One of our clients forwarded us a link to a whitepaper written by TalentSmart, provider of the Emotional Intelligence Appraisal® and the Emotional Intelligence Appraisal® – Multi-Rater Edition (360º). The article and YouTube video were both excellent, so we are including the links to both below:
While we use a different set of tools to measure Emotional Intelligence (EQi, EQi 360, and Team Emotional and Social Intelligence (TESI); the article and video nicely convey the power of emotional intelligence.
This also provided an opportunity for us to talk about the plethora of assessments available to coaches, how we came to develop our coaching model and choose the assessments that support and inform it.
Central to our coaching model is the concept that every person has a Positive Core. The more familiar we are with it, the more fluidly we are able to draw on it, and thus are best able to meet the world in a constructive and effective way. For our coaching model, this translates into a strength, or asset-based approach that incorporates both Appreciative Inquiry and Positive Psychology. We help clients discover what is “right” about themselves, rather than engaging in a search and destroy mission to find what is broken. Our model rests on the belief that the questions we ask will tend to focus our attention in a particular direction, so rather than asking “what is wrong and needs to be fixed?” we seek to find what is functioning well, and build on that.
We don’t ignore weaknesses. Everyone has less than stellar attributes, and we all engage in some misguided ways of going about things. We have found, however, that oftentimes weaknesses are strengths overused, analogous to the “red zone” on a speedometer. Curiosity is an excellent trait, but overused, it becomes intrusively annoying. Courage can become foolhardiness.
We employ assessments to help our clients become informed on their Positive Core from four different perspectives(direct links in sidebar):
- Values – VIA Survey of Character Strengths
- Strengths – StrengthsFinder 2.0 and/or Realise 2
- Thinking and Behaviour Preferences – Emergenetics
- Ways of Taking Action & Solving Problems – Kolbe A Index
There are many excellent assessments out there. The ones we use are empirically-based with robust databases built over many years from reputable sources. This isn’t to say that there aren’t others that fit those criteria, and there is much academic debate and even some posturing among companies.
A final point on assessments. We believe in the value of multiple assessments. No single assessment or tool can adequately capture an individual’s unique set of skills, talents, values, and abilities. Our clients find the greatest value in the rich data that emerges from multiple assessments. We have selected the ones that best suit our strengths-based approach, and will continue to survey the landscape as new findings come to light with evolving research.