Leadership development is a critical aspect of growing a successful business. To become an effective leader, it is essential to understand one's strengths, weaknesses, communication style, and blind spots. Three assessments can help leaders identify these areas: the Leadership Versatility Index (LVI) 360, the Enneagram, and the DISC personality assessment.
The LVI measures a leader's versatility across 12 key aspects of leadership grouped into 4 domains: How you lead (Forceful and Enabling) and What you lead (Strategic and Operational). It helps leaders understand where they are under-using or over-using specific strengths.
The Enneagram identifies nine different personality types, each associated with a distinct set of strengths, weaknesses, communication styles, and motivators.
The DISC measures four personality traits: Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness, helping individuals understand their communication style and how they can flex to build better relationships.
5 Reasons to Combine These Assessments
1. Develop a Holistic Understanding
Each assessment provides a different lens through which to view a leader's personality and behaviour. By combining them, a leader develops a more comprehensive and holistic understanding of their strengths, weaknesses, blind spots, and areas for development.
2. Identify Overlapping Insights
The assessments may reveal overlapping insights — such as consistent patterns in communication style or leadership strengths — that provide a deeper understanding of how personality affects leadership.
3. Focus on Development Opportunities
The assessments can be used to identify development opportunities aligned with a leader's personality type. For example, a leader who is a Type 3 (the Achiever) in the Enneagram may benefit from developing a more collaborative leadership style.
4. Develop a Personalised Development Plan
By combining insights from multiple assessments, a leader can work with their coach to develop a personalised development plan tailored to their unique personality and leadership style.
5. Track Progress
The assessments can be retaken periodically to monitor progress and adjust the development plan as needed.
Reactive vs Choiceful Leadership
One key aspect addressed in all three assessments is the distinction between reactive and choiceful responding — also referred to as vertical development in the Enneagram framework. Understanding this distinction is key to a more capable style of leadership.
Reactive leaders tend to be focused on the short-term, reactive to external stimuli, and focused on problem-solving. Choiceful leaders tend to be focused on long-term goals, proactive in seeking opportunities, and focused on innovation.
Reactiveness in high-pressure environments can manifest as short-term focus, blame, resistance to change, lack of collaboration, and hasty decision-making. The From Reactive to Choiceful article explores the neuroscience and practical strategies behind this shift in more depth.
Conclusion
Utilising multiple assessments provides leaders with a more comprehensive and holistic understanding of their personality, communication style, and areas for development. By developing self-awareness, practising mindfulness, and building emotional regulation skills, you can limit your emotional reactivity and create a more positive workplace culture.