching process or determine the conversation or judgments about a person.

An assessment is a great way to use language from an independent resource to support yourself and to see aspects of yourself rather than coming from your own personal opinion. This distance provides the safety that you may need to discuss your assessment outcome with a coach or friend

Reflection

• What assessments have you taken and how did you interpret them?
• How did your interpretations impact you?
• What other areas of your life can an assessment be useful?

I like to use two sources from the assessments I use.  The first has a great deal of variety and covers most aspects to achieve your personal goals and personal success.  You can view the complete line of assessments here at CRG Leader.

The next recourse is from Penn University and are based on Positive Physiology.  You can see the list of assessments here at Authentic Happiness.

Please let me know your experience with assessments in the comments below.