Top Tips to Use Personality Tests to Become a Better Manager

While personality tests like the Myers Briggs and Enneagram tests can be fun to do and compare your results with friends, they can actually be worth a whole lot more than just that.

Many business owners and managers have started using these types of personality tests to assist them in running a better business, and the results are often incredible. There are loads of areas in your company that can benefit from the use of personality tests – here’s how to get the most out of them.

Hire Smarter

First of all, these tests can help you curate the ideal team for your company, since they give you insight into strengths, weaknesses, communication and conflict styles, and so much more. This can help you hire the right people for various roles and even allow you to better understand how to get the best performance out of them.

For example, understand the nature of ESFJ characters in comparison to INTJ characters – you might be able to identify which common traits would be better suited to the position you’re advertising. 

Be Aware of Weaknesses

If your onboarding process includes a personality test, it’s an easy way to be aware of potential weaknesses your new employee might struggle with.

When you have this in the back of your mind, it will be easy to identify the issue in them early on, and you can use this knowledge to help them overcome their shortcomings. Most employees will happily accept training, constructive criticism or pointers that will help them be better at their job. 

Improve Communication

Good workplace communication is essential for a team and business to be successful. When you and your team are aware of your own personality types, your communication styles and needs, how you deal with problems, etc. it can allow for a much better overall dynamic in the workplace. 

Understanding and awareness of the difference between people can create tolerance amongst your team that might not otherwise exist, encouraging everyone to work mindfully with each other’s own individual styles. 

Keep Employees Happy

Keeping your employees engaged and happy is a crucial factor in their overall productivity, and when you understand their personality type, this becomes much easier. 

For example, some personality types thrive on verbal praise and affirmation, and this will motivate them to keep performing well. When you understand this, it becomes easy and effortless to offer a simple “great job”, when you see your employee making a solid effort. 

Work on Your Own Blind Spots

A personality test is also a great way to identify your own shortcomings, as much as we’d prefer to ignore them! Understanding your own weaknesses is an important part of becoming a better manager, communicating better with your staff and handling issues in a more constructive way.

However, a personality test can help you identify your weaknesses – the next step is to work hard to overcome them, which is work you will need to do all on your own.