What do you want to be when you grow up?
by Kelly Bos
You know that question. You know, the one you’ve been asked over and over again? If you’re like me, half the time you don’t know how to answer. Other times you simply come up with something random just to have an answer.
What do you want to be when you grow up? Yep, that’s the one.
Some of you may always have known what you wanted to be when you grew up. Or, if you didn’t, you found something intriguing and stuck with it. For me, my answer was always different…that is, if I had an answer at all. I find interest in everything (well, almost everything). And I love to learn. However, not in the traditional sense. I love to learn of my own accord and relish in the hands-on training that may be available. Up until recently, I never could understand why I was bored in school, got tired of the monotonous tasks at work, and constantly was on the look-out for the next opportunity. That is, until I took The Predictive Index’s Behavioral Assessment.
Those results, though! They are spot on. Not to mention they help shed some light as to why I always questioned policies and decisions, constantly desired something better, and craved a good challenge.
Entering my last interview (yes, I’m still challenged), I was asked to take the BA. I can completely see why it is a such a useful tool, especially when entertaining a candidate for a certain position. I’m not saying that it’s the sole decision maker when hiring, but it can certainly be insightful as to what the position may require from an individual and if that individual is right for that position.
Welcome to, I’m a Specialist; and you can count your lucky stars I’m a skeptic…about almost everything! It’s all making sense, now. This is precisely why I could never definitively tell you what I wanted to be when I grew up. It now makes sense why I would get restless in a job that wasn’t challenging.
As a Specialist, I am constantly challenging decisions (in my own mind) until I’m able to investigate and decipher all information. Details, details, details. It’s all in the details. And a Specialist processes those details with discipline, so that they can communicate their thoughts clearly and concisely. We’re normally pretty accommodating, however, we may take some warming up to. We can be quite analytical, which for me personally, has been an asset for those difficult HR decisions and conversations. It’s also been extremely helpful when making business decisions.
On the contrary, though, this, on many of occasions, has been misinterpreted as having a lack of empathy. Us analytics do have a heart; we just tend to rely more heavily on hard data. So, please remember this if you encounter a Specialist; we still care.
As a Specialist, I also tend to operate quickly. And many times, I expect others to operate the same. Well, not so much. (Hello, not everyone is the same!) I’ve been able to learn and understand the differences in other profiles, especially in respect to how they interact with each another. Understanding each other’s strengths and weaknesses has really helped my interrelationship with everyone I work with (and those who I live with).
A skeptic I was, but only at the beginning! I honestly can say that the BA is an extraordinary tool that can be used professionally and personally!
If you’re curious about learning more about Predictive Index and how W Talent Solutions can help you and your company uncover the keys to helping your workforce work at it’s best, visit W Talent Solutions’s Talent Optimization page or reach out to speak directly with a Talent Advisor.
