Using Psychometric tools for Change
After 20 years of trying every career tool and quiz in sight I find a real gem!
So how exactly did I lose 2 hours on a beautiful Tuesday afternoon? Was it because Claire was superbly experienced in the psychometric assessment The Birkman Method ® (TBM) or was it that I had just found my favourite psychometric tool yet?
Well a bit of both really. After writing the ‘Destination Dream Job Journal’ Claire approached me to try the test as she felt it would resonate well with my holistic, positive psychological approach to careers guidance. She was completely right!
Let’s just say I’ve been a fan of psychometric tests for 20 plus years. As a teen I would try any quiz going and then try and break it. Most failed the test and I could be a mostly a’s answer or b’s, c’s or d’s (a bit like horoscopes) or just guess my outcome. Later as part of my psychology degree we designed psychometric tests and I enjoyed Myers Briggs and Morrisby but still there was an element of making it read what you wanted. TBM however was revelatory for me.
In summary, Birkman measures self-perception, social perception and motivation, using a range of scales that assess how you see yourself, your perception of others and the tasks and activities that interest you most. From this data, you get a picture of your preferences in terms of how you relate to others (e.g. group orientation vs independence, directness vs tact, competitiveness vs collaboration) and your approach to work (e.g. action vs reflection, structure vs flexibility). You also gain insight into the way in which you expect others to show up – your expectations, or “non-negotiable expectations for environments and desired situations” (Needs) – and, surprise, surprise these can often be different from how you believe that you show up. This helps you see where you are successful and conversely, conflicted and then you can identify strategies for change or use it to help you choose a career. It also gives you the opportunity to reflect on the extent to which your environment and relationships provide what works best for you and to consider strategies that might help to improve things.
This was different to any other psych test I have done before because it gave specific numerical values and graphical descriptors that made complete sense to the layperson and allowed me to identify and action my own areas for change pretty immediately after receiving my report.
Furthermore most tests only measure you at a specific point in time. TBM stays stable over time for people and is also applicable cross culturally and internationally.
The coaching interview was empowering and Claire was able to nudge me to consider conflicts in a relaxed non-judgemental way which really allowed me to build my action plan.
This tool would be great for company CEOs looking to build an efficient and complementary team as you can layer the grids of skill, interest, need and stress behaviours to anticipate areas of success and tension within a team. I would also say it was great for students looking for career areas for success and for individuals looking to become more efficient, effective and aware across all their relationships.
So that’s how my 1 hour turned into 2. The experience was fun and uplifting and Claire was supportive and thorough throughout. The Birkman experience was a very positive one and has made a big impact on me. I am reassured about my fit to my current role and have also broken through some personal blocks and become more self-aware as a result. I would recommend The Birkman Method ® for a powerful and sophisticated (but simple to understand) way of facilitating group and individual change.
Claire Keogh is the Director of Keogh Consulting Services and a Master Certified Birkman Professional and the Authorised Trainer for Birkman UK. The Birkman Method ®
