How Incorporating an Assessment Tool Can Transform Your coaching Practice
For the first 7+ years of my coaching I didn’t use any kind of assessment as part of my work.
I’d heard about them - Meyers Briggs, Sparketype, Four Tendencies, DISC - but it never landed with me how using an assessment might play into my coaching partnerships.
My approach to coaching has always been through establishing relationships and engaging in powerful conversations. When working with someone new, we just… started talking!
During initial sessions I would take clients through a path of questioning and inquiry with the intention of learning more about what it is they wanted, what was in the way, how we might work together to navigate those roadblocks and move towards their goals.
During one partnership I created - the Whiteboard Session - I administered a Values exercise and would survey friends of my clients to learn more about their priorities and unique gifts.
In that way, I suppose, I was harnessing a snapshot of their gifts and strengths.
But I never thought of those as “assessments.”
It wasn’t until I started using YouMap® in 2019 that I formally incorporated an assessment as part of my work, and as a result my coaching took on a layer of depth, confidence, and efficacy that I didn’t even realize had been missing.
Using an assessment and coaching are two different approaches to personal and professional development, the main difference being the focus and outcome of the process.
An assessment is typically a formal evaluation of an individual's skills, abilities, and personality traits.
Different assessments measure different variables, and the results can be used in different ways depending on the focus of your coaching or consulting.
For example, Meyers-Briggs (MBTI), Big Five, and DISC profiles are personality assessments that Evaluate an individual's patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behavior.
360 degree feedback surveys or interviews are behavioral assessments, evaluating an individual's behavior and performance in a specific context, such as the workplace.
Clifton Strengthsfinder ranks a person’s natural talents, HOW they prefer to get work done.
YouMap®, the assessment I’ve been using for 3+ years and am now training others in, is a holistic, well rounded tool that combines four assessments into one, evaluating a person’s Strengths (using Clifton Strengthsfinder), Values, Skills, and Interests (via the Holland Codes assessment).
Whatever tool you use, an assessment is like a snapshot of your client, and the desired outcome is to provide insights into an individual's current state.
Learning how to administer, debrief, and lead your clients through the results of an assessment is DIFFERENT than coaching, a discipline and process that helps your client reach a desired future goal.
Coaching is a personalized process that aims to support your client’s personal or professional development by providing guidance, support, and accountability. The outcome of a coaching partnership is to empower individuals to take action and make meaningful changes in their lives.
Whereas an assessment gives you a snapshot of a current moment, coaching typically happens over a period of time, including regular sessions and scaffolded action.
Why use an assessment as part of your coaching?
Immediate client-understanding: Working with a new client is a bit like trying to crack open black-box. To excavate the fine details about their strengths, preferences, and personality can take countless conversations and inquiry, especially if they have a difficult time expressing themselves or have limited self-awareness.
Using a tool like YouMap® fast tracks this client discovery process. It provides a way of FOCUSING energy and takes the guesswork out of how to coach your clients.
More personalized, tailored coaching: Assessments provide valuable insights into the unique qualities of your clients, allowing you to tailor your coaching strategies and approach to better meet their specific needs.
Once I started using YouMap® as part of my coaching practice, the quality of my coaching immediately improved because I was able to customize my work to the specific preferences of my clients.
Energized client engagement: Assessments can be an engaging and interactive tool for your clients, helping to increase their motivation and commitment to the coaching process. This, in turn, can lead to better outcomes and more meaningful results.
People love taking quizzes and fun tests that will tell them something about themselves they hadn’t been able to explain or express. Kicking off a coaching partnership using an assessment you’re excited about will, from the jump, energize your work together and give your client a quick win.
Increased self-awareness: Assessments help your client become more aware of their own tendencies, habits, and behavior patterns from the very start of your work together. This increased self-awareness can help them identify areas for improvement and make meaningful changes in their lives.
The beauty of a good assessment is that it mirrors back to your clients a feature or quality that is already there but which they hadn’t noticed before or considered as anything special. The more self-aware your clients are about their unique gifts, the more confident and self-assured they feel.
Improved communication: Assessments can also improve communication between coaches and clients, and between your clients and the people in their lives. By providing a shared language and understanding of personality, behavior, and interests, assessments can facilitate more effective and efficient coaching conversations and sessions. This can lead to better rapport and more positive outcomes for your coaching partnerships.
One of the most powerful results of learning my own YouMap® was the language it gave me to express things about myself I hadn’t previously been able to put into words. I have gone on to see this same result surface countless times for the clients I’ve administered YouMap® to.
Incorporating an assessment into your coaching practice can provide a snapshot of your client, fast track the discovery process, tailor your coaching strategies, increase client engagement, improve self-awareness, and enhance communication.
Whether it's Meyers-Briggs, Big Five, DISC, Clifton Strengthsfinder, Holland Codes, or a combination of assessments like YouMap®, using an assessment as part of your coaching can bring a new level of depth and efficacy to your work.