No one loves a tough day at work. Job-related stress can bring everyone down. But, at the end of the day, it all boils down to how each one of us reacts to pressure. Understanding how you are likely to act in high-pressure situations or simply knowing your stress triggers can make you more effective at dealing with difficult situations and managing your performance.
Lucky for us, we have powerful assessment tools such as The Birkman Method that help identify how and why we may likely behave in given situations.
Let’s take a closer look at how Birkman can help us understand our personalities so we can work on developing ourselves to seize our “best fit” career opportunities.
Birkman – A Brief History
The Birkman Assessment isn’t your run-of-the-mill personality test. It’s a comprehensive tool that dives deep into your personality, interests, and behaviors. This was initially created as a Test of Social Comprehension in 1951 by Dr. Roger Birkman. He based his test on his time in the U.S. Air Force, where he observed key differences in how people reacted to various training methods and situations.
Understanding Colorful Personalities Through Birkman
The Birkman Method doesn’t believe in putting you in a box. Rather, it helps you understand the many shades of your personality – some of which may even come to you as a surprise! It uses four colors to help you identify your Birkman Color: so you can work on developing your decision-making skills, increase self-awareness, and enhance performance. Here’s how the four Birkman colors describe different personalities:
Red: Known as the Doers, Birkman Reds tend to make quick decisions, are practical, and prefer objective tasks.
Yellow: They are known as the Analyzers. Birkman Yellows like details and guidelines. They are also rule-oriented and prefer to schedule their activities.
Blue: Birkman Blues or the Thinkers are innovative and creative. They focus on long-term planning and enjoy looking for new ways to solve problems.
Green: Birkman Greens are your Communicators. They enjoy working with people and are persuasive and competitive.
The Path to Self-Discovery
What does the Birkman Method help us identify? How can we leverage the power of Birkman to develop ourselves and improve our performance? Read on to understand what the Birkman Assessment can reveal about you and how you can direct this toward self-growth.
Your True Colors (Literally!)
Knowing your Birkman Color/s can help you identify which roles and environments will bring out the best in you. Are you a fiery Red driven by action and results? Or a competitive Green who is persuasive and enjoys working with people? Or perhaps, you’re a mix of both and an ideal fit as a Team Lead. Being placed in roles and environments that best suit your personality and preferences will help you deliver your best performance.
Your Motivation and Needs
Our intrinsic needs go beyond pay packages and company perks. This is where the Birkman Assessment steps in and helps us identify what we need in the workplace. For instance, there may be a part of your personality that craves timely recognition without which you may be easily demotivated and disengaged. But, if this need is met and you receive the appreciation and recognition that you’ve always wanted, you’ll find yourself working at your best potential.
Your Natural Strengths
Every individual brings a set of unique strengths to the team. The key is to leverage the differences in these strengths to make the team perform at its highest level. Birkman helps us identify our natural work styles and teaches us how to complement them with the strengths of our colleagues allowing each individual to perform their best.
Your Stress Triggers
Stress. The term in itself causes chaos. We often find ourselves in situations where we are unable to manage our stress which, in turn, has a trickle-down effect on others around us. In a team setting, this results in loss of communication, panic and poor performance. However, when we are aware of the factors that can trigger our stress behaviors, we act mindfully and with caution. The result? Better communication, higher engagement, and reduced burnout.
Journey Towards a Meaningful Career
Intrigued about what the Birkman Method can reveal about you? Take the plunge and gain insights into understanding your personality, behaviors and traits. Use this as a valuable tool to approach career opportunities and seek the right job for your skills and interests. Download a sample Birkman Report as a preview.
If you are looking to take the next step in your career, Crosworks can help you navigate your goals and tailor your career to your skills and interests. Schedule a consultation with us and learn how you can leverage Birkman in your career goals.