By: Anica Zarac
Self-awareness is one of the cornerstones of effective leadership, as it fosters consistency, trust, and influence (Avolio and Gardner, 2005). Consequently, building self-awareness plays a central role in the coaching process as it helps leaders move from reactive to intentional leadership practices. When coaching is based on explicit, scientifically validated data, it becomes a powerful driver for self-awareness.
In this context, psychometric tools, such as personality inventories and 360 Assessments, are particularly relevant.
How these tools elevate the impact of coaching
1. A reliable diagnosis
Psychometric tools provide a structured and nuanced profile of the individual being supported, helping them to better understand their strengths and areas worth monitoring. This solid foundation saves valuable time, makes it easier to set coaching goals, and allows the approach to be tailored so that sessions are more focused and meaningful.
2. Perspectives that aren’t always easy to bring to light
Because they’re based on scientifically validated models, these tools often reveal blind spots that the person being supported would not have noticed on their own. They open the door to deeper conversations and faster insights.
3. A concrete record to support development
A psychometric profile serves as a “snapshot” of the individual at a specific point on their development path. Studies show that leaders who review their psychometric assessment reports multiple times in the months that follow, and especially around the six-month mark, make more progress than those who review them only once. Revisiting this data after trying out new behaviours makes it easier to integrate the change and sustain it in the long run.
Tools tailored to the needs of coachees
At Pixonality, coaches have access to a huge array of tools from leading providers, including Hogan, Humance, and SuccessFinder.
Personality inventories
Personality inventories are used to explore strengths, derailment risks, and core values. They’re useful for helping leaders to better understand themselves, set personalized coaching goals, clarify how their values align with their development, and navigate career transitions.
Some assessments also include a ladder of leadership identifying key behaviours that need to be developed to succeed at different hierarchical levels.
360 Assessments
These tools reveal how members of the participant’s professional circle see that individual. Research (Smither et al., 2005) shows that individuals who receive coaching following a 360 Assessment make greater progress than those who receive feedback alone. This approach is all the more effective for leaders.
Here are a few examples of coaching activities derived from these tools
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Clarification of leadership positioning: Identifying the individual’s core values and strengths to guide them toward more intentional leadership.
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Before-and-after 360 Assessment: Conducting a 360 Assessment at the beginning and end of a coaching engagement makes it possible to compare the individual’s performance before and after the process, help them set truly relevant goals, and measure behavioural changes. By making progress visible, this approach provides clear benchmarks to guide development and boost motivation.
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Coaching or teambuilding: Using team assessment reports to take action on a collective scale in a coaching or teambuilding context.
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Structured development plan: Psychometric tools help define specific, measurable goals and concrete steps for achieving them.
To conclude, psychometric tools don’t replace the coaching relationship; rather, they enhance its scope. By combining objective data with professional coaching, these tools help leaders develop a lasting, nuanced, and action-oriented self-awareness—a valuable asset in an ever-changing environment.
For coaches ready to go further: discover our bundles.
Sources
Avolio, B. J., and Gardner, W. L. (2005). Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), 315–338. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2005.03.001
Smither, J. W., London, M., & Reilly, R. R. (2005). Does performance improve following multisource feedback? A theoretical model, meta-analysis, and review of empirical findings. Personnel Psychology, 58(1), 33–66. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2005.514_1.x