I make all of my employees take a personality test
And it’s changed the way our company operates
I’ve always been interested in psychology. I guess you could say it was unavoidable. My dad’s a psychologist and my mom’s a counselor. Needless to say, my sisters and I grew up talking about our feelings a lot. Lemme tell you.
By the ripe age of three I responded to the tears of others with a pat on the back and a suggestion that they “get some sleep”.
Fast forward to kindergarden and I was a full-fledged psychological machine, explaining that class bullies were insecure, that good leaders were kind to everyone, and that we should listen to the teacher when she talked because teachers were people too.
I actually love the fact that I was raised by a psychologist and counselor— My parents simply taught me that every single person is a valuable individual. They taught me that there’s usually more to a situation than meets the eye. And they showed me that the first step to understanding others is to understand yourself.
Given my love of psychology, it’s no huge surprise that I decided to be an entrepreneur.
Wait. What does psychology have to do with business? Yep. Let’s talk about that. Psychology is the science of people. More specifically it’s the study of the human mind and how it influences behavior. If you believe that people are the core of business (I do) then you have to agree that the science of people plays an important role in the success of a company. From marketing a product to engaging in team discussions to selling your vision to investors, you’ll do a better job if you understand the people that you’re interacting with.
My story: I was working full-time at a large tech company when I founded my current company, Avelist. My team worked together on nights and weekends, separating to work at our respective corporate jobs during the day. It sounded like a good plan in the beginning, but I quickly learned that people needed motivation to work two jobs (especially when they were being paid little or nothing). And furthermore I realized that not everyone on my team was motivated by the same things as me.
This was the first leadership dilemma I faced with Avelist: How do I motivate people to work really crazy hours when I have very few resources with which to compensate them?
It was clear that I needed to understand what motivated each person as an individual. And that’s why I broke out the personality tests. It was an attempt to propel my company forward, to keep it moving, despite the fact that I had limited face time with my employees and limited funds with which to pay them.
I chose to use a book called Strengths Finder 2.0. The book is based on decades of psychological research and the premise is simple: people are more successful and more happy when they’re utilizing their natural talents. The test helps people identify their top 5 talents (or “strengths”) from a list of 34 options.
One of my team members tested strongly as a LEARNER. I realized that he needed variety in his tasks or else he’d get bored. As long as he had new things to learn, he’d be happy working insanely long hours.
Another member was FUTURISTIC. This meant he was best motivated by a dream of how he could change the world. When he lacked motivation, I simply needed to talk to him about the Avelist vision and the lives our work would impact. He was sold every time.
Another one of my team members was an ACHIEVER. He couldn’t stand meetings. He didn’t want to talk; he wanted to do. Since he needed to accomplish something each day in order to feel successful, it was important for me to give him projects in bite size pieces or else he felt like he wasn’t accomplishing anything and quickly become discouraged.
Those first test results were amazing. Suddenly I knew how to motivate each person on my team.
And I’m happy to say that the value of the Strengths Finder test went far beyond simple motivational tactics. It also impacted the way that I viewed members of my team. The things that had honestly annoyed me about certain individuals actually started to make sense. For example, that guy who always interrupted me during team meetings. I learned that one of his biggest strengths was INPUT. He was literally going crazy when he felt like his ideas weren’t being heard. The moment I started asking for his opinion in front of a group was the moment he stopped interupting me. And I began to appreciate the thing that used to drive me crazy. This guy no longer had the weakness of interruption, he had the strength of input.
The personality tests worked so well that I never stopped giving them. What started off as a desperate attempt to motivate part-time employees has evolved into an Avelist company tradition.
To this day I hand a Strengths Finder book to every new person who walks through our doors and we discuss their strengths together as a company. Other than that first group discussion we don’t talk about the personality test very often, but I store the information away in my head, taking note of each person’s strengths and weaknesses. And interestingly enough I find myself constantly reaching for that knowledge throughout the day. It’s become second nature, I guess. Here’s what it looks like in action.
1. I refer to the personality test results when I’m assigning tasks and projects.
If someone has the strength of ADAPTABILITY, I go to them when spontaneous tasks arise. Because I know that spontenaity doesn’t stress them out. In fact, they thrive off of those situations.
If someone else has the strength of INPUT, I don’t tell them the plan. I tell them the problem and let them brainstorm their way to the plan with me.
When I find someone who has the strength of RESPONSIBILITY, I cut back on the amount of “check ins” I have with them. I know they don’t need them. I let them create their own structure and accountability.
2. The test also helps me pair people together into effective teams.
Those who test strongly as DEVELOPERS (building up the talents of others) are put in mentoring roles.
If someone has the strength of IDEATION I try to partner them with someone who has the ACTIVATOR strength. Together they will think of awesome ideas and put those ideas into action. You get the picture…
3. Understanding what makes each person tick helps me motivate them.
If someone comes up with COMPETITION as a strength, I motivate them by giving them the opportunity to surpass others, an opportunity to end up on top.
If someone is FUTURISTIC, I know they’re motivated by a vision. I talk to them about the future of our company, the vision of what we want to achieve.
If someone tests strongly for SIGNIFICANCE, I know that they’re motivated by the impact that they’re able to make. So I explain the significance of each task that I give them. I’m also sure to praise them publicly when they make a significant contribution.
4. Understanding my employee’s strengths also makes me aware of their weaknesses.
Obviously there are times when someone needs to take on a task and it doesn’t fit within one of their strength descriptions. Does this mean I pass them over? Absolutely not! But it does mean that I’m aware when a project might be hard or stressful to someone and I’m careful to give them the encouragement and support that they need.
For example, if someone has the strength of DISCIPLINE, they operate best in a very structured environment. I know it might stress them out to be thrown a last-minute project, so when that situation arises I’m careful to let them know that I realize it’s a last-minute request. I might take the time to help them re-prioritize their schedule given the curveball I just threw them.
Likewise if someone doesn’t have the gift of COMMUNICATION I still might ask them to make a presentation, but I’d offer to let them practice in front of me before they present to a larger group. Or I might pair them with someone who does have the gift of communication to make the speech together. These are little things but I think they make a big difference in employee satisfaction and company success.
Could I lead my company without a personality test? Sure. Would I lead as effectively? I don’t think so.
When it comes down to it, it can take years of conversations and multiple types of situations to truly understand another person. The reality? Startups don’t have years to figure stuff out. And this is why my team takes personality tests. To better understand ourselves and each other. To figure out how we can best work together to accomplish our goals. I’ve found that these tests are a phenomenal way to quickly gauge a person’s strengths and weaknesses, to learn what motivates and inspires them, and to prompt deep and important conversations between me and my employees. I highly suggest you try it!
