In the competitive landscape of modern business, executive coaching has become an essential tool for developing high-performing leaders. A key component that enhances the effectiveness of coaching programmes is personality profiling.
By understanding individual personality traits, coaches can tailor their approaches to meet the unique needs of their clients. This blog explores a few personality profiling tools which I incorporate into my coaching programmes, including Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), Values in Action (VIA), Emotional Intelligence (EI/EQ) questionnaires, strengths cards, and 360-degree feedback, highlighting their roles and benefits in executive coaching.
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is one of the most widely used personality profiling tools in executive coaching. Based on Carl Jung’s theory of psychological types, the MBTI categorises individuals into 16 distinct personality types based on four opposites:
- Extraversion (E) vs. Introversion (I)
- Sensing (S) vs. Intuition (N)
- Thinking (T) vs. Feeling (F)
- Judging (J) vs. Perceiving (P)
Individuals are categorised by a combination of these 8 letters, for example: ENTP, EFSJ, ISTJ, INFP. By identifying these preferences, coaches can help leaders understand their inherent strengths, potential blind spots, and how they interact with others. For example, an introverted leader might learn strategies to effectively communicate in extroverted environments, while an intuitive thinker might focus on grounding their visionary ideas with practical details.
Values in Action (VIA)
The Values in Action classification focuses on positive psychology, identifying an individual’s core character strengths from a list of 24, such as creativity, bravery, honesty, and leadership. Unlike other profiling tools that may highlight weaknesses, VIA emphasises strengths, fostering a positive foundation for personal and professional development.
In coaching, VIA can be particularly powerful. By recognising and leveraging their core strengths, leaders can boost their confidence, resilience, and overall effectiveness. For instance, a leader with a high score in creativity might be encouraged to approach problem-solving with innovative strategies, while someone strong in leadership might focus on inspiring and motivating their team.
Emotional Intelligence questionnaires
In executive coaching, psychometric testing helps in understanding the deeper aspects of a leader’s personality including cognitive abilities, personality traits, and Emotional Intelligence.
For example, tests assessing Emotional Intelligence (EI), often referred to as Emotional Quotient (EQ), can identify how well a leader understands and manages their emotions, as well as providing insights into an individual’s behaviour, motivations, and potential, all of which are critical factors for effective leadership. These insights enable coaches to design specific interventions to enhance emotional regulation, empathy, and interpersonal skills.
Key benefits of EI/EQ questionnaires in executive coaching:
Self-awareness: By evaluating their Emotional Intelligence, leaders gain a better understanding of their emotional strengths and weaknesses. This self-awareness is the foundation for personal growth and improved leadership capabilities.
Enhanced interpersonal skills: EI/EQ assessments help leaders recognise and manage their emotions, fostering better communication, conflict resolution, and relationship-building skills. These interpersonal skills are crucial for creating a positive and productive work environment.
Improved decision-making: Leaders with high Emotional Intelligence are better equipped to handle stress, manage their impulses, and make informed decisions that consider both logical and emotional factors. This balanced approach leads to more effective and sustainable decision-making.
Greater resilience: Understanding and managing emotions enhances a leader’s ability to cope with challenges and setbacks. EI/EQ questionnaires help identify areas where resilience can be strengthened, enabling leaders to maintain their composure and focus under pressure.
Empathy and team cohesion: Assessing empathy through EI/EQ questionnaires allows leaders to understand and relate to the emotions of their team members. This empathy fosters trust, collaboration, and a sense of belonging, contributing to higher team morale and performance.
Strength cards
Compared to traditional psychometrics, strength cards provide a practical and affordable tool which can be used to supplement or an alternative to traditional profiling tests and questionnaires.
They are portable, reusable, and versatile, making them an excellent tool for coaches to identify core strengths in individuals. Designed to be simple, attractive and flexible, each card features a single word to stimulate awareness of strengths and will generally have an evocative photograph on the other side. There are also digital strength cards decks and exercises available online.
There is a range of ways a coach can use strengths cards with a coachee, using either the words, pictures or a combination of both. They are ideal for provoking thought and opening up conversation around what people do best.
Strength cards and performance: Natural strengths are central to outstanding performance. By helping individuals recognise their key strengths that consistently drive their success, coaches can boost their coachees’ self-confidence and resilience. Focusing on these strengths for future performance increases motivation and their chances of success.
Strength cards and leadership: Strength cards also assist leaders in understanding and managing their strengths. Effective leaders acknowledge their weaknesses and mitigate their impact. Recognising and wisely using their strengths is equally important. Leaders who are aware of their strengths can apply them more effectively and understand that others may not share the same strengths. This understanding enables leaders to build well-rounded teams, leveraging collective strengths and addressing weaknesses for overall improvement.
360-degree feedback
360-degree feedback is a comprehensive profiling tool that gathers input from an individual’s peers, subordinates, supervisors, and sometimes clients. This multi-source feedback provides a well-rounded view of a leader’s behaviour, performance, and impact on others.
This tool is useful in executive coaching because it offers a reality check against self-perception, highlighting areas of strength and opportunities for growth from various perspectives. A leader might learn that while they perceive themselves as decisive, their team views them as somewhat autocratic. Such insights can guide targeted development efforts to align self-perception with external perception.
Integrating profiling into coaching programmes
The use of personality profiling in executive coaching offers numerous benefits:
Self-realisation: Profiling tools help leaders gain a deep understanding of their personality traits, strengths, and areas for development.
Customised coaching: Insights from profiling allow coaches to tailor their strategies to the specific needs and preferences of the leader.
Enhanced performance: By leveraging their strengths and addressing their weaknesses, leaders can improve their overall effectiveness and performance.
Improved relationships: Understanding personality traits enhances communication and collaboration, fostering better relationships within the organisation.
In conclusion, personality profiling is a powerful component of executive coaching programmes. Tools like MBTI, VIA, strength cards, psychometric testing, EI/EQ assessments, and 360-degree feedback provide invaluable insights that drive personal and professional growth. By integrating these tools into their programmes, executive coaches can create personalised, effective coaching experiences that empower leaders to reach their full potential.
If you’d like to schedule an exploratory call or video meeting to discuss how I integrate personality profiling into my executive coaching programmes, please get in touch.