Do you know the best thing about hanging with smart coaches (like Ericka, Laurie, Michele, and Pam) and the smart people they know?
Aside from the laugh-out-loud phone calls and lunches, I mean.
It’s their objectivity.
And their sensitivity.
And the clarity that comes with combining those two things.
My Insight Posse
Now when it comes to Ericka, Laurie, Michele, and Pam, don’t go picturing the Stygian witches answering questions with only one eye, one ear, and one tooth shared among them! Each has a whole different mean, manner, and method. But no matter how tangled the knot is that I bring them, they unravel my confusion and frustration to hand back a tidy ball of good sense and direction.
Sometimes they offer a sentence that leads to instant insight—I can actually hear the click-buzz of the lightbulb going on.
Sometimes they fork over a tough question that needs a week (or two) of chewing to get something out of it.
Sometimes they’re a mirror returning what I already know (which is more helpful than it may sound).
And sometimes they suggest a DIY Insight tool that delivers even more bright, chewy, shiny bits. It amazes me the perspective that can come from multiple choice answers to simple, straightforward questions. Check it out —
Two DIY Insight Tools
Kolbe
The thing about the Kolbe exams is there are no wrong answers, or better or worse results—no matter what score you get, it’s all good. Rather than test how smart you are or what kind of person you are, the Kolbe A Index determines what you naturally and instinctively do. Equally valuable (to me) was the Kolbe Career MO+ assessment, which pointed to work that suited my inherent work style, not just my knowledge or skillset.
Through the Kolbe lens, I’m 8-7-2-3
That cryptic code translates into: Strategic Planner. When presented with a problem or task, I’ll tend to resolve it by creatively gathering information and organizing it systematically. It also means I’m not a risk taker and that I’m at my best with the written word, charts, graphs, and diagrams.
Which, among other things, explained why I’m damned good with business data and was a craptacular architecture student. Every skills and personality test says I would make a great architect, and yet I was mediocre and miserable every minute I spent learning how to do it. What a relief to have that little mystery solved.
So I find it way interesting that the data-related work I love was on my Kolbe careers list twice but Architect wasn’t on it at all. Astute, yeh?
If you want to give this a whirl, you can get your Kolbe score here (I thought it was well worth the fee).
Strengths Finder 2.0
This is another assessment with no wrong answers. The focus here is uncovering your top talents and making a good fit out of whatever work you choose. They say it’s more effective to invest our limited time and energy into honing natural talents than repairing weaknesses we’ll never excel at. Self-improvement is the goal, of course, but the focus is doing your best with your best (which makes good sense to me).
Through the Strengths Finder 2.0 lens, my top 5 talent “themes” are Learner, Strategic, Intellection, Input, and Analytical.
Again, a little cryptic out there on their own, right? But the personalized report details each theme and offers 50 Action Ideas to pick from and work with. For me, that means scheduling uninterrupted quiet time to learn new stuff and trusting more in my intuition. It also means taking time to mull over my goals until I’m satisfied I can see the sequence of events clearly.
My Action Ideas list featured things I already do, like writing each day to organize my thoughts, using a detailed plan to stay focused on the day’s (and week’s and year’s) tasks, and hanging with people who help me take action on my ideas.
I do so love that the list includes things I already know work well for me. Very telling, that.
If you’d like to give this a try, you can get your Strengths Finder 2.0 score here (this one was worth the money, too).
So.
For me, 2010 has been the Year of Exploring Widely, Trying New Things, Meeting New People, And I’m Ready to Settle Down And Make The Hard Choices Now.
It’s also been the Year of Accepting Myself As I Am Wow Look At All This Free Time I Have Now That I’ve Stopped Spending Hours Worrying About What I’m Not, What I Lack, And What I Don’t (Yet) Know How To Do.
With that behind me, I can’t imagine what 2011 is gonna be like.
But between my Insight Posse and those DIY tools, next year’s plan has all kinds of bright, chewy, shiny bits to guide me and add sparkle to the year. I hope they can do the same for you—
Ericka’s blog — Social Change Diva
Laurie’s blog — Create. Amplify. Thrive.
Michele’s blog — Life Frameworks
Pam’s blog — Escape from Cubicle Nation
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Where (and who) did you get your insights and inspiration from this year?
Lemme know down below…
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Photo credit: Jason Tester
