Personality Assessments Don’t Put People in Boxes. Cultures Do.

Mention personality assessments, and someone will eventually say, “I don’t like putting people in boxes.”

I understand the concern. People are more complex than four letters, four birds, or any other framework. The bigger problem is that organizations are already putting people in boxes. They just do it without calling them personality styles.

Someone is “leadership material.” Someone else is “too quiet.” Another person is “overly emotional,” “not strategic,” “resistant to change,” or “great with people but weak on execution.”

Those are boxes, too, and they can be much harder to escape.

The Real Problem Is What the Culture Rewards

A personality assessment becomes dangerous when an organization already has a preferred personality style.

If decisive, fast-moving people are seen as leadership material, employees may learn that forcefulness is the path to advancement. If outgoing people are rewarded for visibility, quieter employees may begin to question their influence. If questions are interpreted as resistance, thoughtful people may stop probing for understanding. If harmony is mistaken for weakness, collaborative people may stop focusing on others’ needs.

I once worked with an organization where 48 of the top 50 people were Eagles, the D style in the DISC model. That doesn’t mean Eagles make the best leaders, but the company believed it, and that belief changed how people acted.

Once a culture creates that kind of hierarchy, people start fearing their personality assessment results.

A Dove may worry that management will see them as too passive. An Owl may fear being viewed as rigid or critical. A Parrot may wonder whether people will dismiss them as scattered. An Eagle may worry that directness will be interpreted as abrasive.

The assessment did not create those fears. The culture did.

When Every Personality Style Is Valued

A personality assessment should help people understand their natural tendencies, recognize where they add value, and identify where they may need to stretch.

The healthiest cultures make it safe to be an Eagle, a Parrot, a Dove, or an Owl. That is where personality insight becomes useful. People stop trying to produce the “right” DISC profile and start working to become a more capable version of themselves.

Organizations should pay close attention to what happens after people receive their results. Do employees become more curious about themselves, or more cautious about what their style might mean for their careers?

That answer reveals something important about the culture.

The real danger isn’t putting people into boxes. It’s creating a workplace where some boxes are treated as more valuable than others.

​About the Author
Merrick Rosenberg is the author of Personality Intelligence: Master the Art of Being You, The Chameleon, and many other books for adults, students, and kids. He is the creator of the Eagle, Parrot, Dove, and Owl personality approach. As an award-winning speaker and President of Take Flight Learning, Merrick teaches people how to understand themselves and others through the lens of personality, because when you know your style, you unlock your path.