We all took a Personality Test - now what?
Daniel Ord
I help and inspire people around the world through professional training in Contact Centers, Customer Service & Customer Experience
"We all took a Personality Test - so how do we use what we learned in our coaching conversations?"
That’s what the Customer Service Manager asked me during a training course on coaching.
“We all took a Personality Test and I learned that I am like this and that my direct reports are like that. So how do I use the results of these Personality Tests in our quality coaching conversations?”
That’s a fair question.
One I hear now and then in our coaching classes.
?
So I asked this question in return
Generally in Customer Service communication, I advise folks to not answer a question with a question.?
That approach can be rude – even aggressive.
But my intention in answering a question with a question here was to get us all to dig more deeply into what the answer might be.??
Here’s what I asked –
“Before we get into the specifics of 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 many possible conversations you’re having with your people throughout the day.
For example, you might share with a Team Member that you observed something good or you observed something not so good.
Perhaps you praised something or provided guidance on a task. Maybe you asked someone to stay late if they could. You might have even given a formal performance review.
So stop now and ask yourselves - how have you used what you learned in the personality tests in any of these other conversations?”
Your answers here will serve as 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.
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But what folks had learned about each other hadn’t been put into any kind of formal practice.
The whole exercise had been treated like a parlor game.?
And wasn't appearing in any of the conversations that people had with each other.
It’s important to 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 make mutually about working together apply to the entire relationship.
To all the conversations that you have. Not just the coaching conversation.
This 'aha moment' for the group completely changed the question.
From "How can we use what we learned from our Personality Tests in a coaching conversation?" to "How can we use what we learned in our Personality Tests to improve and build our relationship with each other?"
And I admit that made me smile.
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Daniel Ord