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PROFESSIONAL ASSESSMENTS
Concerns at work? An assessment can help!
Quick Quizzes
Our free “Quick Quizzes” can help you better understand yourself, your colleagues, and your workplace. For a more in-depth look at your work style or career interests, consider one of the Professional Assessments in the next section.
This quiz provides a general idea of your extraverted or introverted tendencies. The styles are described at the end of the quiz. (NOTE: A Quick Quiz does not substitute for a formal psychological assessment.)
This Quick Quiz provides a general idea of whether you are more focused on tasks or relationships. The styles are described at the end of the quiz. (NOTE: A Quick Quiz does not substitute for a formal psychological assessment.)
In your communication toolbox, direct and indirect skills are like a hammer and screwdriver: both are helpful, but you need to use the right tool at the right time. Trying to hang a picture with a screwdriver is frustrating. And not very effective.
The old saying “different strokes for different folks” is certainly true when it comes to work. For vocational happiness, you need to find a job that matches your own motivational profile. To get an idea of what turns you on at work, consider the motivational patterns below. Then, in the following section, you can rate your own level of interest in each one and the degree to which your current job provides it.
Have you ever found yourself saying any of the following: “No one ever knows how much I contribute around here!” “People only get promoted because of who they know, not what they do.” “I never get considered for any of the big assignments.” If so, you may be an Office Wallflower.
To become less wimpy and more assertive, check out this quiz.
You’ve probably worked with people who just can’t stop talking about themselves. They rattle on and on about topics in which you have absolutely no interest. When you see them coming, your first thought is “how can I escape?”. These annoying chatterboxes inspired someone to coin the term “TMI”, short for “too much information”.
The only thing certain in life is change, and people react to change in different ways. But since change is a constant at work, the wrong reaction can sometimes be a career-killer. Can you spot your “change personality” in these five descriptions? See if you are an Optimist, a Follower, a Worrier, a Resister, or an Advocate.
Do some of your coworkers just drive you crazy? Probably so. But consider this possibility: Could you be an annoying coworker yourself? The fifteen behaviors listed below are often the source of coworker complaints. Take an honest look at yourself and consider whether you might be guilty of any troublesome behaviors. Can you see yourself here?
“Positive psychology” looks at the aspects of life that contribute to our well-being and happiness. Since most of us spend a large percentage of our waking hours at work, your job has a large impact on the way you feel about your life. To see if your job measures up, rate it on the “happiness scale” below, which includes the factors that positive psychologists cite as important.
Do you ever experience “Sunday night dread’? That’s the sinking feeling in your stomach when you anticipate returning to work on Monday. If so, it may be a sign that you’re becoming burned out at work.
Some organizations are poisonous, and they can infect everyone who works there. But if you have been in a toxic workplace too long, you may have come to accept sick behavior as normal. And you may even start to think that there’s something wrong with you.
On almost any list of dreaded activities, “job search” is near the top. So what’s worse than looking for a new job? Staying in a bad one. Here are some signs that it may be time for you to go:
Although no magic formula exists for predicting job security, this Quick Quiz can help you consider various factors that may determine whether you wind up on a layoff list. Although some things are out of your control, many are not. For job security advice, check out How to Avoid Losing Your Job.
Many people become managers without really understanding what management is all about. Maybe they just liked the idea of having a bigger paycheck and a nicer office. Or perhaps they never sought the job, but got promoted anyway. Whatever the reason, they are suddenly faced with unexpected and uncomfortable requirements.
This is often the case with Wimpy Managers, who are extremely uncomfortable making tough decisions and having difficult conversations. As a result, they become increasingly ineffective. To assess your own wimpy tendencies, check out the statements below.
This quiz provides a general idea of how you prefer to lead meetings.
Two different styles are described at the end of the quiz.
Two different styles are described at the end of the quiz.
Every job has frustrations – no question about that! But problems become bearable when they are balanced by activities that excite, motivate, or energize us. Mentally put your work on a balance scale, imagining all the frustrations piled up on one side. Now think of the “energizers” that help to offset those aggravations.
“Political power” refers to your ability to accomplish goals at work, both in terms of your job and your career. The results you produce, your reputation, your relationships with people – these and many other factors contribute to your political power. The quiz below invites you to rate yourself on some Political Power Boosters.
One of the primary reasons that managers exist is to make decisions. But since managers are just human beings, their decisions are often influenced by certain personality traits or flaws in thinking. Assess yourself on the decision-making biases listed below, then try using the balancing strategies to make better decisions.
The cultural differences described below are often observed in organizations. Since these are stereotyped descriptions, many organizations will exhibit characteristics of more than one type.
Professional Assessments
Having issues with your boss or coworkers? Trying to decide on a job change or career shift? Concerned that your team may be having problems? A professional assessment can help!
A. Work Style Surveys
The more you know about yourself, the better decisions you can make about your job and your career. Office Coach career and work style assessments can help you identify your strengths & development needs, build a better relationship with your boss, communicate with challenging colleagues, and choose a job that fits your personality and temperament.
Phone coaching clients can receive assessments at no charge after their first session. However, an additional appointment will be required to discuss the results of the assessment.
The following assessments are available through Your Office Coach . . .
- Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
- FIRO-B Interaction Styles Survey
- Listening Style Survey
- DISC Work Styles
- Strong Career Interest Inventory
- CPI Leadership Effectiveness
If you are interested in taking an assessment survey, or if you have additional questions, please email Marie McIntyre at mmcintyre@yourofficecoach.com.
B. Team Assessments
Just as individuals benefit from developmental activities, so do groups. Teams can become more effective by gathering data about productivity and relationships, then using the results to develop specific success strategies.
Leadership Teams
Developed through an extensive research project involving more than 500 management team members, the Team Effectiveness Assessment for Management (TEAM) measures a leadership group’s effectiveness on five specific Success Factors. A management team’s success or failure usually rides on their ability to implement these factors effectively.
Work Groups
Working in teams can be both rewarding and frustrating. Team development assessments use the perceptions of group members to make the team more collaborative, productive, and successful.
If you are interested in a team survey, or if you have additional questions, please email Marie McIntyre at mmcintyre@yourofficecoach.com.
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