If your company or organization has used Stop Guessing for Teams or The Birkman Method (TBM), now, more than ever, you need to open the amazing library of reports and set up a Zoom (or other platform) gathering or a one-on-one session!
Whether it’s team building, sorting ideas to make more productive decisions, handling sensitive issues with better communication and compassion, exploring career options, meeting one-on-one or with the group, identifying unmet needs, and recognizing possible stress reactions – The Birkman Method and Stop Guessing for Teams (SGT) is a valuable and critical resource in your wheelhouse – especially now.
If your organization isn’t Birkman certified or you’re not working with a certified consultant – while you may believe it’s currently a luxury item, the ROI will be evident in the productivity of your people which impacts all levels of an organization.
Am I not an employee of Birkman International or a sales rep, instead I have used these tools for years and seen the remarkable impact and results.
I know the power and elegance behind this empirical assessment. Did you know that not all interest and personality inventories are statistically valid and reliable? They may be entertaining or provide some highlights of ourselves, but do they provide an empirical deep dive into what we like to do, who we are, what we need, and how all of that relates to potential career paths – all in one assessment? Translated into 23+ languages and used internationally, The Birkman Method meets and exceeds the criteria.
While we all may be in the same troubled waters right now, we are all in different boats – and some are in better shape and better equipped than others. Do we recognize that in ourselves and others?
We are all trying to navigate these waters the best way we can – with our human flaws. It hurts my soul to see people anxious, fearful, and/or angry. We’re frustrated – that’s real and valid. How we respond to frustration can look very different between individuals. We don’t always communicate productively under stress. Two people can ‘hear’ the same message but ‘receive’ it differently. Why? What is the impact of those differences on groups, organizations, family, and friends?
Some people, groups, organizations have better navigational tools than others. There are a variety of navigational tools to help all of us. The Birkman Method assessment is an excellent navigational tool, no matter what size boat we’re in right now. There is even a Business Disruption Survival Pack, to guide organizations through troubled waters.
I don’t have the cure for a pandemic. I am not an economist. I care deeply about the well-being of people – team leaders, team members, individual contributors, executives, business owners and organizational leaders. Professionally and personally, people have always been my calling – my purpose – my career. When I started using The Birkman Method assessment seventeen years ago, I knew I had the perfect professional complement to help people better understand themselves and others, see themselves and the world with more clarity, make more thoughtful decisions, recognize and handle stress better, acknowledge critical needs, communicate with care, and better navigate life.
For such a time as this, there is a critical need for The Birkman Method and it should be an integral part of every organization and family. One assessment. About forty minutes (untimed) of your focused attention to complete a no-stress online questionnaire. The results access a storehouse of reports that range from the career-related interests that energize and drain us, the behaviors that others see – both strengths and stress, the not-always seen (hidden) needs that are critical to our well-being, team work, and productivity, and how our interests and behaviors best align with our current and future careers. Reports designed for individuals and groups.
The myriad reports accessed from Birkman’s extensive library provide navigational tools to improve communication, talk about sensitive issues without negativity, support decision making, and build collaboration (just to name a few).
Do you recognize any of these questions or concerns in your personal or professional life? In the lives of your employees or team?
- What types of activities do I need to do to best handle quarantine, self-isolation, or working from home?
- What types of activities drain my energy?
- What types of activities energize me?
- How well do I pivot or handle change?
- How insistent am I that things are done a certain way? Do these things support or detract from my personal productivity? Are they helping to keep my family or business on course or are they disruptive?
- What incentivizes me? How is this achieved under current circumstances? If it’s not happening, what can I do reach my goals?
- If I usually behave and look like an introvert, why am I currently frustrated with isolation?
- Do I love working from home and only meeting online when necessary? What happens when I have to go back to work on site?
- Even though platforms like Zoom allow me to engage with others, is something missing from our online interaction? Why are the nuances important to me?
- Two of us are working from home and we have our own workspace. Why am I more sensitive to outside distractions than my partner?
- How do I approach a business development presentation or interview?
- What do I need from my environment (professional, personal, social) and the people around me to be my best – most true self?
The answers to these questions are just the tip of the proverbial iceberg that The Birkman Method provides. Guided by a certified consultant, it shows us what no other instrument is able to do – see below the surface – our critical needs that we may not even realize exist or we weren’t able to see clearly before. When we have the right instruments, we can navigate both the known and unknown with more confidence and clarity. We can better prepare for uncharted waters. We think, speak, and make decisions based more on discernment, wisdom, and compassion, not stress-induced reactions. The Birkman Method assessment is for all organizations, family, and self – a critical navigational tool for such a time as this.
For a simpler, less expensive application try out Stop Guessing for Teams.
About the Author
Leanne Abraham is the President of Premierehire, Executive Search and founder of Leading Well Today, a coaching and training program that helps leaders build high trust, high performing teams. Leanne is an MBA graduate and certified Birkman coach with over 20 years of executive management experience.
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About Birkman
Birkman International is a behavioral and occupational assessment company headquartered in Houston, Texas with an extensive global reach. The company began assessing personality through a proprietary methodology founded by innovative organizational psychologist Dr. Roger W. Birkman in 1951.
The Birkman Method remains a preferred instrument to better understand interpersonal dynamics and achieve higher performance through positive psychology. It is used widely in the fields of career coaching, leadership development, human resources management, and organizational design today.
© Birkman International 2019
