How can personality assessments move beyond insight to create meaningful change?
In this article published by Hogan Assessments, expert contributor Supriti Bhandary, MA, founder and executive coach at Supriti Bhandary LLC, shares a practical coaching approach: The Mirror and the Map. This framework helps leaders move from strategic self-awareness to aligned, intentional action using the Hogan assessments as both a reflection and a roadmap.
The mirror: from insight to acceptance 
The mirror reflects how a leader is perceived by others, revealing behavioural patterns, strengths, and derailers. It draws on the three Hogan assessments (HPI, HDS, MVPI) to provide a clear view of reputation.
But insight alone doesn’t drive growth. Self-acceptance is key. As Supriti explains, coaching often begins when leaders are ready to confront and work with the parts of themselves that they’ve previously avoided.
“Awareness alone is just information if you're not adjusting your style.” — Supriti Bhandary
The map: from awareness to action
Once leaders accept their patterns and reputation, the map guides the way forward.
- MVPI highlights what motivates them
- HPI and HDS reveal the routes they’re likely to take, especially under stress
Together, these assessments support clear, strategic behaviour shifts. One example: a leader with a high MVPI Recognition and HPS Sociability scores learned to anticipate and adjust attention-seeking tendencies that were impacting her leadership presence. With coaching, she created a map that helped her lead with more intention and alignment.
A structure for deeper coaching conversations
Presenting the mirror and the map before diving into assessment results helps reduce resistance, build trust, and invite curiosity. It shifts the focus from pass/fail to purpose-driven development.
Supriti often starts with the MVPI to anchor the conversation in values, then layers in HPI and HDS insights as tools to support or challenge those values in action. The mirror and map remain reference points throughout the coaching journey.
This framework offers a simple yet powerful way to translate complex psychometric data into actionable development to help leaders align how they are perceived with who they want to become.
Read the full article by Hogan Assessments
Summary based on the article “The Mirror and the Map: A Coaching Framework,” published by Hogan Assessments. Expert contributor: Supriti Bhandary, MA.