Most coaching practices integrate assessments into their suite of services. They can be invaluable for clients; building awareness, enabling insights, offering perspective, identifying preferences, strengths, capabilities and pinpointing development opportunities. Inside a coaching relationship, they are a great way to open and ignite the conversation.
That said, I’m wary of over-reliance on assessment tools. There are a few things to be aware of:
- No tool can tell you who you are. You are complex and evolving and the whole point of life is to change and grow; they are simply an adjunct to the process of self discovery.
- Choose fit-for-purpose tools, invest in a thorough debriefing process and take the time to reflect on and apply the learning so that you secure the return on investment.
- The assessments you choose to complete need to pass the tests of validity (is it accurate?) and reliability (is it consistent?). Some tools don’t; that doesn’t discredit their use altogether but let’s just say, you are not likely to choose your partner on the outcome of a ten-question Cosmo quiz … are you?
- You need to work with a coach who is qualified to administer the assessment and is experienced in its application to your context. There are plenty of people who have been assessed over the years and have not been professionally debriefed. At the very least, a learning opportunity has been lost; sometimes it creates skepticism of all assessments, even more learning opportunities lost. Worse still, it can damage one’s sense of self worth and identity – you may not see the damage but that doesn’t mean it isn’t there.
- Accessing 360-degree feedback will enable you to gain valuable insight into how your performance is perceived across different groups. It pays to remember though, that feedback from others is perception-based; it doesn’t make the feedback valid or invalid but is rather something for you to consider. It’s your life and your choice.
The secret of happiness is freedom.
The secret of freedom is courage.
Thucydides