A Clearer Selfie

In the Hans Christian Anderson Fairy Tale, “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” two weavers formulate a ruse by deceiving the emperor into thinking they have made him a beautiful new set of clothes. Despite having on only his underwear, when the emperor looks in the mirror, he believes he sees himself in these new garments. Are our blind spots much different?

 

For example:

• The leader who changes directions monthly and then wonders why there is never any buy into projects or new endeavors.
• The colleague who has their desk facing the wall with the chair back to the office door and wonders why no one can connect with them.
• The executive who explodes or bullies people and wonders why no one will openly communicate with them.
• Those who have the inability to fully recognize or describe the value they bring or could potentially bring to an organization.

OK, sorry for my own ruse. Obviously, I’m not talking about pictures in this article, but self-assessment. Is a self-assessment the be all, end all, silver bullet to self-improvement? Not hardly, but it’s a great place to begin. First, one must be willing to understand and entertain the fact that we often don’t know what we don’t know and be curious. The key is being willing to have an open mind and at least entertain the idea, that we might not understand something about ourselves and could even be, at least in part, contributing to the problem at hand. The even bigger key is then being willing to make a change for the better. How can we get a clearer selfie in the form of self-assessment?

• Take a 360 assessment
• Take a scientifically based model DISC assessment
• Take an EQ assessment
• Being a member of a good master mind group can provide valuable feedback
• Obtain feedback from a trusted family members, colleagues, friends, co-workers, and mentors.
• A professional coach will help you take a “selfie” and guide you in seeing what is and what isn’t in the picture.
• A scientifically based assessment like the TriMetrix HD will give a well-rounded view and tacking on an EQ assessment will empower you even more.

Yes, a self-assessment can be empowering. Many have a fuzzy picture of assessments as being invasive, scary, and even painful. They can be all these. However, they can be not only empowering, but enlightening, eye opening, help you sell yourself better for jobs, careers, and promotions, and provide you with the foundation to become your best self in business, work, life, and career. Now that’s a beautiful picture!

How will you begin your self-assessment journey? For more information on where to begin, Let's get started