These days, researchers have proved the connection between emotional intelligence and the possibility of career success. According to Reynolds, this aspect may be significantly more important than IQ (2011). The researcher concludes: “trait EI is a proxy for emotion-related self perceptions that are directly relevant to organisational variables such as job satisfaction and performance” (Reynolds, 2011, p. 1028).
Therefore, it is crucial to pay attention to emotional intelligence and its development in order to improve performance in the workplace. For this aim, multiple assessments were elaborated, which are intended to analyze the personality and present both weak and strong points. The paper includes three of them, namely VIA Inventory Strengths, emotional intelligence self-assessment, and leadership assessment. This way, the purpose of this paper is to complete the aforementioned tests, establish a personal development plan on the basis of their results, and review some limitations.
VIA Inventory of Strengths
First of all, in order to conduct an analysis of my personality, it is crucial to complete the test titled VIA Inventory Strengths. It is aimed to provide a respondent with information on its strong qualities. The test has revealed my prominent characteristics and ranked them in top-5. The first one is “noticing and appreciating beauty, excellence, and/or skilled performance in various domains of life, from nature to art to mathematics to science to everyday experience” (VIA Institute on Character, n. d., para. 1). Humor, which includes a desire to laugh and tell jokes, bring smiles to others, and find a positive perspective to difficult situations, is also among my best qualities. In addition, my gratitude can be marked, as I often feel thankful for all the blessings, which I have.
Hope occupies the fourth place in the list of my strong points. Consequently, I have optimistic expectations for my future and am determined to achieve my aims. I consider that success in my future life is something that can be released. The last point in this list is curiosity, namely “taking interest in ongoing experience for its own sake; finding subjects and topics fascinating”. I enjoy discovering new things and events and explore the world and people. In general, to my mind, the results are objective to a large extent, though I was surprised by observing gratitude among my strengths.
As for my weak qualities, the test demonstrated that they are love, fairness, perseverance, bravery, and humility. Occasionally, I find it challenging to express my loving feelings towards a person. However, this fact does not mean that I do not value close relationships with others. Furthermore, I am not modest, and I reckon that humility cannot be useful in achieving the best results. However, I cannot agree with the results of perseverance and bravery. I think they do not match the reality, as, in fact, I am determined and capable of overcoming my fears.
Emotional Intelligence Self-Assessment
The second test, which may be helpful for identifying my strong and weak points, is Emotional Intelligence Self-Assessment presented in Manager’s Pocket Guide to Emotional Intelligence: From Management to Leadership by Sterrett. It contains 30 questions, which are aimed to provide the performance of a respondent in the following spheres: self-awareness, empathy, self-confidence, motivation, self-control, and social competency (Sterrett, 2000). After counting the ratings, it is possible to reveal the fields, which require improvements.
As I have expected, all my results were relatively balanced, total ratings in all the categories hesitated from 19 to 21. Therefore, it is possible to conclude that there is no sphere, which needs to be boosted considerably, and my development direction may be considered correct (Sterrett, 2000). However, my attention should be drawn to such categories as empathy and self-control. The total results in these criteria are 19, which is not low, though they can be improved to a large extent.
Leadership Assessment
Sterrett also proposes another test, which is aimed to compare the way I rate myself and the way others rate me in the context of the same criteria. Consequently, the test is intended to be completed by my colleagues, peers, and friends in order to gather information on my behavior from their perspective. I have allocated the checklists to five people, who I am confident that they know my personality profoundly. Interestingly, my perception of myself appeared to be quite close to the way others see me. The respondents also marked that occasionally I lack empathy, though I always express my gratitude for the work done or help provided. In addition, I need to improve my self-control in the context of performing in front of the public and adapting to new situations.
Personal Development Plan
After completing the tests and reviewing their results, it is possible to create a personal development plan. Firstly, it is essential to determine the spheres or qualities, which require improvements. I need to focus on delivering empathy to others, improving self-control, expressing sympathy and love to people, and being more modest. As for the first purpose, it is vital to be more careful towards the feelings of other people and manage to conduct profound conversations in order to understand them. I should regularly stop and change my focus on the people, who I am surrounded by, and ask myself and themselves how they feel at the moment.
Improving self-control regards the ability to manage my fears and negative mood. In case I feel tired or disappointed, I should have a break and attempt to settle the nerves. Occasionally, in order to overcome such a state, I should share my thoughts with close friends or relatives without burdening them. An important insight in this regard implies the fact that I am not capable of changing difficult situations, though I am capable of changing my reaction and perspective.
In order to express my feelings, such as sympathy and love, to others more freely, it is crucial to be aware that people, who I am surrounded by, should be treated respectfully and carefully. All the people need to be assured that they are loved, so simple actions, which express my appreciation, may raise their mood, contribute to receiving appropriate support and feeling more confident. I am eager to implement my personal rule to show my sympathy to a person at least once a day. As for modesty, it is important not to highlight the achievements insistently and without a particular purpose. The lack of humility is highly likely to prevent other people from socializing with me. For this reason, I should spend less time speaking about my achievements.
Limitations
Although the tests mentioned above are effective in the context of conducting personality analysis, they contain some limitations. As for the VIA Inventory Strengths, it includes multiple questions, which are similar in their meaning. They can be substituted for the ones, which are aimed to gather more profound information on a person. This way, it will be possible to create a comprehensive picture of a respondent.
In general, the tests may appear to be superficial to some extent. Their results cannot be reliable, as the checklists are intended to determine the strong and weak points on the base of 30 questions, which is impossible. Moreover, it is worthy of taking into consideration that an individual is highly likely to act in a different way in different situations, for instance, an introvert may be open while communicating with close friends. Another example is the fact that even a courageous person may encounter particular fears and some hardships while overcoming them. This aspect is not involved in indicating the personality of a respondent, and for this reason, some results do not match reality. In addition, the test lacks a psychological basis and analysis, which affects the credibility of the conclusions.
Another possible implementation regards the determination of the extent of a respondent’s fairness while answering the questions. It is evident that a person may have some prejudices connected with self-perception or tend to show himself or herself benefits and conceal drawbacks. In order to assure that an individual responds honestly, it is crucial to include the questions, which are intended to reveal the extent of fairness. This way, the results will become more reliable, which is extremely relevant for the first test that is totally based on self-perception.
Conclusion
Paying attention to my weak points is highly likely to contribute to improving my performance at the workplace. Although the tests applied in the paper are not profound, in case they are combined with the self-reflection process, they may reveal the spheres, which requires improvements. Such an approach definitely has a positive influence on personal development and leads to better results in the long run.
References
Bring your strengths to life & live more fully. (n. d.). VIA Institute on Character. Web.
Reynolds, M. (2011). Understanding emotional intelligence. Personality and Individual Differences, 51, 1028–1033. Web.
Sterrett, E. A. (2000). Manager’s pocket guide to Emotional Intelligence: From management to leadership. HRD Press.