There is something compelling personality tests, isn’t there? We can’t resist them. Perhaps it’s their ability to help us look at ourselves through the lense of science or, depending on the quiz you take, pop culture. We all harbor the narcissistic need for a label, a persona, a type. It both makes us feel like we belong and like we’re special. But there are some very good business reasons for getting to know yourself a little better, even if it’s with the help of a personality test (or therapist):
- Prepare for difficult situations. When you can anticipate, for example, a social setting that will cause you to bite your nails to the quick or natter incessantly about how much you love your parakeet, you can plan your attack. You can decide in advance what you will do with your hands or what subjects might make for a conversation others might actually want to partake in. That’s Business Networking 101 and you need to do it well.
- Play to your strengths. In business this is really all you’ve got, but especially during tough economic times. For example, customer loyalty is created through relationship building and the ability to turn negatives into positives. Maybe you can make people laugh when all they want to do is cry. Or maybe you’re an empath. (Who doesn’t need to cry now and then?) Whatever your strengths, know what they are so you can not only have them at the ready but leverage them for profit.
- Outsource your weaknesses. This one can be tough to do when cash is tight, but if you look at outsourcing as a strategy for enabling you to work more productively on that which you are fabulous at, it makes good business sense. However, you first must figure out and then be honest about what you, uh, suck at. The rest is easy.
- Communicate more effectively. This one took me a long time to learn. It wasn’t until I took the Myers Briggs personality test–and learned I was an INTJ–that I realized I tend to come across as aloof and uncaring in various social situations. I quite ignorantly assumed my peers had inferiority complexes. In fact, they thought I didn’t give a rat’s patootie about what they thought or how they felt. Needless to say, I’ve adjusted my communication style accordingly.
- Build a better brand. If you have a handle on the good, the bad and the ugly of your personality, you’ve got great fodder for building a formidable brand. Maybe you have a quirky sense of humor, maybe you’re good with numbers but suck at writing, or maybe you’re so introverted you’re sprouting bat wings. Whatever it is that makes you you is probably brand worthy in the sea of mediocrity that is today’s online marketplace.
If you want a really interesting and fun personality test that actually has some science behind it, take Dr. Helen Fisher’s free online personlity test at Chemistry.com. While the test is meant to help you determine how you behave in the context of romantic relationships, the resulting profiles provide a ton of insight into what kind of business woman (and Alpha WAHM) you might be as well.
Because business building today is all about relationship building. And to know thyself is the ultimate business building advantage.
About this Alpha WAHM Blogger: Karri is the Alpha WAHM who owns this joint. She also happened to write the book. 
