Bob in a box
Bob moved into his new role about six years ago.
Laudably keen to give Bob all the help they could, HR immediately subjected him to (sorry – “offered him”) a whole array of tests of his personality and strengths.
You’ve probably come across some of these “assessment tools”.
You fill in a questionnaire or similar, and come out as a colour, a number or a 4-letter “type”.
That’s you sorted then. That’s your complex personality reduced to a simple formula. For ever.
“You’re not putting me in a box” is quite a common reaction. But…
Let me tell you more about Bob.
Bob’s 4-letter “type” came with a summary along the lines of: “You are sensitive, patient, insightful and hard-working. You think broadly and creatively. Your preferred instinct to put others first and your natural tendency for privacy may sometimes cause you difficulties”.
Wow!
“How could they possibly know that?” was Bob’s response. It’s a common response. He liked the nice bits of course, but also had to own up to that bit about “difficulties”.
The problem for Bob was that, to be successful in his new role, the difficulties were not just theoretical outputs from an assessment. They were very real. He would actually need to be visible, have some hard conversations, and take some tough decisions.
Time passed. Life happened. Bob confronted some challenges, tried some new things, grew.
I saw Bob recently. He’d just done one of the tests again, six years on. His 4-letter “type” had changed. Apparently he now has visibility and can take tough decisions, but do it well.
So which box is Bob in?
Bob is not in a box at all. HE NEVER WAS.
What Bob did was to take the learning from a really useful model, apply it, and learn to act differently. “Act” might be the key word here. But acting can lead to changed habits in time.
None of us are in boxes.
We just need the capacity for self-assessment (kudos to the models here) and the courage to have a go at some new behaviours. The courage to change.
So if you think you’re in a box, whoever put you there, try acting your way out of it. Be a Bob.
And if you’d like to read a bit more deeply into this, here’s a link - https://www.martinhowden.com/courage-to-change
FANCY A SLIGHTLY LONGER READ?
Maybe try one or more of the books
