1. Introduction (250 words)
Early on in my career, I recognised that to become an effective manager, it was important to communicate effectively with management, stakeholders and staff. I deem communication to be the corner stone of success; the ability to convey a message clearly and concisely is vital on the outcome of a project. I based communicating effectively on two aspects. Firstly, it was important to be aware of what communication style came naturally to me. Secondly, it was important for me to gain an understanding of the recipient’s preference in communicating. Once this had been developed, we were able to align the method of conversation to suit the needs of both.
Throughout my working career, I have always seen communication as an area that I could improve upon. I have always been quiet and reserved person in nature. I felt nervous and unsteady when talking to people. I rarely spoke up unless the occasion called for it. However, throughout the last six years, I have steadily improved and strengthened my communications skills to the point where my colleagues and acquaintances see me as an open, engaging individual who is easy to talk to. In changing people’s perception of my personality, I question whether this in turn has actually changed my personality? Has trying to become more extroverted changed my personality into being extroverted? For this reason, I want to explore whether an individual can change aspects of their personality in order to become a more effective manager.
I will aim to use this assessment to not only discover my own personality traits and habits, but to learn how altering my interpersonal communication skills has impacted people’s perception of my personality. In this assessment, I will examine the six self-assessment tools that I selected to gain a better understanding of my individual characteristics and further analyse my strengths and weakness revealed within the assessment tools. I will also provide an overview of the literature relating to whether personality traits can be altered, specifically in relation to improving interpersonal skills. Lastly, I will examine the effectiveness and limitations of self-assessment exercises and cultural implications regarding self-assessment tools, and reflect on what I have learnt from completing them.
2. Self Assessment Exercises (600 words)
Six years ago at the start of my working career, I completed a number of self-assessment tools to distinguish my strengths and weaknesses. As an individual, I have always strove to become an all rounded and balanced person, and thus I thought the test defined my personality traits and values. I chose six self-assessment tools, which aimed to determine whether my personality traits, my preferred team roles, and the way in which I saw organisational structure had changed in any way.
2.1. Individual Behaviour Self-Assessments (150 words)
I chose a Myer-Briggs type assessment and ‘Big Five’ personality tests to outline consistency between the tests I had completed six years ago. These ‘individual behaviour and process’ tests allow me to gain a greater understanding of my personality aspects and determine what impact this could have on my communications skills.
The results showed from the self-assessment tools confirmed a number of aspects. The Myer-Briggs test results showed that I was still an INTJ, which was consistent with the test I took six years ago. The test described me as a reserved, innovative, rational and organised problem solver that is eager to improve systems and seeing possibilities for improvement. However, what was surprising was that my introversion score was not as strong as what it had been previously. The test also noted that although I still plan out all the operational detail, I often communicate in strategic terms.
The results were largely consistent with my ‘Big Five’ personality test. The test outlines that in most circumstances, I will aim to put the needs of others ahead