There are numerous types of personality profiling systems available now where a person can complete an evaluator that asks them to rank various word options presented to them in order of their preference. Based on the answers that the person gives, a personality profile is produced. I use the “Insights Discovery” personality profiling system and do so extensively with my colleagues in MaST to complement personal effectiveness training programs and team effectiveness facilitation. I also make this personality profiling service available to my coaching clients.

Personality profiles are designed to help you get more clarity on your behaviour, how you interact with other people and how you make decisions. It also offers individual strengths and weaknesses that your answers in the evaluator might suggest. If you are considering using personality profiles either yourself or with other people in your organisation, here are some tips to be aware of to ensure you get the best value from them.

1.      Personality profiles need to be treated as a tool to help describe a person’s preferences and behaviours to promote increased self awareness. They should not be used to “define” a person or to try and put someone into a “box”. This is one of the biggest traps that people fall into when they first complete a profile. We all behave in different ways in different circumstances and it is important to keep in mind that a profile gives you food for thought and should not be taken as fact without first doing some level of reflection on what is written.

2.      Share your profile with someone you can trust that knows you well and can be relied upon to give you honest constructive feedback. I do this myself, when I complete my own Insights Discovery profile and the exercise has proven beneficial in 2 main ways. (A) It reaffirms things about me that I may have been reluctant to admit in the past. (B) The person’s comments have given me further insight into my preferences and behaviours.

3.      Once you have evaluated and understood your profile, put an action plan in place to use what you have learned. So many profiles get read and forgotten without anything changing. This is a major waste of what is an amazing tool. Maybe you can identify some of your strengths and put an action plan in place that allows you to develop those strengths more or perhaps there is some element of how you communicate with specific other people that you can change to get results that you want.

4.      When evaluating which profiling tool to use, make sure to research the methods and principles that the profiling company uses to come to their conclusions, what specifically a profile includes and what debriefing process or profile explanation service the company provides.

If you would like any more information on the Insights Discovery personality profiling system please check out www.insights.com. If you are interested in receiving a personality profile for yourself or your colleagues or would like to discuss how personality profiles could be used to enhance your current training or team effectiveness activities, please contact me and I will be happy to discuss your specific requirements in more detail. 

Fergal O’Connor is a Business and Personal Life Coach working in partnership with his Business and Private clients providing a supportive, confidential, challenging and non-judgemental environment to make their ambitions and dreams a reality. Fergal also facilitates a range of Coaching and Management training programs, Team facilitation workshops and is available for public speaking engagements. Fergal can be contacted at Synergy Coaching Services, Tel: (061) 467287, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it web www.synergycoaching.ie

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